Unidentified Flying Objects, or U̳F̳O̳s, have been a legend for centuries. People from coast to coast and continent to continent continue to claim that they saw a saucer-like object in the sky or that their dog was abducted by a̳l̳i̳e̳n̳s.
Given all the truly incredible information that surrounds U̳F̳O̳s, it is difficult to discern facts in a sea of fiction. Luckily, we are here to help you uncover all the U̳F̳O̳ facts once and for all.
The United States government had its own U̳F̳O̳ task force
Project Blue Book was a systematic investigation of U̳F̳O̳s by the US Air Force, according to the National Archives. From 1947 to 1969, Project Blue Book did its best to investigate every U̳F̳O̳ claim to determine if it posed a threat to national security.
While most of the 12,618 sightings can be attributed to the weather-related phenomenon, the government admits that 701 cases were not disclosed by the task force, despite active investigations.
Experienced pilot crashed and died after being chased by a U̳F̳O̳
Thomas Mantell, an accomplished World War II fighter pilot and member of the Kentucky Air National Guard, crashed and died in pursuit of a U̳F̳O̳ in January 1948. When the incident occurred, a New York Times article on the pilot noted that there had previously been “Reports of a flying saucer in the Kentucky area, leading Mantell to his“ fruitless ”and ultimately fatal pursuit.
To this day, the circumstances leading to its downfall are still disputed by the public and the military. Members of the Kentucky National Guard, who also searched for U̳F̳O̳s that day, were never able to pinpoint exactly what they were pursuing. Some scientists speculate that it could have been a weather balloon, but the fact is, we will never know.
One pilot claims to have seen a U̳F̳O̳ flying at over 1250 m/h
In 1947, American pilot Kenneth Arnold reported seeing very bright lights hovering near his plane while on a business trip to Yakima, Washington. Arnold told The Bellingham Herald that nine points of light flew in a V-shape at a speed of about 1250 miles per hour.
These incredibly fast flying objects have never been explained, and it was Arnold who described them as “saucer that lets water through” which led to the term “flying saucer” in conjunction with U̳F̳O̳s.
Members of the United States Air Force reported seeing a spacecraft
In 1980, United States Air Force personnel stationed near London reported seeing a series of strange lights emanating from the nearby Rendlesham Forest. According to the BBC, several military personnel said they were confronted with what they initially assumed was a downed plane in the woods. When they got closer, they discovered that it was an otherworldly ship, emitting beams of light that penetrated the forest.
In the days that followed, many other Air Force officers stepped forward to corroborate these allegations, stating that the glow of this mysterious aircraft showed an impressive light show for several hours, with no clear indication that the lights could have come from another source. Since then, the area near London has become known as Roswell in England.
The cause of the event involving the green fireballs in New Mexico is still unclear.
On the night of December 5, 1948, two separate aircraft teams, one from the United States Air Force, reported seeing a giant green fireball east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Independent crews reported this mysterious fireball to the authorities. One of the crew members reported that sometimes the fireball seemed to be heading directly towards the aircraft, causing the pilot to deflect to avoid it.
Since this initial incident, many other green fireball incidents have been reported in New Mexico and beyond, but none have been fully explained.
The Roswell I̳n̳c̳i̳d̳e̳n̳t̳s remain the subject of debate among both citizens and government officials
The alleged U̳F̳O̳ crash site, located near Roswell, New Mexico, has attracted thousands of tourists to the area since the incident allegedly occurred in the summer of 1947. However, the actual events surrounding the infamous Roswell U̳F̳O̳ crash are still under debate.
Although Brigadier William Brazel described the discovery of a disc-shaped U̳F̳O̳ at his ranch, the military said Brazel’s discovery was simply an experimental weather balloon. Moreover, the official website of the city of Roswell notes that there was “the removal of debris and bodies and subsequent shelter by the military” – or, at least, so some people believe.
Los Angeles “U̳F̳O̳” causes five de̳a̳t̳h̳s
In February 1942, soldiers stationed about 190 km from Los Angeles discovered an unidentified flying vessel penetrating and hiding from view. Thinking it might be an enemy plane – after all, it was the middle of World War II – the United States military plunged the entire city of Los Angeles into darkness to better detect the plane, Smithsonian Magazine reported.
When the blackout ensued, police were inundated with reports of unidentified flying objects found throughout the city. Due to the stress of the event, five people died from heart attacks and car accidents. After the city returned to its normal state, authorities said the soldiers saw a meteorological balloon, not an enemy fighter jet or U̳F̳O̳.
The P̳e̳n̳t̳a̳g̳o̳n̳ once studied “Exotic U̳F̳O̳ Technology”
In 2009, the P̳e̳n̳t̳a̳g̳o̳n̳ began a top-secret mission called the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program. Until it ended in 2012, several government officials, including then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, were tasked with scrutinizing previous U̳F̳O̳ incidents.
When the project was formed, the main goal of the project was to expose these claims of a̳l̳i̳e̳n̳ life and instead find out if these mysterious sightings could be explained by secret Soviet activities or other potential threats to American security. All information regarding this top-secret investigation was disclosed by Luis Elizondo, the personnel intelligence officer who led the initiative. To date, the exact results of their investigations have not been made public.
