Flying saucers are a type of UFO shaped like a disc or saucer. The first sighting dates back to 1290, but it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that they became popular. Some believe they are atmospheric phenomena, while others think they are vehicles of extraterrestrial life or divine incarnation. Sightings continue to occur, and some governments have reopened investigations into the phenomenon.
A flying saucer is a specific type of unidentified flying object (UFO), which is shaped like a disc or saucer. The flying saucer is by far the most iconic type of UFO and for many people the two are one and the same. Several patents have been developed or processed on how to make a “real” flying saucer, but generally the phrase is only used when referring to unidentified saucers.
Visions of something like a flying saucer go back centuries. The idea of UFOs goes back even further, with many ancient religions describing various celestial chariots carrying deities or angels. The first recorded instance of a flying saucer sighting dates back to 1290. At this time there was a report in Yorkshire that a silver saucer flew across the sky. A few centuries later, in the mid-16th century, many witnesses described numerous flying saucers and spheres.
It wasn’t until the mid-20th century, however, that the flying saucer became a staple of Western lore. In 1947 a pilot, Kenneth Arnold, reported seeing nine distinct flying vehicles. One of these was crescent-shaped, but all the others were flying saucers. They traveled at a speed he estimated to be more than 1200 miles per hour (1900 km/h). Arnold described what he saw as “a saucer if you jump it on water”, which soon led to the term flying saucer.
After Arnold’s report, sightings of what were thought to be flying saucers came from all over the United States. A number mimicked much of what Arnold reported, and many took place in the same general region. That same year an Air Force base in Roswell, New Mexico released a statement saying it had recovered a flying saucer. This was a huge story, and while the military quickly retracted the statement, it remains one of the defining moments in the flying saucer world.
A study commissioned by the military that year found that there were many shared characteristics between flying saucer reports. They concluded that something was, in fact, flying around, although they didn’t claim it was extraterrestrial. By the end of the year, 9 out of 10 Americans had heard of the flying saucer incident, and within a few years more than 9 out of 10 were familiar with the term flying saucer.
What exactly a flying saucer is raises all sorts of different questions and opinions. Some people believe that what appears to be a flying saucer is actually just an atmospheric phenomenon, such as lenticular clouds or various gases reacting in the atmosphere. Others believe that those who believe they have seen a flying saucer are part of an instance of mass hysteria, in which a number of people share a delusion. Still others believe that flying saucers are just ordinary aircraft that are misidentified; some think that kites, balloons, and airplanes are the cause of the flying saucer concept. The more vocal group, however, argue that flying saucers are vehicles of different intelligences, usually extraterrestrial life or some sort of divine incarnation.
Whatever a flying saucer may be, it’s unlikely to disappear from the public mind any time soon. The sightings continue to occur, and some governments have reopened a serious investigation into the phenomenon, with some even considering the possibility that they are heralds from another planet.
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