3 Questions
What was the first reported sighting of flying discs?
By Kenneth Arnold in June 1947
What was the size of the "big ball of fire" reported by Mr and Mrs. J.F. Meuser?
The size of a full moon
What was the reported debris recovered by Army personnel at Roswell?
An ordinary weather balloon
Study Notes
- On June 24, 1947, civilian pilot Kenneth Arnold reported a sighting of 'flying discs';
- By June 27, disc sightings were being reported nation-wide.
- On July 1, Twin Falls Times-News declared that "flying saucers have invaded" the Twin Falls region after a forest ranger and his companion reported seeing eight to ten "discs" flying in a V-shaped formation over Galena Summit.
- The two men were marking timber about three miles south of Galena Summit when they reportedly heard a buzzing noise overhead and saw shining objects above themselves.
- One of the witnesses, Walter Nicholson, was quoted as saying "it wasn't anything like an airplane".
- On July 2, press reported on a second sighting. Mr and Mrs. J. F. Meuser were reportedly driving near Malta, Idaho, when they spotted a lone "big ball of fire" about the size of the moon, only "much brighter".
- A third sighting was reported on July 3; railway foreman B.G. Tiffany contacted the Times-News with a story of him and his crew having seen a fleet of nine discs noiselessly flying in a V-shaped formation over Hollister, Idaho, a month prior.
- Two additional sightings were reported on July 4. Twin Falls resident R.L. Dempsey reported seeing two discs over the city. Three residents of Richfield, Idaho, reported having seen a single disc.
- On July 5, a group of 60 picnickers reportedly witnessed 35 discs in the skies over Twin Falls, making it the "largest number of the mystery devices reported anywhere in the nation" according to local press.
- On July 7, additional sightings were reported, with one report naming three 14- to 15-year-old boys as witnesses of a lone disc that was "the size of a motor scooter wheel".
- The Twin Falls disc was not the first story of a recovered disc. On July 8, it was reported that Army personnel at Roswell had recovered a 'flying disc'; The following day, it was reported that the Roswell debris was an ordinary weather balloon.
- On July 10, United Press reported on a hoax saucer allegedly recovered in North Hollywood.
Test your knowledge of the famous UFO sightings in 1947, including the series of reported sightings in Idaho and the widely known Roswell incident.
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