Admin“What Do UFO Sightings Reveal About Humanity? And Will They Ever Be Solved? Historian Greg Eghigian Explains”
Mysterious lights in the sky, alien beings, and crashed objects hidden in secret government facilities—the relatively modern narrative of UFOs is brimming with conspiracy theories and accusations of coverups.
Yet, beyond the constant debates between believers and skeptics about what lies behind these phenomena, one fact remains: countless individuals have reported witnessing inexplicable occurrences in the skies. But what do these reports reveal about human society?
To delve into UFO sightings, their origins, and their connections to cultural and political movements of the past and present, Live Science spoke with Greg Eghigian, a history and bioethics professor at Penn State University. His new book, “After The Flying Saucers Came” (Oxford University Press, 2024), offers one of the first comprehensive social histories of UFOs, or unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP). Here’s what he shared.
Ben Turner: Many people assume UFOs became part of public awareness with the Roswell incident. But your book suggests otherwise. When did it really start?
Greg Eghigian: If we consider this as a social phenomenon—more than just isolated sightings of strange objects in the sky but involving speculation about them being made by someone or possibly extraterrestrial—we can pinpoint the start to June 24, 1947.
That’s when Kenneth Arnold, a private pilot, reported seeing strange objects over Washington state while flying his plane. After landing, he shared his experience with the military and the press. When asked how the objects moved, he described their flight as resembling “saucers skipping across the water.” Within days, a journalist coined the headline: “Flying saucers.”
Once the term “flying saucers” caught on, everything else fell into place.
BT: But then Roswell happened just a few weeks later. Why did a relatively small New Mexico city become synonymous with UFOs, while Arnold’s name remains relatively obscure?
GE: Here’s what’s often overlooked about Roswell. The initial story from Roswell claimed that material—believed to be from a crashed flying saucer—was recovered near an Air Force base.
Within 24 hours, however, the Air Force walked back the claim, stating that the individuals who discovered the material had misinterpreted what they found. The reality is that those on the ground were not well-equipped to identify what they had in hand. The usual experts were away at a conference, and when they eventually examined the material, they concluded it was ordinary and issued a correction.
The Roswell story captured headlines worldwide for about a day or two and then faded into obscurity, leaving little impact on the broader UFO narrative for decades.
It wasn’t until the late 1970s that ufologists—who often revisit older cases—reexamined Roswell’s records, highlighted perceived inconsistencies, and brought it back into the spotlight. That’s when Roswell became the legendary UFO event it is today.
BT: Looking at the historical context where UFO stories began, we see Cold War tensions, the looming threat of nuclear weapons, McCarthyism, and fears of communism and Soviet espionage. It seems like a period primed for paranoia and conspiracy theories. How much of the UFO narrative is tied to this atmosphere?
GE: Oh, it’s deeply tied in. In the book, I argue that the UFO phenomenon as we know it wouldn’t exist without the Cold War. There are several reasons for this, but one often overlooked factor is the legacy of World War II.
World War II and the Cold War brought critical elements that shaped the UFO narrative. First, you had the rise of big governments and big militaries. If you look at the U.S. federal government in 1900, it was relatively small. By 1945, it had evolved into a vast bureaucracy with a massive military apparatus.
Second, World War II showed the world that governments could develop secret programs that produced groundbreaking technologies—like the atomic bomb and advanced aircraft such as jets. Alongside this, both the war and the Cold War were heavily characterized by espionage.
When UFO sightings began to surface, the prevailing assumption for many was that these objects must be related to one of the superpowers, engaged in surveillance or secret military experiments. This framing—questions about who’s behind it, their intentions, and whether it poses a threat—has remained a central theme in how UFOs are discussed.
In this sense, the Cold War shaped the way UFOs were understood, embedding them in a narrative of secrecy, suspicion, and the potential for harm, and this influence has haunted UFO stories for decades.
BT: There were notable moments before Kenneth Arnold’s 1947 sighting, like Orson Welles’ 1938 War of the Worlds radio broadcast, which sparked mass panic about an alien invasion. Why do you think flying saucers became a phenomenon in 1947 and not earlier?
GE: I think the atomic bomb was the game changer. The fact that something so revolutionary could be invented in secret and then unveiled to the world—with such immense destructive power that it could annihilate humanity in an instant—profoundly shifted how people thought about technology and existential threats.
