The 1947 sighting by private pilot Kenneth Arnold is considered one of the most influential UFO cases in modern history. His report of nine unusual objects near Mount Rainier helped popularize the term 'flying saucer' and sparked widespread public interest in unidentified aerial phenomena.
On June 24, 1947, experienced pilot and businessman Kenneth Arnold was flying near Mount Rainier in Washington State when he reported seeing a formation of nine bright unidentified objects moving at extreme speed across the sky. Arnold described the objects as moving in a manner similar to a saucer skipping across water, a description that was later interpreted by newspapers as 'flying saucers.' The incident received national attention and contributed to a wave of UFO reports across the United States during the summer of 1947. The case was investigated by military intelligence and became one of the earliest documented modern UFO investigations.
| Date: | 1947-06-24 |
| Location: | Near Mount Rainier, Washington |
| Country: | United States |
| Category: | Aviation / Historical Encounter |
| Credibility: | High / Experienced Pilot Report |