User:Feoffer/sandbox 1952 UFO flap

The 1952 UFO flap was a rash of media attention to unidentified flying object reports during in the summer of 1952 that culminating in reports of sightings over Washington, D.C..

In the four years prior, the Air Force had chronicled a total of 615 UFO reports;  During the 1952 flap, they received over 717 new reports. Popular press publicized UFO reports, with over 16,000 items about flying saucers being published during the flap across 150 newspapers.

Ruppelt recalled: "During a six-month period in 1952... 148 of the nation's leading newspapers carried a total of over 16,000 items about flying saucers." .

Ruppelt recalled:  "Among the better sightings that were described fully to interested government groups were: the complete story of the Lubbock Lights, including the possible sighting of the same V-shaped light formations at other locations on the same night; the story of a group of scientists who detected mysterious nuclear radiation when UFO's were sighted; and all of the facts behind such famous cases as the Mantell Incident, the Florida scoutmaster who was burned by a "flying saucer," and headline capturing sightings at Washington, D.C. "

1947
On June 24, 1947, media nationwide reported civilian pilot Kenneth Arnold's story of witnessing disc-shaped objects which headline writers dubbed "Flying Saucers". 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.

Reports peaked on July 7. After numerous hoaxes and mistaken identifications, the disc reports largely subsided by July 10. Mainstream sources speculated that the disc reports were caused by novel technology, mistaken identifications, or mass hysteria. 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.

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".

1948 to 1951
1948 began with sporadic mention of the prior summer's flying disc craze, with the Associated Press awarding the superlative "Most Ado About Nothing" to the topic. On January 8, the AP reported the death of a Kentucky National Guard pilot after his airplane crashed while chasing a "flying disc". That same day, Tennessee press revealed that a "brilliant object" over Nashville on January 7 was just a balloon.

In the wake of the crash, press resumed covering disc reports; Sightings in Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Michigan, and West Virginia    By January 11, United Press declared "the flying saucers are back again".

On January 12, press reported that recent resurgence in sightings were likely caused by helium balloons released in Miami during the Orange Bowl. January 13 saw reports from Vermont. Carolina reports were identified as sightings from a jet airpane. On January 21, papers nationwide covered a United Press story of a Washington State woman who had allegedly witnessed not a flying saucer but a flying man wearing wings;  Airforce officials clarified it had no "birdmen".

On January 23, American newspapers reported on alleged "Flying Kitbags" sightings in Germany. They were later identified as gas-burning paper balloons.

On February 1, recent reports from Japan and Australia were identified as weather phenomenon. February 3 saw reports of a "cigar" over Florida.

On February 7, papers reported on stories of a "squadron" of disc at Long Beach, California. February 8 saw a report of a ball of fire over Cherokee, Tennessee. February 10 saw a report of saucers over New Jersey. February 14 featured a report from Michigan. A sighting was reported in Oregon on Feburary 18. When a meteor exploded over Kansas, papers reported that some blamed flying saucers.

February 20 saw a report from Nebraska. The following day saw a report from Palm Beach, Florida. March 5 featured an account of strange lights in Ohio.

March 1948 featured the inaugural issue of Fate Magazine, a periodical focused on flying saucer stories. March 14 featured sighting over Nampa, Idaho under the headline "Oh no, not again!".

On March 16, papers published an anonymous account of a saucer over Escondido, California.

On March 24, a "recovered saucer" in Pendleton, Kentucky was revealed to be a kite-like radar target. That same day, press discussed sightings in Switzerland. March 25 saw a report from London. On March 30, papers nationwide ran a UP story of 'six or seven' saucers allegedly sighted over Columbus, Ohio.

April 1 saw the publication of a tale of a object over Clarkesville, Tennessee interfering with radio communication and shooting beams of light that cause unconsciousness. On April 3, an object cited in Nashville was revealed to be the planet Venus. April 5 featured a report of a flying silver egg over Hebron, North Daktoa. On April 8, Santa Cruz press reported recent sightings were identified the light as coming from beacons for aircraft reflecting off low-hanging clouds.

