Jul 21, 2023
The post-WWII era witnessed a surge in public interest regarding UFOs, potentially influenced by advances in rocket technology. This newfound fascination sparked widespread curiosity and intrigue, leading to an increased focus on unidentified aerial phenomena.
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It is said, in 1947, businessman Kenneth Arnold's sighting of high-speed, crescent-shaped flying objects near Mount Rainier, Washington, popularised the term ‘flying saucer’. It sparked widespread interest and set the stage for the modern UFO fascination.
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From 1948 to 1969, the U.S. Air Force conducted Projects Sign, Grudge, and Blue Book, investigating over 12,000 UFO sightings. These projects aimed to categorise sightings and determine their possible origins.
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In 1953, the CIA's Robertson Panel, headed by physicist H.P. Robertson, found that most UFO sightings were natural phenomena with no security risk. The delayed disclosure fueled conspiracy theories of government concealment.
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In 1966, physicist Edward U. Condon led an inquiry to investigate 59 compelling but unexplained UFO sightings originally recorded during Project Blue Book. The Condon Report echoed the Robertson Panel's findings, contributing to the decision to close Project Blue Book in 1969.
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Despite the conclusions of official inquiries, a small minority of scientists, including J. Allen Hynek, continued to support the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH). Hynek founded the Center for UFO Studies (CUFOS) in 1973 to further research UFO phenomena.
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In the 21st century, the U.S. revived interest with the Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program (AATIP), a secret program run by the Department of Defense from 2007 to 2012. Although unclassified, it focused on exploring unidentified aerial phenomena.
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Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Australia and Greece have maintained records on UFO sightings. However, Canada's government, besides the U.S., has more extensive records on its citizens' sightings.
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It is said, in some countries, like the former Soviet Union and the Peoples' Republic of China, UFO sightings resulted from secret military tests hidden from public knowledge. Some governments encouraged the belief in extraterrestrial origins to conceal their true nature.
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Various natural phenomena can be misinterpreted as UFO sightings, such as Venus resembling a flying object, superimposed images from reflections on windows/eyeglasses, and halo effects from camera lenses on illuminated objects, resembling saucer-like shapes.
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