karl 12
Noble
Considering they're not meant to exist, flying saucers do seem to pop up quite a bit in government documentation..
Silver rotating UFO over US Atomic facility
Flying discs over Hanford Nuclear plant
Flying disc over Topcliffe
Circular objects over Langley AFB
Rotating saucer shaped object over Georgia
Maxwell AFB Emergency Report - Flying Saucer
Disc shaped object over Minot AFB - 1966
Flying disc over Chicago's O Hare airport - 1952
link
and contrary to popular belief UFO/Saucer reports do seem to pop up in the literature way back before the Kenneth Arnold case.
Curt Collins has conducted some great research below into the historical aspect citing Dewitt Miller's early UFO reports (who was himself sourcing Charles Fort) and the page is well worth a look for anyone with an interest in (or opinion on) the subject.
The 1st UFO book? Forgotten Mysteries by R. DeWitt Miller
Charles Fort - First Ufologist?
Anyone who's aware of any other early pre 1947 UFO/saucer reports then please post as it would be interesting to see how many can be collated - I know I've read a few over the years although finding them might be a bit tricky.
Spanish Civil War - 1930's.
Nick Redfern on WW2:
Possible candidate - August 11th, 1944:
Silver rotating UFO over US Atomic facility
Flying discs over Hanford Nuclear plant
Flying disc over Topcliffe
Circular objects over Langley AFB
Rotating saucer shaped object over Georgia
Maxwell AFB Emergency Report - Flying Saucer
Disc shaped object over Minot AFB - 1966
Flying disc over Chicago's O Hare airport - 1952
link
and contrary to popular belief UFO/Saucer reports do seem to pop up in the literature way back before the Kenneth Arnold case.
Curt Collins has conducted some great research below into the historical aspect citing Dewitt Miller's early UFO reports (who was himself sourcing Charles Fort) and the page is well worth a look for anyone with an interest in (or opinion on) the subject.
The 1st UFO book? Forgotten Mysteries by R. DeWitt Miller
Charles Fort - First Ufologist?
Charles Fort was an early-twentieth-century thinker and writer often credited with "inventing" the supernatural, or the paranormal, by creating a neutral category for anomalous observations, discoveries, and experiences.
Before Charles Fort, anomalies were typically explained away, or else absorbed into pre-existing explanatory frameworks like religion and mythology. Thanks to his efforts, they can now be set aside for further research, even if they're still often ignored in mainstream science.
Anyone who's aware of any other early pre 1947 UFO/saucer reports then please post as it would be interesting to see how many can be collated - I know I've read a few over the years although finding them might be a bit tricky.
Spanish Civil War - 1930's.
Located at a considerable distance, and at an altitude of 200 meters, the soldier saw an object resembling “a Mexican hat” the color of flat aluminum. The sun’s rays, reflecting off its surface, enabled him to see that it was a metallic device. It flew slowly as it approached the witness’s position. It was then that he was able to observe it with greater detail:
“Seen from below, its shape was exactly that of a cartwheel. In its center, from where the spokes emerged, it had what looked like a photo camera lens and gave a sensation of depth.”
When the object approached even closer, passing almost directly overhead, the soldier was even able to make out some curved black windows which appeared on the side of the remarkable “Mexican hat”. The following is a transcript of an interview with the ABC Andalucía newspaper:
UFOs Over Spain During The Civil War.
Nick Redfern on WW2:
Yes, “Foo Fighter” was the primary term used to describe what was seen during the Second World War. But, the term “Disc” was also used during the hostilities with the Nazis. I mentioned this to a certain UFO researcher recently and who practically had a shit fit. I was wrong, he assured me, stating that when it comes to unidentified “things” in the sky, the word “Disc” was not used until 1947.
Actually, that’s wrong, as I pointed out. Granted, many people – even within Ufology – may not know just how widely “Disc” was used during the Second World War..
See Link.
..These are just two examples of many from the Second World War – and declassified by the British Government – which refer to UFOs as “Discs” several years before the term “Flying Disc” was created in 1947. In some of the declassified wartime files, the “Discs” were described as being mere inches in size. On other occasions, though, pilots reported such “Discs” as being several feet in diameter – and in a few cases even bigger.
And, while we’re still on the game of the name, it’s worth noting that the words “Unidentified Flying Objects” were used as early as just two months after the Kenneth Arnold sighting of June 24, 1947. This was when the words “Flying Disc” and “Flying Saucer” were on the minds of many. The relevant document originated with the U.S. Air Transport Command’s Weekly Intelligence Summary and is dated August 1
Mysterious Discs Of The Second World' War
Possible candidate - August 11th, 1944:
As my night vision improved I saw a grey saucer-like object emarge as part of the lights. It is still difficult to describe its size... Our Lancaster was a large aeroplane but the only comparison I can make is that we were but a dot on a sheet of foolscap paper. We all watched this object for about three minutes. We watched it shoot away—it was just a flash of light and the vast size was gone in less than a second, without any noise...
Radioactivity, Skeptics, and “But there is no proof”