9 September 1991 / T170
Doug Bower and Dave Chorley disclose crop-circle making
Southern England, especially Hampshire and Wiltshire
Witness account
Doug Bower and Dave Chorley publicly claimed responsibility for many crop circles in a Today newspaper story on 9 September 1991. They described making formations over preceding years and demonstrated practical methods. Their disclosure challenged claims that complex or apparently inexplicable crop markings necessarily required unusual atmospheric processes or extraterrestrial activity.
Public record
The original news story, contemporary broadcast coverage and subsequent reporting establish the disclosure and demonstrations. Those provide direct evidence that people could create convincing formations using simple methods. A confession covering a body of work does not identify the makers of every crop formation ever reported.