Reports of unidentified flying objects
The 1947 flying disc craze was a rash of unidentified flying object reports in the United States that were publicized during the summer of 1947. The craze began on June 24, when media nationwide reported civilian pilot Kenneth Arnold's story of witnessing disc-shaped objects which headline writers dubbed "Flying Saucers". Such reports quickly spread throughout the United States; historians would later chronicle at least 800 "copycat" reports in subsequent weeks, while other sources estimate the reports may have numbered in the thousands.
Reports peaked on July 7. After numerous hoaxes and mistaken identifications, the disc reports largely subsided by July 10. Mainstream sources speculated that the disc reports were caused by novel technology, mistaken identifications, or mass hysteria. In contrast, fringe speculation held that the discs might come from other planets or other dimensions; still others suggested the discs were occult or might signify the end of the world.
The 1947 craze has been extensively studied within the frameworks of both folklore studies and religious studies, where it is regarded by scholars as the "birth of a modern myth".
Overview.
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If people saw chimaeras back in the days when Greek mythology was being born, it should not be wondered at that people are seeing supersonic discs in this Flash Gordon era.
Denver Post (July 3, 1947)
In late June 1947, press in the United States began covering reports of flying discs. Reports increased, with a sharp rise on July 4; over the course of the next five days, there were widespread reports throughout the entirety of the United States. Reports crested on July 7, gradually diminishing over the subsequent week, amid numerous hoaxes, pranks, and mistaken identifications.
The flying saucer craze of 1947 was thoroughly and widely covered in media nationwide, with some contemporary observers interpreting the disc sightings as 'modern folklore'. On July 3, midway through the craze, the Denver Post opined: "Even before Plato, scholars were perplexed by what is real and what isn't...Finally Descartes came along with the theory that 'whatever I apprehend clearly and distinctly is true' and on the basis of such authority it seems unimportant whether people actually saw the discs or only thought they did...If people saw chimaeras back in the days when Greek mythology was being born, it should not be wondered at that people are seeing supersonic discs in this Flash Gordon era."
In 2020, Religious Studies professor David J. Halpern similarly argued "UFOs are a myth – but myths are real." Another scholar opined: "The 'flying saucers' may have been a hoax, imagination, illusion, mirages, phantoms of preposterous eyesight, et al, yet they caused a phenomenon reverberations of which were heard around the world."
The 1947 craze has long been of interest to scholars of folklore studies. Halpern argues that "The power and fascination of the UFO has nothing to do with space travel or life on other planets. It's about us, our longings and terrors". Roland Barthes, a 'founding father' of cultural studies, recalled "The mystery of flying saucers was at first entirely terrestrial: we suspected that the saucers came from the Soviet netherworld, from this world as devoid of clear intentions as another planet." Folklorist Gordon Arnold similarly writes: "Many aspects of the great flying saucer wave raise questions about human behavior and America's social, cultural, and political inclinations".
Ted Bloecher argued that the 1947 craze is "the most fascinating of any to examine because of its unique position at the very beginning" of flying saucer folklore. Writes Bloecher: "There were no 'attitudes' about UFOs in June 1947. There were no preconceptions, no misconceptions, no 'policies' by either press or public, or by any official agencies". Folklorist Howard Henry Peckham similarly argued that "students of folklore have had a rare opportunity to witness the birth and development of a modern myth -- the 'flying saucers'".
Events of Summer 1947.
The year 1947 was marked by renewed tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States. On March 13, American president Harry Truman pledged to contain the communist uprisings in Greece and Turkey. More generally, the Truman Doctrine implied American support for other nations thought to be threatened by Soviet communism.
On April 16, statesman Bernard Baruch coined the term "Cold War" to describe relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Having lost 27 million people in the war, the Soviet Union pushed for returning Germany to a pastoral state without heavy industry. Despite Soviet objections, on June 5, Secretary of State George Marshall announced a comprehensive program of American assistance to reindustrialize European nations.
The summer of 1947 featured widespread publications about atomic energy and war. On June 27, retired Supreme Court Justice Owen Roberts warned the US was headed "down the old familiar road of appeasement" towards "An all-out shooting World War III". On June 30, Albert Einstein and fellow scientists warned of a possible atomic war within a decade. A three-week conference about radioactive chemicals in medicine began at the University of California in San Francisco. On July 1, Representative John Dingell criticized hosting of German atomic scientists in places like El Paso.
Initial reports.
On June 24, 1947, private pilot Kenneth Arnold claimed that he saw a string of nine, shiny unidentified flying objects flying past Mount Rainier at speeds that Arnold estimated at a minimum of 1,200 miles an hour (1,932 km/h). This was the first post-World War II sighting in the United States that garnered nationwide news coverage and is credited with being the first of the modern era of UFO sightings, including numerous reported sightings over the next two to three weeks. Arnold's description of the objects also led to the press quickly coining the terms "flying saucer" and "flying disc" as popular descriptive terms for UFOs.
When Arnold landed in Yakima, he described what he had seen to a number of pilot friends, who suggested that maybe he had seen guided missiles or a new airplane being secretly developed by the United States Army.
