The Thames Angel first appeared in the city of London, four hundred years ago.
Recent photographic evidence seems to indicate, that the famous river is still frequented
by the same celestial visitor.
How did this heavenly vision appear to the public in the past, and why has it now returned?
These are the angel sightings over the Thames River.
The Great Fire swept through central London in September of 1666.
The British Isles had undergone drought since the previous year, and the wooden buildings
were as dry as tinder, after the long hot summer.
The conflagration was ignited by a single commercial oven, which was unattended, inside
the bakery of Thomas Farriner, on Pudding Lane.
Because they were sleeping upstairs, the entire Farriner family was trapped, but they escaped,
by jumping onto the roof of the building next door.
The blaze went on to consume thousands of homes, dozens of parish churches, and_ Saint
Paul's Cathedral.
Incredibly, the lives of only six souls, were lost in this disaster.
The Cathedral of Saint Paul was re-built.
Over the next few weeks, when London was clearing the ruins, on the northern side of the Thames,
people reported seeing an angel in the_ air.
Six sightings were documented, one of them by Samuel Pepys [PEEPS], whose famous diaries
have been passed down to this day.
In the words of Pepys' [PEEPS], "Near a landing-place leading from the Thames, the bargemen raised
a proper cry, at the appearance of a figure above, like_ a heavenly apparition.
I saw this also, though very soon did it vanish."
The Blitz was a series of attacks against Britain, by German bombers during World War
Two.
One of the objectives of the Luftwaffe, was to completely eradicate the Royal Air Force.
Beginning in September of 1940, the unguided missiles fell like rain on the City of London...
every day and night, for the first two months.
Deep shelters provided the most protection against a direct hit.
The most important shelters, were the_ city subways.
It was not uncommon, for the London Underground stations, to accomodate one hundred and fifty
thousand people, where they would sleep at night.
But the stations were evacuated during the day, so as not to interfere with the_ train
schedule.
Every morning, rather than refusing to leave, people departed the shelters when the were
asked... although many housewives, reportedly fancied their break, from keeping house.
Some people even told government surveyors, that they rather enjoyed the air raids, if
they occurred but occasionally, perhaps once a week.
An American witness wrote, "These people are brave to the bone, and will not quit."
At high noon on the 28th day of December, in a sky most blue, the Thames Angel appeared
over the northern bank.
On the very next day, a Sunday, the same area which had burned four hundred years before,
was subjected to a deluge, of explosives from the Hun, however this time, miraculously,
Saint Paul's Cathedral_ remained standing, unharmed.
The sightings resumed, in 200_6.
Since that time, there have been dozens of sightings.
A 16 year old student, from the London suburb of East Sheen, witnessed the first modern
appearance of the heavenly visitor, from the southern bank of the Thames.
She said she felt a sense of spreading calm, comforting and familiar, a tranquil relaxation
that lasted hours.
She de_scribed it, as peace of mind.
With her cell phone, she also captured the angel's image.
Britain has its own version of "America's Got Talent".
During filming for a segment of "Talent Search," in 2011, show host David Grant, is caught
on camera, claiming himself to see the angel.
This video is on a YouTube channel with less than 200 subscribers.
The video itself, has two point three million views.
Some insist the celestial vision represents divine protection of the city, no matter how
threatening_ the tragedy.
Those who experience the vision themselves, often feel serenity, a deep sense of reassurance,
and a comfort, that lasts much longer, than any normal human emotion.