When people ask, “Why 1947?” some suggest that alien visitors have always been here and we’re only now paying attention. But the argument often goes that the atomic bomb caught their attention. The idea is that extraterrestrials may have noticed us because of the bomb’s explosion, marking humanity as either a species worth engaging or as a potential future threat.
This narrative ties directly into the broader anxieties of the time: nuclear weapons, Cold War tensions, and the dawn of a technological age with unprecedented risks and possibilities. It provided fertile ground for the flying saucer phenomenon to take root.
BT: There’s an appeal to a higher power here too, right? In a time when religion seems to be waning and after the horrors of the last century, people might be looking for something to save us from ourselves.
GE: Absolutely, many people do think of it that way. The psychologist Carl Jung wrote a foundational book in the late 1950s about this phenomenon. He argued that UFOs, real or not, symbolized a kind of salvation for humanity. People hoped they could represent an external force to help us overcome our struggles or guide us to a better future. By the early 1950s, we began to see UFO-based religious communities forming, many of which were tied to the New Age Movement.
BT: The stories feel so tied to mid-20th century America. But what about claims like those on Ancient Aliens? Are UFO sightings universal and historical, or is that a narrative we’ve created after the fact?
GE: This is a contentious topic. Strange things in the sky have been reported throughout history—think meteorites, which people once thought absurd until we understood they were rocks from space.
But going back in time and labeling artifacts or accounts as UFOs is highly problematic. Often, it involves misinterpreting historical documents, artworks, or objects. For example, some point to medieval paintings and claim certain symbols are flying saucers, but these are often elements of religious rituals or symbolic imagery, not evidence of alien encounters. It’s a fascinating but deeply flawed approach.
BT: In your book, you take an agnostic stance—you neither fully accept nor outright dismiss UFO reports. How do you balance this, and how do you assess such reports impartially?
GE: It’s tricky, and it’s not a stance everyone likes. As a historian, I focus on the human story rather than adjudicating the truth of the sightings. Determining whether something is anomalous or explainable requires experts—meteorologists, physicists, or astronomers—not me.
My interest lies in how people respond to and shape these events. I often say UFOs don’t make history; people do. Everything about them—the sightings, the speculation, the debates—is part of human history. Whether UFOs also have a natural history is a question for other researchers.
BT: Some reports must clearly seem dubious, but others—like those from trained pilots or law enforcement officers—carry weight. Have you come across any cases that left you genuinely puzzled?
GE: Definitely. Some cases are particularly compelling, especially those involving credible witnesses with no apparent motive to fabricate.
For instance, in the 1950s, two experienced civilian pilots for Eastern Airlines reported seeing a strange object in flight. They described it in detail, and it was unlike anything they’d encountered before. They weren’t chasing fame or fortune; it was just something that perplexed them.
Another notable case is Lonnie Zamora’s from the 1960s. He was a police officer in the Southwest who thought he saw a car accident. When he approached, he saw a strange object and figures in white uniforms moving around it before it flew away. By all accounts, Zamora was level-headed, uninterested in publicity, and very reluctant to talk about the event. It’s one of those cases where you feel he truly saw something, even if the nature of what he saw remains unexplained.
BT: How do UFO reports evolve over time? Do they change as cultural perceptions sharpen?
GE: While certain aspects of UFO sightings remain consistent, others evolve significantly with culture. For instance, the most common descriptions—patterns of lights, orbs, or spheres moving erratically before vanishing silently—have stayed fairly constant from the start. Other shapes, like cigar-shaped objects or triangles, are also frequently reported across the world and over time.
What has changed more noticeably are the descriptions of the occupants, the so-called aliens. In the 1950s and 1960s, reports often described robotic figures resembling the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. Robots, however, are rarely reported anymore.
Another early theme was “little men,” not necessarily green but usually small and male. These figures were often described as standing around 4 feet (1.2 meters) tall, though in places like Malaysia, they were reportedly under 6 inches (15 centimeters) tall. Many were described as wearing what looked like old-fashioned diving suits.
By the 1970s and 1980s, the variety of reported alien forms expanded dramatically. People began describing insect-like beings and, in places like South America and the Soviet Union, large, hairy creatures resembling Bigfoot or Sasquatch became common.
The now-iconic “gray alien” with its large head and almond-shaped eyes wasn’t widespread until 1987, when Whitley Strieber’s Communion was published. From that point onward, this image became the dominant cultural representation of what an alien looks like, solidifying in the public consciousness.