Numerous scientists stationed in Antarctica reported seeing U̳F̳O̳s
Yes, that’s right – even the world’s most sparsely populated continent has reportedly caught a glimpse of e̳x̳t̳r̳a̳t̳e̳r̳r̳e̳s̳t̳r̳i̳a̳l̳ life. In 1965, military officials from three different countries – Argentina, the United Kingdom, and Chile – reported red, blue, and green lights flickering in a distant section of the sky.
The troops also recorded significant magnetic changes in their geomagnetic instruments, making them question what else might be in such remote parts of the world. To this day, officials still cannot explain the source of these alleged U̳F̳O̳s.
Heaven’s Gate mass suicide triggered by anticipation of a U̳F̳O̳ sighting
Founded in 1974, Heaven’s Gate was a religious millennial American U̳F̳O̳ cult based near San Diego, California. In 1997, the police discovered the bodies of 39 cult members who committed suicide in order to leave this world and go to another, which, in their opinion, contained e̳x̳t̳r̳a̳t̳e̳r̳r̳e̳s̳t̳r̳i̳a̳l̳ life.
They planned their suicide after a rare sighting of Comet Hale-Bopp, as they allegedly believed that U̳F̳O̳s would follow the comet in order to lead them to a higher level of existence.
Many A̳n̳c̳i̳e̳n̳t̳ paintings were “photobombed” by U̳F̳O̳s
Beginning in the 14th century, many A̳n̳c̳i̳e̳n̳t̳ paintings contained objects that can be compared to modern U̳F̳O̳s. For centuries, scholars have noted the presence of flying saucers in paintings such as The Annunciation with Saint Emidius (1486) and The Crucifixion of Christ (1350), in which apparent flying U̳F̳O̳s hover near the head of Jesus.
And Men in Black is partly based on real people
According to The History Channel, Men in Black is partly based on real events. In 1947, Harold Dahl reported seeing six donut-shaped objects hovering over Puget Sound in Washington state. He claimed that the mysterious objects got close enough to harm his son and kill his dog.
After a strange event, Dahl said that a man in black came to him and said that this event can be attributed to e̳x̳t̳r̳a̳t̳e̳r̳r̳e̳s̳t̳r̳i̳a̳l̳ life. This man told Dahl to never say a word to anyone about their conversation. Of course, Dahl eventually did. From this story about the “man in black” came the sci-fi comedy thriller “Men in Black” starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones.
Ancient Roman Scientists Once Written About Flying Ghost Ships
In A̳n̳c̳i̳e̳n̳t̳ Rome, the philosopher and historian Titus Livius once stated in his historical text Ab Urbe Condita that many people had seen “ghost ships” in the sky over the city for years. Although this is a rather vague observation, many historians believe that this is the first official U̳F̳O̳ sighting in human history.
People report a̳l̳i̳e̳n̳ abductions with startling regularity
Since the first widespread a̳l̳i̳e̳n̳ abduction report in 1961, when a New Hampshire couple named Barney and Betty Hill claimed to have been abducted by a̳l̳i̳e̳n̳s, to those who claim they were abducted are treated with a great deal of skepticism.
However, this happens on a regular basis. Nicolas Dumont, a French psychologist who specializes in people who believe they may have been abducted by a̳l̳i̳e̳n̳s, said he treated about 100 patients, all French, “who showed signs of abduction.”
“Often these people tell me that they were woken up in the middle of the night and paralyzed. They saw non-human beings around them, whether they were at home or in an external location that could be a spaceship, ”Dumont said. “Some didn’t experience anything until they woke up at home, thinking it was morning, before realizing that 48 hours had passed. We call this “missing time” – it’s very common. ”
The appearance of numerous “ghost rockets” in Sweden has been kept secret for years
In 1946, more than 2,000 people in Sweden reported seeing ghost rockets (or Spökraketer, in Swedish) between May and December. Not only that, but nearly 200 unidentified flying objects have been spotted on radar in Sweden and neighboring countries, according to the National Aeronautical Investigation Committee.
In the aftermath of the incident, the Swedish army instructed newspapers to refrain from disclosing specific details of the case, and in the years since the discovery of the mysterious items, the government has remained largely silent about the event.
Some events in “Close E̳n̳c̳o̳u̳n̳t̳e̳r̳s̳ of the Third Kind” did happen
That’s right: some aspects of the 1977 sci-fi movie Close E̳n̳c̳o̳u̳n̳t̳e̳r̳s̳ of the Third Degree are in fact based on U̳F̳O̳ sightings. According to Joseph Allen Hynek’s U̳F̳O̳ Research: A Scientific Inquiry, one of the most memorable scenes in the film, in which U̳F̳O̳s cause motorists to lose power in their cars, occurred in 1957 in Levelland, Texas.
In the actual Landland case, there were 15 witnesses, including police, who reported seeing bright lights and terrain altering objects. All witnesses reported that when the lights approached the motorists, the cars lost power on the road. Many scientists and skeptics blamed this on the occurrence of ball lightning or thunderstorms.
