Crop Circles

Probably one of the most well know one are crop circles

One of the earliest reports of crop circles was on 22nd of August 1678 from a news pamphlet "The Mowing-Devil: or, Strange News out of Hartford-shire" that tells of a farmer in Hertfordshire who will not pay for a laborer to mow his field saying that he would rather that the Devil mowed it instead.

As it turns out the Devil was feeling rather nice that night. According to the pamphlet, the farmer's field appeared to be on fire. The next day field was found to be perfectly mowed, "that no mortal man was able to do the like".

Of cause the pamphlet is most likely made up, one give away is that it has no proof at all; Who is the farmer? When did it happen? Where in Hertfordshire did this happen?

Transcript:
The Mowing-Devil: Or, Strange NEWS out of Hartford-ſhire.

Being a True Relation of a Farmer, who Bargaining with a poor Mower, about the Cutting down Three Half Acres of Oats upon the Mower's asking too much, the Farmer ſwore, 'That the Devil ſhould Mow it, rather than He.' And lo it fell out, that that very Night, the Crop of Oats ſhew'd as if it had been all of a Flame, but next Morning appear'd ſo neatly Mow'd by the Devil, or ſome Infernal Spirit, that no Mortal Man was able to do the like. Alſo, How the ſaid Oats ly now in the Field, and the Owner has not Power to fetch them away.

Despite making crop circle without the landowner's permission is criminal damage there have only been two cases of someone being charged for criminal damage.

First in 1992 where two Hungarian youths, Takács and Róbert Dallos both 17 had the honour of being the first two people to be charged with legal action after creating a crop circle. Both went to St. Stephen Agricultural Technicum, a high school in that funnily enough specialised in agriculture none the less.

The two guys created a 36-metre crop circle in a field near Székesfehérvár, 7 on 8th of June '92. The land owners sued the Takács and Róbert for 630,000 Hungarian forint - about $3,000.

In 2000 Matthew Williams was arrested for causing criminal damage by making a crop circle near Devizes (the heart of Wiltshire). He was fined the sum of £100 and £40 for court fees.

Of cause, one of the most known indices of crop circles was in 1991, where Doug Bower and Dave Chorley calmed that they started the craze of crop circles in 1978, they said that they made the circles with just a plank of wood, some rope, and a baseball cap fitted with a loop of wire to help them walk in a straight line.

To prove that they started the craze, the two men made a circle in front of some journalists. Author Pat Delgado examined the circle and said it was the real deal. However, it was revealed that it was just a hoax.

As the times change, so did crop circles. They are no longer a thing for people to wonder about in awl, instated they are for advertising. Many companies such as Hello Kitty, who in 2004 celebrated their 30th anniversary made a crop form in the shape of Hello Kitty.