2. Kenneth Arnold Sighting (1947)
Just weeks before Roswell, pilot Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine crescent-shaped objects darting across the skies near Mount Rainier, Washington. He described their movement as “like a saucer if you skip it across water,” which led the media to popularize the term “flying saucers.” Arnold’s account captured national attention and sparked a wave of similar reports. Debate still lingers over what Arnold actually saw, but his sighting undeniably ignited modern interest in UFO phenomena.
