Documented sightings reported in 1947.
The US military initially announced recovery of a 'flying disc' near Roswell, NM before retracting the statement, creating the most famous UFO controversy in history.
Just ten days after Kenneth Arnold's sighting, airline pilots on United Flight 105 observed multiple disc-shaped objects over Idaho, marking the first professional pilot UFO report of the modern era.
Private pilot Kenneth Arnold's sighting of nine unusual objects near Mount Rainier launched the modern UFO era and coined the term 'flying saucers.'
Over 800 UFO sightings in just two weeks during the summer of 1947 created a nationwide phenomenon that launched government investigations and permanently changed American culture.
Three days before the Kenneth Arnold sighting, harbor patrolman Harold Dahl reported six doughnut-shaped craft ejecting molten material near Puget Sound. Two investigating officers later died in a plane crash.
21-year FBI HQ file (1947-1968) including Oak Ridge, TN UAP photographic evidence; declassified May 8, 2026 via the PURSUE program.