Eerie Facts Surrounding the Arnold UFO Sighting

UFOs aren't exactly new, although they did become mainstream during the late 1940s and on. Now, there are countless TV shows, websites, and books for alien and UFO believers. The rise in UFO sightings and beliefs started with Kenneth Arnold and his unusual sightings. But who is this man? What did he see? And why is this important? Click through the slideshow to find out.

Kenneth Arnold was born on March 29, 1915, in Sebeka, Minnesota, US. He was an aviator and businessman best known for his iconic and memorable UFO sightings in 1947. He passed away on January 16, 1984 from colorectal cancer.

On June 24, 1947, Arnold was flying from Chehalis, Washington, to Yakima, Washington, when he spotted a string of nine strange-looking shiny UFOs. Before this, he was looking for a downed U.S. Marine Corps Curtiss C-46 Commando transport. He estimated the flying UFOs were running at about 1,200 miles per hour. They were bright with flashing lights near Mount Rainier.

Previous to this event, no one had used the word flying saucer. When describing the event to interviewers and pilot friends, he used words like saucer, disc, and pie-pan to describe the shape of the nine objects.

He wasn't the only one to see strange lights and shapes in the sky around the same time. Quite a few people came up and corroborated his story. For instance, just a few weeks later, the Oregon Journal received a report from L. G. Bernier saying he saw three strange objects near Mount Rainier. They were faster than any flying vehicle he'd ever seen.

Probably the most well-known sighting around the same time was of a United Airlines crew. While flying over Idaho, they spotted similar disc-shaped objects in the sky that appeared near the plane for about 10 minutes.

Now that we know a little more about Kenneth Arnold's UFO sightings, let's dive into some fun and interesting alien facts.

Do you believe in aliens? If yes, you aren't the only one. About 57% of Americans believe that either aliens can exist or absolutely do.

The Air Force plays a big role in investigating UFO sightings. Between 1948 and 1969, the Air Force investigated 12,618 reported sightings.

The same year that the first modern UFO was spotted, the Roswell incident occurred. In 1947, strange debris was uncovered in New Mexico. Although this debris was confirmed to be military balloons, it spawned many conspiracy theories.

Although crop circles are super interesting to see and learn about, they are likely hoaxes. Actually, a few people have come forward claiming to have created them. This includes Doug Bower and Dave Chorley. They created a large crop circle in 1976 in England. Almost two decades later in 1991, they confessed to having made them along with 200 others in the area.

Considering over half of all Americans believe in UFOs or at least the possibility of them, it's not surprising that there are massive UFO conventions, festivals, and conferences. The most popular ones include Contact in the Desert and the Roswell UFO Festival.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Marko Aliaksandr / Shutterstock.com.