The Day the Earth Stood Still

Out of the sky it comes—silent and mysterious and menacing. For more than two days people of the Earth watch as it crisscrosses the globe. All over the world there are the same reactions: mystification . . . and fear.

Then it lands. In an open park near the heart of Washington, D.C., it sits for a day and a night. After many hours, a panel in the ship opens. From it come two figures: a man and a robot. For a long moment they stand facing the silent crowd. Then the man speaks: "I am Klaatu and this is Gnut." He raises his right arm, palm outward, in the universal symbol of peace. The gesture is rewarded with a burst of gunfire. Mortally wounded, the alien falls to the ground.

Thus begins a great story about invaders from outer space—a story that inspired a popular movie classic.