The Weather Balloon Story

It was a sunny afternoon on June 24th, 1947, and Kenneth Arnold was flying his small aircraft over Mineral, Washington. He was heading to Yakima but took a slight detour to look for a lost US Marine Corps plane. If he could find it, he’d collect a nice reward.

Flying near Mount Rainier, he spotted a shiny object in his plane's mirror. Then, he saw multiple flashes of light. It looked like a group of aircraft, flying in formation. But something was wrong - these 'aircraft' didn't have tails. And they were flying faster than anything he’d ever seen. After about two minutes, the objects vanished near Mount Adams.

When Kenneth landed in Yakima, he immediately told his friends and airport staff about his bizarre experience. By the time he reached Pendleton, Oregon, his story had spread. Reporters were eager to hear it.

In describing the odd movement of these objects, Kenneth said it was like a teacup saucer skipping across a lake. At that moment, the term “flying saucer” was born.

And over the next two weeks, events would unfold that would affect every person on Earth. And change the course of history.