In the United States, there have been a variety of documented accounts of UFOs (unidentified flying objects) lighting up the night sky. When more than one person is at the center of a reported sighting, it gets more people interested in getting to the bottom of the source. In this article, you will learn about a few documented sightings of UFOs that have taken place in the U.S.
Madisonville, Kentucky
It was early in the afternoon on January 7, 1948, when dozens of residents living in Madisonville, Kentucky, placed phone calls to the police regarding something strange seen in the sky. A news account to follow would describe the sight as “a circular object hovering overhead and giving off a brilliant glow.” The state police felt compelled to notify Air Force officials at Goodman Field, which was an air base located at Fort Knox. After fifteen minutes, the tower crew at the airfield may have seen the UFO as well. They radioed a squadron of P-51 fighters that had already taken to the air for an investigation of the reported object.
The Squadron leader, Capt. Thomas Mantell, Jr., was an expert pilot who had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery during the Second World War. He reported back to the base that he had seen the UFO and was in pursuit of the unexplainable object. His last radio transmission had come in at 3:15 pm, where he said, ” I’m closing in now to take a good look.” He described the sight as appearing metallic and that it was quite large in size. Three minutes had passed and Matrell crashed. He was killed on site. Official reports state that the pilot had run out of oxygen, but UFOlogists believe the explanation has something more to do with what he saw in the sky.
Los Angeles, California
It was early in the morning of February 25, 1942, when radar detectors picked up on an unidentified object situated 120 miles west of Los Angeles. The operators of the radar paid close attention to the action of this object as it quickly came within a few miles of the southern California coast. All of a sudden, the unexplainable object vanished from the screens. Time passes and an artillery officer situated along the coast reported what he believed was 25 aircraft flying at 25,000 feet.
A few minutes later, other witnesses in Santa Monica saw a balloon-like object that seemed to be carrying what appeared to be flares. Other witnesses started to report a multitude of unknown flying objects that reached speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. The sightings were so great that it causes residents in the city to fear an attack by the Japanese. This caused the firing of 1,400 rounds of ammunition at the unexplainable objects. The bullets did not seem to hit anything because no wreckages were ever uncovered. Officials believed that the incident was a blend of mass hysteria and a false alarm, but UFOlogists would like to attribute the flying craft to extraterrestrials.