Are we really alone in the universe? Have governments been hiding the truth about aliens for decades?! Is there a cosmic cover-up involving NASA and other space agencies??? Did ancient civilizations have help from extraterrestrials?!?
Happy World UFO Day! To celebrate, I dove into some of the most well-recorded events(and conspiracies) that have driven our modern fascination with UFOs, extraterrestrials, and the possibility of life beyond our home planet. As the X-Files loves to remind us, the truth is out there!
UFOs GAIN PUBLIC INTEREST
The roots of the study of UFOs globally include the “mystery airships” of the late 1890s, the “foo fighters” reported by Allied airmen during WWII, the “ghost fliers” of Europe and North America in the 1930s, and the Roswell Incident of 1947. Publicity of UFOs in the United States increased after WWII, alongside the escalating Cold War and strategic concerns related to the Ground Observer Corps of advanced Soviet aircraft.
THE ROSWELL INCIDENT
On July 2nd, 1947, something crashed on a ranch in Roswell, New Mexico. Officers from the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) recovered the debris. On July 7th, RAAF public information officer Walter Haut announced they’d found a "flying disc." But the next day, a press conference identified it as a weather balloon, with debris made of "rubber strips, tinfoil, paper, tape, and sticks." Reporting on the incident quickly died down, due to the mundane explanation.
For nearly 30 years, the Roswell crash remained mostly forgotten. In 1947, people thought flying saucers were just unknown military aircraft, but by the late 1960s, UFOs and aliens became popular in science fiction, and Roswell gained new interest.
In 1978, Ufologist Stanton Friedman interviewed Jesse Marcel, who had helped recover the debris on the ranch in 1947. Marcel said the weather balloon story was a cover-up, and believed the debris was extraterrestrial. This fueled new speculations, and in 1980, Charles Berlitz and William Moore published The Roswell Incident, which claimed that an alien craft was observing nuclear weapons activity before crashing. They alleged a government cover-up to prevent mass panic and added details about small alien bodies, which Marcel never mentioned.
Note that the Roswell incident is only the tip of the UFOs and Aliens iceberg- where our “modern” obsession with UFOs begins.
THE FLATWOODS MONSTER
Five years later, on the other side of the country, a strange creature was reported to have been sighted in the rural town of Flatwoods, West Virginia. On September 12, 1952, a group of three boys reported to Kathleen May that they had seen a bright object fly cross the sky and land on a local farm.
May, accompanied by the boys, two other kids, and WV National Guardsman Eugene Lemon, went to search the farm in hopes of locating whatever it was the boys had seen. The group reached a hilltop, where one of the children said they saw a pulsing red light. Lemon reported that he’d shone a flashlight in that direction, where he saw a “tall, man-like figure with a round, red face surrounded by a pointed, hood-like shape.” May described the figure as having “small, claw-like hands”, folds like clothing, and “a head that resembled the ace of spades.”
According to the story, the figure made a hissing sound and “glided toward the group”, and Lemon screamed, dropped his flashlight, and caused the group to abandon thier mission and run home. The group said that they’d smelled a “pungent mist” and some experienced extreme nausea.
Joe Nickell of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry investigated the case in the year 2000, and concluded that the bright light seen in the sky was one of a series of meteors that could be seen falling to earth across three states on September the 12th, 1952. He also stated that the pulsating red light was likely a hazard beacon, and the “creature” described by witnesses closely resembled an owl. Nickell suggested that their perceptions were distorted by a heightened sense of anxiety. The Air Force agreed with the skeptic’s conclusions.
Despite the debunking, locals of Flatwoods in Braxton County hold an annual festival celebrating the extraterrestrial, affectionately known as “Braxie”. The Flatwoods monster is one of several West Virginia cryptids, also including the Mothman, the Grafton Monster, and the Sheepsquatch. As a West Virginia Native, I am required to publish full posts about all four West Virginia cryptids, as well as both the Flatwoods Monster and Mothman festivals. Stay tuned for those deep-dives and festival shenanigans, coming to you in September.
PROJECT BLUE BOOK
Project Blue Book was the U.S. Air Force’s classified study of UFOs from March 1952 to December 17, 1969. Based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and led by Captain Edward Ruppelt, it followed similar projects called Project Sign and Project Grudge.
The main goals were to see if UFOs were a threat to national security and to scientifically investigate UFO sightings. They analyzed thousands of reports and, by the end, had gathered 12,618 documented instances of UFO sightings. Most turned out to be natural phenomena like clouds or stars. The Condon Report, which said studying UFOs probably wouldn't lead to big scientific discoveries, and a review by the National Academy of Sciences, led to the project’s termination in 1969.
After the project’s end, the Air Force summarized their findings: No reported UFOs posed a threat to national security; no evidence showed that the sightings had advanced technology or principles beyond modern science; and there was no proof that the “unidentified” sightings were extraterrestrial. Allegedly.
UFOLOGY TODAY
In 2024, the fascination with UFOs and extraterrestrials continues to thrive, drawing passionate enthusiasts from around the globe to the annual International UFO Congress in Phoenix, Arizona. This week-long event is a beacon for over 30 speakers, featuring authors, researchers, and experts who delve into everything from alien abduction to government conspiracies, and crop circles to UFO crashes. Attendees also engage in "experiencer" sessions, where first hand witnesses share their encounters with paranormal phenomena.
BBC's recent series, Paranormal, has also delved into reported UFO sightings, while aerospace experts interviewed by BBC emphasize that today, with powerful pocket computers and widespread use of apps for air traffic monitoring, we're better equipped than ever to discern the known from the unknown in the skies above us—eventually beyond, into the universe itself.
WAYS TO CELEBRATE
Now that we know a bit more about the events that inspired World UFO Day, how do we celebrate? While the goal of the “holiday” is to raise awareness about UFOs and push for the declassification of related files, enthusiasts today celebrate by gathering together to discuss the possibility of UFOs and aliens. Many host late-night star gazing events, alien-themed parties and sci-fi movie marathons, and there are even UFO conventions and parades around the US that champion World UFO Day.
People love using their imagination, and whether you believe in extraterrestrials or not, the celebration is a fun way to discuss the universe and the potential of intelligent beings aside from us. World UFO Day is an opportunity to have interesting, open-minded dialogue to explore the possibilities that lay just beyond our galaxy- a day where we’re encouraged to reflect on the many unsolved mysteries and enjoy exploring theories and personal accounts.
SO… ALIENS?
Personally, I think that UFOs, alien encounter stories, and the broad topic of intelligent life beyond earth is a fun and interesting thing to ponder and theorize on. I even get wrapped up in the conspiracies every now and then! Ultimately though, I’m a skeptic- I’m sorry, extraterrestrial enthusiasts!!
Despite my skepticism, I was so excited to dive into this research, and enjoyed learning more about a topic that seems so out-of-the-box to me. I’m deeply interested in humanity’s fascination with the unknown, and UFOs are no exception.
The continued pursuit of UFO research- despite decades of alleged debunking- is admirable, and it proves that our curiosity for the universe we live in perseveres, even if the topic is something as strange as aliens.
How do you plan on celebrating World UFO Day? Let me know below <3