On April 9, UP reported on sightings over Delaware, Ohio. Days later, the Ohio sightings were identified as stemming from a military aerial flash bomb. Also on April 9, UP also ran a story "'Monster Bird' reported in Flying Saucer Area" about a giant bird larger than airplane allegedly spotted in Illinois. Residents of Brantford, Ontario reported a "soaring soap bubble", according to report published on April 10.

April 11 featured a report of a recovered "saucer" in Arkansas carrying a note identifying the object as the property of New York University and offering a $10 reward for its return. It was reported that a Long Beach, California man was arrested after firing potshots from a church roof; He claimed to be shooting at "flying saucers". On April 12, "saucer reports" in North Hollywood, California were identified as a jet plane passing over the area. An April 14 report reassured the people of Venice, California that a recent flash in the sky was just a light show caused by astronomical phenomenon.

On April 16, local police chief in Sharp Park, California  disputed recent accounts that they had recovered pieces of a flying disc;  The chief of police clarified they had reported an unidentified light, which could have been a flare. "When will reporters from our nearby metropolis learn that we here on the north coast are NORMAL and in our right minds most of the time". That day, papers in McAllen, Texas reported that "Flying Saucer Rumor Revived" after a group of people claimed to see an unidentified object. In New York, an unusual light was identified as a Coast Guard parachute flare. April 21 saw a report of a strange light over Medford, Oregon. A ball of fire was reported over Mound City, Missouri.

On April 26, papers nationwide reported that American troops in Europe had been "offically told to watch for flying saucers" and report sightings to headquarters. On April 29, a San Francisco motorist initially thought his car had hit two "flying saucers" -- they were revealed to be manhole covers. On April 29, another "giant bird" sighting was reported in St. Louis.

On May 1, an opinion piece by Bill Robertson argued "Remember those flying saucers? Remember over a year ago when Truman said that Forrestal -- important member of the big Wall Street firm of Dillon, Reid, and Company -- had to be sworn right away as Secretary of Defense because of the emergency?  Remember?" Cincinnati papers reported a shape-changing object allegedly seen over the town.

May 2 featured the revelation that Skyhook Balloons may have been responsible for the prior year's craze. A May 6 report said a Connecticut sighting had been identified as a Weather Balloon. On May 7, papers carried a story of saucers reported over Greece.

May 11 featured another giant bird sighting in the St. Louis, Missouri area. A Tampa, Florida housewife's story of a saucer was featured on May 13. Press reported on a lawsuit against Los Angeles prophet who told followers the Russians would bomb the United States killing everyone but them;  He also preached that flying saucers were "manned by Japanese".

May 20 featured report of a sighting over Greeneville, Tennessee and Lansign, Michigan. May 24 featured a story of a "saucer" recovered in Nebraska that was identified by an attached note as belonging to a Minnesota experimental group.

On June 9, Alabama papers reported a saucer story over Fairview. The following day, it was revealed the sighting was caused by an airplane. On June 10, local press ran a story of six flying saucers over Barstow, California. A sighting was reported over Manilla, the Phillipines. June 10 featured a report from Fountain City, Indiana.

On June 21, a cardboard disc recovered from a Kentucky cornfield was speculated to be the work of hoaxers. June 29 featured a report of a saucer over Texas.

July 5 featured a story of four people who claimed to see a saucer over Uniontown, Pennsylvania. On July 21, flying discs in Lodi, California were identified as metal trash can lids. On July 22, papers nationwide reported a sighting over Los Angeles which produced 1500 calls to police and fire switchboards; The object was identified as a weather balloon.

On July 22, United Press covered the story of two Eastern Airline pilots who reported seeing a "Buck Rogers rocket ship" over Alabama. An Atlanta hunter later reported seeing an unusual light about the same time as the Eastern Airline sighting. Others reported sightings over Montgomery, Alabama and Indianapolis, Indiana. That day, boys in Charlotte, North Carolina reported seeing an object.

On July 27, local press featured a story of an unexplained red light over Connecticut. A sighting over Ashbury Park, New Jersey was identified as being caused by a balloon. Recent reports from Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina were identified as a meteor shower. A report, noting the recent spate of sightings, speculated Aerobee sounding rockets may have been responsible for the sightings.

