The Most Sensational UFO Sightings
For ages, humans claim to have had the strangest of visions of extraterrestrial objects. People have made sensational claims of seeing peculiar structures flying through skylights, fire, or clouds. In the 20th century, the cultural fascination with extraterrestrial life grew manifold with television programs being made on claimed UFO sightings, and the number of unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings shot up as well.
Astonishing UFO Sightings
We can trace the birth of the modern era of UFOs back to 1946-47 when there was an explosion of speculation in the media after ‘flying saucers’ were seen for the first time. Josh Gates is poised to embark on an investigation into the major UFO incidents as he prepares to talk with historians, researchers, and eyewitnesses spread across the world. Let’s now look back on some of the most famous UFO sightings that history has witnessed.
The Roswell Incident- 1947
In 1947, United States Army Air Forces officers recovered balloon debris in a ranch located near Corona, New Mexico. Decades later, conspiracy theories came up which claimed that the debris were those of a flying saucer and that the actual truth about the incident had been hushed up by the government of the United States.
What was the main reason behind the entire hullabaloo? Why does this incident still arouse suspicion? It’s because, on 8th July 1947, the Roswell Army Air Field gave out a press release which said that a “flying disc” had been recovered. What set tongues wagging was the Army retracting the statement quickly and coming up with a new claim saying that what had crashed was only a usual weather balloon. The incident has sparked off conspiracy theories that still intrigue people and the mystery lives on.
The Rendlesham Forest Incident- 1980
These mysterious UFO sightings are often called “Britain’s Roswell.” On the 26th of December, 1980, members of the United States Air Force reported that they had seen strange lights fall to the ground over the Rendlesham Forest close by sometime around 3 am. This incident marks the most famous sighting of UFOs in the United Kingdom. Later documentation of the incident in an official Air Force memo claims that after entering the forest to investigate, the servicemen came across a metallic object moving around and while giving off lights. After the local police arrived, nothing other than the beacon of the lighthouse nearby was noticed. However, later, markings near the site were discovered.
This incident was followed by more servicemen reporting to have seen three bright lights that shone in the sky for hours when they visited the site to investigate. Astronomers and researchers dispute the sightings claiming that the bright lights were only bright stars and that the site markings were no more than only indentations made by animals. However, the lieutenant who had written the memo and a few other witnesses still stand by what they had reported in the December of 1980.
The Washington D.C. UFO Incident- 1952
Similar to most of the prominent UFO reports, things started with an unusual aircraft being caught on military radars—a bolt from the blue. On July 19, 1952, ATC personnel at the Ronald Reagan National Airport detected unusual activity on their radars. These movements were being made by aircraft that weren’t supposed to be there. What was truly strange was that these unidentified flying objects were showing bursts of speeds that the radars were failing to detect.
In the weekend that followed, there were eyewitnesses including citizens, airline crewmembers, and military personnel who claimed having seen flashes of light zipping through the sky and some other very strange occurrences. Attempts were now made to calm anxiety among the people and taper down the reports that claimed UFO sightings, which were hampering emergency calls.
The Air Force organized the largest press conference to have been held since WW II to explain the strange phenomenon. Explanations were given which said that stars caused the incident, a meteorological phenomenon like temperature inversion giving off energy caught by the radars, and meteors.
Battle of Los Angeles- 1942
The sunshine state, the state of California, saw one of the most prominent first UFO sightings. It occurred in February 1942 when World War II was raging. Pearl Harbor had been attacked only three months before and military units along California’s coast were kept on alert, ready to face Japanese raids. During the morning on February 25, radars spotted an unidentified aircraft 120 miles to the west of Los Angeles, which disappeared soon.
The incident triggered air raids being sounded and a blackout engulfing the entire city with piercing anti-aircraft searchlights lighting up the night sky. A defensive air raid was launched by the US military. The local police department was flooded with reports of UFOs, airplanes, and even foreign aircraft crash landings. The chaos that spread through the city saw the death of at least five people caused by heart attacks from panic and car accidents due to the sudden blackout. There was also major damage to property caused by shrapnel.
It was found out later that the unidentified flying object wasn’t any enemy aircraft. There were many reports from witnesses, newspapers, and the government as well that contradicted each other. Claims were made of balloons, hovering objects, aircraft, and other phenomena having been spotted in the night sky which added fuel to confusion and the paranoia hanging in the air due to the war.
Conclusion
Unidentified flying objects or UFOs have captured the human imagination for ages, right from the times they were first spotted in the 1940s. They have been objects of fascination with an entire television series having been made on major UFO sightings in the US. There have been claims of lights, fire, and even clouds having been noticed by witnesses. The most sensational incident was the Roswell Incident of 1947. Even Britain has had its share of UFO sightings, the most notable being the one at the Rendlesham Forest in 1982. In the US, the maximum UFO sightings have occurred in the state of California. No clear explanation has come from the authorities and conflicting claims have been made about each sighting. This has increased the aura of mystery around unidentified flying objects still amuses us.
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