Kenneth Arnold UFO Sighting – Seattle, Washington (1947)

📍 Location

📝 Description

Publicly available records and scholarship reaffirm that Kenneth Arnold's June 24, 1947 sighting near Mount Rainier is a foundational event in UFO lore. Arnold reported nine shiny, disc-shaped objects moving at extreme speed (estimated around 1,700 mph) near Mount Rainier, with mirror-like reflections. The sighting occurred around Mineral, Washington, at roughly 9,200 feet, and lasted approximately 2.3–3 minutes. He prompted media attention and investigators (FBI and the Army Air Forces) to engage. Official assessments from the late 1940s onward, including Project Sign/Grudge/Blue Book, ultimately attributed the event to misperception or a mirage rather than real aircraft. The episode helped launch a nationwide wave of sightings in late June–July 1947 (notably the July 4 Flight 105 encounter by United Airlines pilots). In recent years, declassified materials (e.g., CIA FOIA documents and USAF Project Blue Book files) continue to indicate no definitive physical evidence for extraterrestrial origin, leaving Arnold's sighting as a historically significant but explained case.

🔍 Circumstances

On June 24, 1947, Arnold, a private pilot, was flying from Chehalis to Yakima in a CallAir A-2, reportedly searching for a downed Marine Corps transport near Mount Rainier. Around 3:00 p.m. (local time) at about 9,200 feet, near Mineral, WA, he observed nine bright, mirror-like discs moving in a formation toward Mount Rainier and then toward Mount Adams, accelerating to an estimated 1,700 mph. The objects were described as saucer-like and reflected sunlight as they moved. The sighting lasted roughly 2.3–3 minutes. After landing, Arnold reported the sighting to reporters and invited investigation by authorities (FBI and Army Air Forces). The event helped popularize the term flying saucer and sparked a wave of similar sightings in the following weeks; corroborating reports emerged from Seattle and other parts of Washington, as well as from other states. Official assessments at the time concluded it was likely a mirage or misperception, though Arnold and some contemporaries were treated as credible witnesses.

👤 Physical Description

Nine shiny, disk-shaped (saucer-like) objects with mirror-like reflections; described as fast-moving discs moving in formation relative to Mount Rainier.

ℹ️ Additional Details

The Arnold sighting helped coin the terms flying saucer; it contributed to the 1947 wave of UFO reports and prompted early USAF investigations (Project Sign, then Grudge and Blue Book). Declassified materials in the 21st century (including CIA FOIA content and National Archives Project Blue Book files) show ongoing historical analysis with no definitive physical evidence established for extraterrestrial craft.

🔗 Sources (9)

👥 Community Contributions

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