UFO Wave of 1947 in San Diego (1947)

📍 Location

📝 Description

San Diego County experienced a local slice of the 1947 flying saucer wave, with numerous residents reporting flying discs over the county during the summer of 1947. This aligns with the broader national craze that began after Kenneth Arnold's June 1947 sighting and peaked in early July. Archival summaries and analyses (e.g., NICAP's Wave 1947 reports) document California accounting for a large share of wave sightings and thousands of witnesses across the period; local outlets later referenced the episode as part of San Diego lore. There is no verified evidence identifying the objects' origin, and most sources treat the San Diego reports as part of a historical phenomenon rather than confirmed sightings.

🔍 Circumstances

Sightings occurred across urban and rural parts of the county, in daylight and at night, from observers including civilians, motorists, pilots, and police. Reports were often described as flying discs or round, metallic objects observed in open skies; many were reported in newspapers as part of the nationwide 1947 craze.

👤 Physical Description

Objects described as round or disc-shaped, metallic or bright, sometimes seen as shiny or silvery; shapes variably reported as discs/ovals in some accounts.

ℹ️ Additional Details

The event is part of the 1947 flying saucer craze. California accounted for a significant portion of the U.S. sightings in that wave (as documented in NICAP's Wave 1947 materials). Contemporary local coverage acknowledges the San Diego episode as a piece of regional lore. Notable general references include NICAP's Wave 1947 Appendix and Section I, and later local history write-ups.

🔗 Sources (5)

👥 Community Contributions

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