1947 flying disc craze

1947 flying disc craze
Headline from July 6, 1947
Events

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]

  1. ^ a b c Peebles, Curtis (March 24, 1995). Watch the Skies!: A Chronicle of the Flying Saucer Myth, Ch 2 'The 1947 Flap'. Berkley Books. ISBN 9780425151174 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference G_Arnold was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "11 Jul 1947, Page 4 - The Evening Review at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "13 Apr 1948, Page 18 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Grossman, Wendy M.; French, Christopher C. (September 19, 2017). Why Statues Weep: The Best of the "Skeptic". Routledge. p. 172. ISBN 9781134962525 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Bullard, Thomas E. (October 24, 2016). The Myth and Mystery of UFOs. University Press of Kansas. p. 53. ISBN 9780700623389 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference bloecher was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference auto43 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference HHP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Clarke was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference auto20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).