Have you ever seen something in the sky you couldn't explain? While it might not have been a flying saucer, it still counts as a UFO—an Unidentified Flying Object!
World UFO Day is recognized on both June 24 and July 2, two important dates which mark the beginning of the modern UFO era.
June 24, 1947: Kenneth Arnold's Flying Saucers
On June 24, 1947, the pilot Kenneth Arnold saw nine bright objects flying in formation above Washington state at what he estimated to be at least 1,200 miles per hour. Spotting them from his plane, he later described them as being saucer- or disc-like and so thin that they sometimes nearly disappeared when viewed edge-on. Arnold's report began what's thought of as the modern era of UFO sightings. The term "flying saucer" comes from his description of the objects.
July 2, 1947: Roswell, NM
Eight days later, on July 2, an alien spacecraft supposedly crashed near Roswell, New Mexico, and its wreckage and occupants were later gathered by the military. (This claim of a spaceship crash has been debunked; the wreckage that existed was probably a crashed weather balloon.)
Recent Interest
Interest and controversy over UFOs (which are now sometimes called UAP, or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) continue to this day.
Read and watch more about this fascinating topic with these resources from SJPL!
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