1947 flying disc craze
Reports of unidentified flying objects / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1947 flying disc craze was a rash of unidentified flying object reports in the United States that were publicized during the summer of 1947.[1][2][3][4] The craze began on June 24, when media nationwide reported civilian pilot Kenneth Arnold's story of witnessing disc-shaped objects which headline writers dubbed "Flying Saucers".[2] Such reports quickly spread throughout the United States; historians would later chronicle at least 800 "copycat" reports in subsequent weeks, while other sources estimate the reports may have numbered in the thousands.[5][6]
Reports peaked on July 7.[7] After numerous hoaxes and mistaken identifications, the disc reports largely subsided by July 10.[8] Mainstream sources speculated that the disc reports were caused by novel technology, mistaken identifications, or mass hysteria.[1] In contrast, fringe speculation held that the discs might come from other planets or other dimensions; still others suggested the discs were occult or might signify the end of the world.[1]
The 1947 craze has been extensively studied within the frameworks of both folklore studies and religious studies, where it is regarded by scholars as the "birth of a modern myth".[9][10][11]