Life 20 famous UFO sightings Extra-terrestrial activity from across the globe On the 30th anniversary of ET, Stylist looks for answers to the question - is there anybody out there? From alien abductions to lights in the sky and mysterious flying objects, here are 20 of the worlds most talked-about UFO sightings...  1. Roswell, 1947 Ranking as one of the most famous UFO incidents in history - and now a pop culture phenomenon - the Roswell incident saw UFO hunters claim that the US military had captured an alien aircraft. While the military maintain that the flying saucer was actually a surveillance device from a classified operation, non-believers still cite extra-terrestrial activity to this day.  2. Kenneth Arnold case, 1947 Newspapers had a field day with Kenneth Arnolds story, even coining the term flying saucer, after the American businessman and pilot claimed hed seen nine saucer-like objects flying in a chain near Mount Rainier in Washington.  3. Washington, D.C. sighting, 1952 The CIA Robertson Panel was formed after reports of UFOs appearing in the skies above Washington were convincingly backed up by mysterious radar contacts at three separate airports. However, the US Air Force allayed fears of an alien invasion, suggesting that changes in the temperature had caused radar signals to bend and give false returns.  4. The Hill Abduction, 1961 In 1961, Barney and Betty Hill from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, reported that they had been kidnapped by aliens. According to the couple, they had been followed by a flying saucer while driving in their car, abducted and then subjected to an intimate physical examination. They also recall observing a 3D star map inside the ship. Even under hypnosis, the Hills maintained their story and aroused massive interest and publicity.  5. Rendlesham Forest Lights, 1980 One of the UKs most famous UFO events involved the sighting of several unexplained lights near RAF bases at Rendlesham Forest, inland of the Suffolk coast. The authorities insist there was nothing mysterious going on and no risk to national security, however, as the witnesses were on-duty servicemen, the reports were given a measure of credibility, and a belief persists that the lights were from an alien spacecraft. Even now, requests for more details are still being made under the Freedom of Information Act.  6. Clyde W Tombaugh sighting, 1949 Respected American astronomer Clyde W Tombaugh poured cold water on the consensus that most UFO sightings were recorded by publicity-seekers, when, two years after Roswell, Tombaugh recorded seeing up to eight rectangular lights in the sky above Las Cruces in New Mexico, and on another occasion several green fireballs. As a serious-minded astronomer used to studying the skies (one of his greatest achievements was the discovery of the dwarf planet Pluto in 1930), his inability to explain the lights made his claims particularly hard to dismiss.  7. Levelland case, 1957 Drivers in Levelland, Texas reported that their car engines stalled when encountering a glowing, egg-shaped object, and then mysteriously restarted again after the object had left. A police investigation followed and it was concluded that an electrical storm had caused the sightings and vehicle failures.  8. Shag Harbour, 1967 The navy was drafted in after a large, unidentified object crashed into Shag Harbour in Nova Scotia. A search and investigation was conducted, but later classified as unsolved by the Canadian Department of National Defence when a clear conclusion could not be reached.  9. Maury Island incident, 1947 Sailor Harold Dahl experienced a run-in with the real men in black, after claiming to have seen six UFOs while scavenging for driftwood in Washingtons Puget Sound. The next day he was approached by an unknown, black-suited individual who warned him off repeating his story with threats against his family. However, its unclear whether the UFO incident was actually real or a secret military exercise which had gone wrong.  10. Westall encounter, 1966 A UFO was allegedly witnessed by more than 200 students and teachers at two schools in Westall, Melbourne. The object was spotted first descending into a grassy field before taking off over houses in a local suburb. While Australian Skeptics, a non-profit organisation which investigates paranormal and pseudo-scientific claims by using scientific methodologies, put the UFO down to being an experimental military aircraft, witnesses contunue to gather to relive the extraordinary event.  11. Lonnie Zamora UFO sighting, 1964 When New Mexico traffic policeman Lonnie Zamora saw a huge, bluish-orange flame in the sky south of Socorro, he went to investigate. The flame was accompanied by a deafening roaring sound, and as Zamora drew nearer he saw a weird, doughnut-shaped silver machine and two white-clad individuals. Although the pair quickly flew off, Zamoras detailed testimony has provided one of the most comprehensive accounts of an alien encounter, and is often cited as a significant spur in persuading the US Air Force to take the growing numbers of UFO sightings more seriously.  12. Carson Sink incident, 1952 Two senior military pilots claimed to have spotted three aircraft of a type unknown to them while flying in a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber over the Carson Desert. They said the three unidentified objects were moving about three times faster than their B-25. While the B-25 wasnt known to be a particularly fast machine, both men insisted that the three crafts were not a new type of super-fast jet. 60 years later the sighting is still officially classified as unexplained.  13. São Paulo sighting, 1986 Military aircraft were sent to intercept around 20 UFOs detected by radar in various parts of São Paulo, Brazil. However, once the military began to give chase, the mysterious objects reportedly disappeared. Providing one solution to the incident is Geoffrey Perry, a British space researcher. He put the sighting down to debris that were ejected by Soviet space station Salyut-7 re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere around central-western Brazil.
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 02:48:01 +0000
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