In November 1896, the entire region was excited and united by one thing: a mysterious “airship” that was spotted repeatedly in the skies over San Francisco, Oakland and Sacramento. At the time, airships had been invented but they were flown primarily in Europe and had yet to make a West Coast debut. To see an airship over the Bay Area in 1896 wasn’t just unusual, it was entirely unheard of — and yet, suddenly, hundreds of witnesses began reporting just that.