Pilot Kenneth Arnold took off in his plane on June 24, 1947. The sky was clear as he flew over the mountains of Washington State.
Out of nowhere, a blue light flashed. Before Arnold knew it, nine glowing objects had sped by. The flat discs were going three times faster than any aircraft could.
On that day 75 years ago, the public’s fascination with UFOs took off. Arnold’s was one of the first modern-day reports about UFOs, or unidentified flying objects.
Since then, people have filed thousands of reports of UFOs. Some people dismiss such claims as nonsense. But a 2021 survey showed that more than 40 percent of Americans believe UFOs are alien spacecraft. Who’s right?
Even the U.S. government wants answers. It has spent years secretly investigating reports of UFOs, including ones from U.S. Navy and Air Force pilots. Though government officials can’t say for that aliens are out there, they also can’t fully explain all sightings.
“[There] is something unknown in our skies,” says NASA scientist Ravi Kopparapu. “We should be investigating it.”