After refueling, he continued on his way to an air show in Pendleton, Oregon. He was first interviewed by reporters the next day (June 25), when he went to the office of the "East Oregonian" in Pendleton. Any skepticism the reporters might have harbored evaporated when they interviewed Arnold at length, as historian Mike Dash records:
Arnold had the makings of a reliable witness. He was a respected businessman and experienced pilot...and seemed to be neither exaggerating what he had seen, nor adding sensational details to his report. He also gave the impression of being a careful observer...These details impressed the newspapermen who interviewed him and lent credibility to his report.
The following day, Arnold was interviewed on the radio about his sighting and his story was published in afternoon and evening editions of regional papers. By June 26, Arnold's story was being widely reported throughout the United States.
Additional reports.
Arnold's report was the first of many. On June 26, press reported that Byron Savage of Oklahoma City had seen a flying disc about six weeks prior. That same day, press reported that a Kansas City carpenter named W. I. Davenport recalled having seen nine discs while working on a roof the prior Wednesday. Also on June 26, photographer E.H. Sprinkle of Eugene, Oregon reported having attempted to take a photograph of a formation of nine bright objects in the prior weeks. 
Pacific Northwest reports amid jet speculation.
June 27 saw reports of past sightings from a housewife in Bremerton, a home-builder in Bellingham, a motorist and his family from Wenatachee, a couple from Salem, and a woman from Yakima.
On June 28, press nationwide reported the opinion of Army rocket expert Lt. Col. Harold R. Turner, who speculated the "discs" were jet airplanes; Turner explained that "the jet planes' circular exhaust glows brightly when heated and might easily appear to be discs at a distance.
Also on June 28, original disc witness Kenneth Arnold publicly criticized the lack of any official investigation into his sighting. Said Arnold: "If I was running the country and someone reported something unusual, I'd certainly want to know more about it."
Reports throughout the West.
On June 28, the Denver Post reported on a crew of seven railway workers in Colorado Springs who claimed to have seen a disc the prior May. Also on June 28, press covered reports from a mother and son in Seattle, three airport employees in Cedar City, a family near Boise, an optometrist in El Paso, a dentist in Silver City and a railroad engineer in Joliet; all claimed to have seen discs.
Potential explanations offered.
Lt. Col. Harold R. Turner of the White Sands Proving Ground publicly initially speculated the discs "must have been" jet airplanes but later told press that the New Mexico flying disc reports were the result of meteorites. On June 28, Washington-based ironworks operator Ray Taro speculated that the "flying discs" were caused by his foundry, which had been melting bottlecaps, expelling "little aluminum discs" which were blown out of the foundry smoke stacks. On June 28, Oklahoma sightings were revealed as handbills released from an airplane.
By June 29, one source reported that "These discs, some people suggest, may presage an invasion from Mars." Others suggested the discs were Russian weapons, akin to the incendiary balloons released by the Japanese to cross the Pacific and explode in the US. Speculation suggested that the Navy's experimental Flying Flapjack might be responsible for disc sightings. On June 30, one Oregon preacher suggested that the discs were "the 'advance guard' of universal disaster, heralding the end of the world".
On July 1, Air Force intelligence officer Col. Alfred Kalberer and astronomer Oscar Monnig briefed press to provide reassurance that "we're not being invaded by little platter-like planes from Mars". Monnig described the sightings as "an interesting study in human psychology", arguing that after upon hearing Arnold's initial report, a colleague laughed and predicted "Watch the reports pour in now, from all across the country, from people who will imagine they have seen these things, too". Kalberer cited the Orson Welles broadcast and the May 1947 Tokyo Sea Monster broadcast. Kalberer joked that he wished "someone would put salt on the tail of one of these discs and catch it like our grandmothers used to tell us to do if we wished to catch a bird", adding "They're such friendly little discs. They seem to flip around and do all sorts of kittenish antics".
Also on July 1, headlines like "Flying Disc Deal 'Solved'" reported that a flying disc had been recovered in New Mexico after a local man chased the object until it landed. The object was identified as a "five by eight inch piece of tinfoil". In San Angelo, on July 2 the press relayed a report from Ivy T. Young who speculated that his hobby of releasing silvery balloons with his name attached may have been responsible for the disc sightings.
Increasing prominence.
From June 24 to July 1, official response was one of skepticism and humor; that changed during the first week of July, when reports from reputable witnesses prompted further reactions and investigations.
Lt. Governor sighting followed by official investigation.
On July 2, Idaho Lt. Governor Donald S. Whitehead revealed publicly that both he and Boise Justice J.M. Lampert had witnessed objects on June 24, the day of Arnold's sighting. The next day, papers nationwide reported that Lt. Gen. Nathan Twining, commander of Wright Field, had announced that Air Material Command had opened a probe into the discs. Twining claimed that a "reputable scientist" had seen the disc-like objects in flight. Twining urged all persons seeing the strange objects in flight to contact Wright Field.
That day, headlines proclaimed "U.S. Stops 'Laughing Off' Stories of Flying Discs", quoting an Army Air Force spokesman as saying "If some foreign power is sending flying discs over the United States, it is our responsibility to know about it and take proper action". Army experts acknowledged that they could not explain the disc and reported having checked research authorities and contractors, none of whom knew anything concrete about the discs. They suggested the discs might be the product of a civilian inventor.
The "Idaho Statesman" quoted an unnamed military officer as saying he thought the air forces and FBI had been showing "complacency" by not pushing for a more "vigorous investigation". It also reported that Kenneth Arnold has not been contacted by military or the FBI about his sighting. The