Crop Circle

A crop circle is a sizable pattern created by the flattening of a crop such as wheat, barley, rye, or maize. The term crop circle entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 1990.
In 1991, self-professed pranksters Doug Bower and Dave Chorley stated that they had started the phenomenon in 1978 by making actual circles on crops with the use of simple tools. However, crop patterns did not only persist but became astonishingly complex. Some even came to resemble extraterrestrials, archaeological symbols and fractals, leading to speculation and passionate debate. Paranormal enthusiasts, ufologists and anomalistic investigators continue to offer arousing yet hypothetical explanations that have been criticized as pseudoscience by skeptical groups like the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
While it is now known that most of the patterns are products of hoaxes, art or business interests (for example Wiltshire, England has seen significant rise in tourism), some elude rational or verified explanation, and all researchers to examine them via the scientific method have reported unexpected results, generating even further controversy.