This day in UFO history: Kenneth Arnold “Flying Saucer” Sighting in 1947

Ever since man roamed the Earth, there has been UFO sightings reported over hundreds of years before the mid-1940s. There have been loads of paintings that depict UFO in the sky. In fact, folklores are filled with different stories of strange objects flying, all received extreme controversial debates between believers and non-believers. However, Ufologists credit the UFO sighting claimed by Kenneth Arnold on June 24, 1947 as the beginning of the UFO modern age.

How it All Began?

On June 24, 1947, Kenneth Arnold, American aviator and businessman, was searching for a missing aircraft using his plane. The plane was soaring over the Cascade Mountains. Below him, he scanned the landscape, and notice flashes in his eyes. These rays appear like a reflecting sunlight as if the mirror was reflecting sunlight on him. As soon as he found the sources of flashes, he realized that it is a series of fast moving objects that appear as shiny and silvery. Lack of the tail was the object’s most startling aspect. When viewed closer, it looked like a pie plate, with a raised top and had a cupola on them. The American Aviator was stunned as he sees something that he had never seen before in his entire life of flying. As for the estimation, the altitude of the objects is between 9,500 and 10,000 feet.

The Term “Flying Saucer” Was Born

The term saucer was already existing in UFO report in Texas during 1930. The term was coined because it meant to show the arm’s length, which is the size of the object. Arnold told one newspaper reporter how the objects moved. According to him, the object moved like a saucer that bounced across the atmosphere. It was on the AP news, particularly Bequette’s report, who used the term “flying saucer” to accurately portray the objects’ shape. At last, the term “Flying Saucer” was coined.

Before the Arnold sighting, there have been several exciting UFO cases. But, Arnold’s sighting will always have a place in UFO history.