On July 28, the International News Service carried a story in which an aeronautical engineer speculated recent sightings might be due to interplanetary ships. The AP reported a sighting in New Orleans.

On July 29, the Air Force issues a statement acknowledging that Air Material Command routinely investigates 'flying saucer' reports. The story quoted an unnamed spokesman as saying "Frankly, we don't know what the hell they are. All we know is that if they exist, they're not ours."

On August 1, local papers reported on an Indiana couple who claimed to have spotted two saucers. Princeton scientists revealed recent reports of glowing objects in the sky were explainable as recent neutron balloons designed to detect particles in the upper atmosphere.

On August 4, the Associated Press reported on French news sources claiming a sighting over Saigon, Indochina. On August 5, press reported on a Vermont farmer who recovered an object made of paper, rubber, and string along with batteries bearing the label "Made in Canada". August 6 featured stories of an 'egg-shaped' object reported over Guthrie, Oklahoma.

On August 9, papers in Vancouver, British Columbia reported on an alleged sighting over the city. The following day, press featured a sighting over Windsor, Ontario. They were later identified as gas-filled balloons released by boaters. On August 13, local papers reported a story of a "garbage can"-like object flying over Maryland.

Saucers seen over Albuquerque, New Mexico were identified as a flock of birds on August 25. A "fleet of smoke rings" was reported over North Carolina. On August 27, a South Dakota paper ran a story from 1915 about mystery airships, likening it to recent saucer stories.

On August 28, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on a Air Force office who had visited their office to conduct research on saucer tales. A group of carpenters in Roseburg, Oregon reported a sighting that was publicized on August 28. On August 29, a saucer attached to a balloon was reported recovered from an Alabama farm. A report from Denmark claimed saucers had been observed at the same time a fleet of five unidentified submarines were spotted. A sighting was reported over Council Bluffs, Iowa on August 30. Recent sightings in Nebraska were identified as coming from a fairground searchlight.

On September 3, a barber in Rushville, Indiana reported a saucer he described as "the real McCoy". On September 4, press covered a pilot over Saskatchewan who reported a fireball. An object consistent with a meteor was reported over the skies of Richmond, Virginia on September 6.

Later

 * 1948
 * July 24, 1948 - Chiles-Whitted UFO encounter
 * October 1, 1948 - Gorman dogfight
 * December 5, 1948 - first Green Fireballs


 * 1949
 * October 8, 1949 - Aztec, New Mexico UFO hoax


 * 1950
 * May 11, 1950 - McMinnville UFO photographs
 * August 5/15, 1950 - Mariana UFO incident


 * 1951
 * August 25, 1951 - Lubbock Lights

1952 events

 * May 5 - journalist Joao Martins and the photographer Eduardo Keffel claimed to have seen a flying disk in the vicinity of Barra da Tijuca. Keffel took some photographs of the UFO, which were published by the magazine O Cruzeiro.
 * May 12 - Seattle explosion prompts 'flying saucer' speculation
 * May 21 - Speculation that saucer responsible for Seattle explosion are "not carriers for the inhabitants of other planets" but rather thant flying saucers "are the living creatures from another planet".


 * June 1 -  Ruppelt argures "If you can pin down a date that the Big Flap started, it would probably be about June 1."  That day, a UFO report was filed by Hughes Aircraft Company in Los Angeles.
 * Jun 15 - rash of sightings throughout Virginia
 * July 1 - Two F-94 scrambled to intercept a UFO over Boston
 * July 14 - Nash-Fortenberry UFO sighting over Chesapeake Bay
 * July 19/20 - First night of 1952 Washington, D.C., UFO incident
 * July 24, two Air Force colonels took off from Hamilton Air Force Base bound for Colorado Springs reported witnessing unidentified triangular objects.
 * July 26/27 - Second night of 1952 Washington, D.C., UFO incident
 * July 31 - Samford briefing
 * August 19 - West Palm scoutmaster Sonny DesVergers reported being burned by a flying disc.