Did you know a UFO sighting in Washington state is credited with kicking off decades of reported sightings across the country?
In 1947, private pilot Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine shiny UFOs moving at fast speeds near Mount Rainier. It’s said that his explanation of the aircraft led to the widespread use of the term “flying saucer.”
In fact, official documents from the federal government refer to Arnold’s sighting as the first in the United States. The CIA and other agencies became involved in the phenomenon of unidentified flying objects after this report.
Since then, government agencies have transitioned to the term UAP over UFO, meaning unidentified anomalous phenomenon, in an effort to ease the stigma.
UAP sightings common in WA state
The Evergreen State has remained a hotbed for UAP sightings since the original “flying saucers” at Mt. Rainier.
For several years in a row, Washington has ranked high on national studies of which states have the most sightings.
Most recently, Casino.CA released a study analyzing the hotspots in both the United States and Canada. Again, Washington ranked number two.