Pilot Reports Nine Shiny Discs Flying At High Speed Over Idaho In 1947

On June 24 1947 private pilot Kenneth Arnold was flying his CallAir A-2 aircraft from Chehalis Washington toward Yakima when he encountered a formation of nine bright shiny objects near Mount Rainier.

The objects appeared disc shaped or like saucers skipping across water and moved at speeds estimated over 1700 miles per hour with no visible wings or propulsion.

Arnold later described the sighting to reporters in Boise Idaho his home base which helped popularize the term flying saucers worldwide.

Multiple corroborating reports from other pilots and ground observers emerged in the following days across the Pacific Northwest.

The incident received coverage in national newspapers and prompted official interest from the United States Air Force leading to the start of Project Sign.

No conventional explanation such as weather balloons or aircraft matched the described performance and shape.

This event marked the beginning of the modern UFO era with thousands of similar reports following in subsequent years.