Brief history of UFO sightings

Over the last few days, three retired military officials attested to the presence of UFOs and stated that the US government has not been completely transparent with their findings regarding extraterrestrial bodies.

Ryan Graves, a former US Navy pilot and David Fravor, a former US Navy commander testified that they had seen unidentified ariel phenomena (UAP). David Grusch, a former US Intelligence Official, claimed that the US government were in possession of UAP. Grusch said that the government had underreported such sightings and were not being fully transparent. Lawmakers have also urged the government for more transparency.

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This has triggerred curiosity around UFOs and its significiance. UFO sightings is not a new concept and there have been many sightings over the years. In the 1800s, people would often descend into a state of mass hysteria upon seeing a flying object in the sky. The term UFO or unidentified flying object gained popularity in 1947. After World War II, the number of strange sightings increased, and many people believed that these objects were alien in nature.

The United States Air force (USAF) adopted the term UFO in 1953 and started a catalogue of sightings called Project Blue Book. Before shutting down the project, USAF reported over 12,000 unexplainable sightings. Many people across the world have claimed to see such extraterrestrial bodies and there are still sightings today.

In 1961, Barney and Betty Hill, a couple in New Hampshire, claimed that they were abducted by aliens. On September 19, they claimed to have seen non-human beings in a weirdly shaped ship, hovering over their car. The couple were returned to their house the next day and after hypnotic therapy, confirmed that they had been abducted by aliens. Many others have also seen strange objects, but they usually turn out to be things such as research balloons. In 2007, people in Hagley, UK claimed to see a peculiar triangle shaped object in the sky.

The sighting was known to be Dudley Dorito. In October 2014, a Jet Airways pilot reported that she saw a mysterious object during her fight from Pune to Ahmedabad.

In 2023, Chinese authorities reported an unidentified object around the Qingdao region. Officials said they were ready to shoot down the object, with fears of it being a US spy vessel looming.