Today I took a dive into lesser-known conspiracy theory - the “Solway Firth Spaceman.” This one dates back to 1964 and involves an unexplained figure appearing in a photograph, leading to numerous theories including space travelers and time travellers.

Here’s the backstory: On May 23, 1964, Jim Templeton, a firefighter from Carlisle, Cumberland (now part of Cumbria), took his wife and daughter for an outing near Burgh Marsh, overlooking the Solway Firth in England. Templeton snapped three photos of his daughter in her new dress using a Kodak SLR.

When the film was developed, the middle picture, to Templeton’s surprise, appeared to show a spaceman-like figure standing behind his daughter, despite him insisting no one else was present when the photo was taken. The figure appears to be wearing a white space suit and helmet, thus the nickname “Solway Firth Spaceman.”

Templeton insisted he did not see anyone present when the photo was taken and none of the other photos showed the figure. Kodak even got involved, inspecting the photo to verify it hadn’t been tampered with and offering a reward to anyone who could explain the photo - a reward which was never claimed.

Here’s where it gets weird:

  1. The Men in Black: Templeton claimed that after the photo was published, he was visited by two men who said they were from the government, who asked him about the event and then disappeared, never to be contacted again. This story fueled the conspiracy theories even more.

  2. Blue Streak missile launch: Templeton was later contacted by officials from Australia’s Blue Streak missile program, who had apparently seen two figures resembling the “spaceman” on their security footage. This was particularly bizarre because their launch site was supposed to have been clear of all personnel, and the missile in the footage bore a striking resemblance to the figure in the photo.

  3. Time traveller or alien?: The photo sparked wild theories about the identity of the figure, ranging from time travelers, to aliens, to interdimensional beings. It became one of the most famous and enduring images associated with unexplained phenomena and UFOs.

However, skeptics suggest a more mundane explanation - the figure could be Templeton’s wife, standing with her back to the camera, her blue dress appearing white due to overexposure.

TL;DR: The Solway Firth Spaceman refers to a mysterious figure appearing in a 1964 photograph taken by Jim Templeton. Theories about the figure range from aliens to time travelers, though skeptics suggest it could simply be an overexposed image of Templeton’s wife.