re: Old testament
But eyewitness accounts of what? There was a record from 1000 from one of the "educated" scholars of Europe describing an aurora borealis. His text was full of it being a fearful omen from God. The Biblical authors from several thousand years earlier were even less scientific.
If they saw anything at all, they probably misinterpreted natural phenomena like our freind above. In any event, they are not reliable.
As for strange stuff happening now - like what?