The Beloved Alien Botanist: E.T.

June 11, 1982

On this day, a little movie about a botanist was released.

The movie was E.T.

The premise was that alien botanists secretly visited Earth one night to gather plant specimens in a California forest.

When government agents appear on the scene, the aliens flee in their spaceship, but in their haste, one of their scientists is left behind.

Fast forward to a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley where a ten-year-old boy named Elliott discovers something hiding in the family's tool shed.

Elliott leaves Reese's Pieces candy to lure the alien to his house. Later, Elliott's siblings - Michael and Gertie - meet the alien and name him E.T.

The kids decide to keep E.T. hidden from their mom.

E.T. has unknown abilities but gives a glimpse of his powers by reviving dead chrysanthemums.

In the end, E.T. says goodbye, and Gertie gifts him the chrysanthemum he had revived.

Before boarding the spaceship, E.T. embraces Elliott, tells him, "I'll be right here," and points his glowing finger to Elliott's forehead.

He then picks up the chrysanthemum, boards the spaceship, and takes off, leaving a rainbow in the sky as everyone watches him fly away.