BT: That’s got to be one of the things debunkers point to: the idea that culture shapes what people see makes it easier to call it a mass delusion.
GE: Absolutely, debunkers lean into that. They like to point out instances where cultural influences might explain what people claim to see. They’ll say something like, “There was a sci-fi TV show two weeks before this sighting,” and then when the person denies having watched it, they go back and forth.
I personally believe media and culture play a formative role in shaping how people interpret and describe extraordinary experiences. But where I diverge from the debunkers is that I don’t think this entirely explains sightings away. To me, this is just human nature—we make sense of the unexplainable using analogies and metaphors that feel familiar.
When people encounter something truly strange, they try to frame it in a way they can comprehend. That’s not delusion; it’s just what we do.
BT: These debates persist, but it feels like we’re now in a different era of UFO—or UAP—discussion. Since the release of the 2017 Navy footage, there’s been an unprecedented level of official engagement: Senate hearings, task forces, even NASA involvement. What changed? Did everyone in government grow up on UFO lore, or is there more to it?
GE: A lot has shifted to make the subject more legitimate and respectable, even in academic and policy circles. A major factor is the evolution of surveillance technology. Advances in radar, sensors, and monitoring systems used by the U.S., China, and Russia have heightened awareness of what’s in our airspace. The proliferation of drones has also complicated things—now, drones account for a significant number of sightings.
On the extraterrestrial front, discoveries in astronomy since the late 1990s have also played a big role. The confirmation that exoplanets are common, and that many of them are in habitable zones, has made it easier for people to imagine extraterrestrial life as a real possibility. Even many skeptics now say they believe in the likelihood of alien civilizations—they just don’t think they’re visiting us.
There’s also been a concerted lobbying effort to make UFOs—or UAPs—a serious topic. Figures like billionaire Robert Bigelow have poured resources into pushing the issue, and lobbying has secured the attention of key politicians.
That said, we should remain a bit skeptical about political motivations. Politicians are pragmatic, and their interest in this topic might not stem from a genuine fascination with UFOs but from the potential political or strategic benefits of addressing it. They see opportunities to gain public trust or further other agendas by engaging with the subject.
BT: What are politicians trying to achieve by embracing it?
GE: A lot of it revolves around accountability and funding. Some politicians could use this issue to scrutinize military spending or highlight a lack of transparency. They might say, “The military isn’t being honest about UFOs/UAPs, so we need to rethink how much funding they get.”
The recurring theme I hear from lawmakers—whether they’re deeply interested in the UFO subject or not—is frustration with secrecy. U.S. military classification systems have expanded significantly since WWII and even more after 9/11. Politicians are now asking, “Why is so much of this classified? Why are whistleblowers saying things we’ve never been told?” This makes the UFO issue a convenient example to push for more access and control over classified information.
BT: Covering this issue is frustrating because military task forces often hold back information. They say, “We’ll reveal the rest behind closed doors,” while barring scientists from studying the bases where these incidents allegedly occurred. Now that NASA is involved, do you think civilian science projects have a better chance of uncovering the truth?
GE: You’re absolutely right, and that’s why I’ve always believed military intelligence won’t be the ones to provide real answers. They’re too tied to secrecy, and sometimes, secrecy is necessary. But it’s hard to expect transparency from institutions designed to keep things classified.
NASA’s involvement is a game-changer. This is the first time a major civilian scientific institution has openly endorsed research into UFOs, and that’s incredibly encouraging. I know many scientists who are eager to explore these phenomena seriously.
The challenge is funding. Most of these civilian research efforts are running on shoestring budgets. There’s been a lot of talk, but so far, there hasn’t been significant investment in the U.S. to support these efforts. Researchers are hopeful that this could change because public interest and the overall climate around UFOs/UAPs have shifted dramatically.
Ultimately, civilian scientists will play the most critical role. They work within a framework of transparency and openness that government and military entities lack. For meaningful progress, we need to see funding and support for these civilian-led efforts to grow.
BT: Do you think we’ll ever get a solid answer?
GE: Honestly, I think this is a mystery we’ll be grappling with for a long time. It’s been more than 75 years since UFOs entered the public consciousness, and even the most experienced ufologists will admit that we haven’t made significant progress in uncovering definitive answers.
If we can create more opportunities for serious, evidence-based researchers to engage with this topic—backed by proper funding and transparency—then maybe we’ll start to see genuine breakthroughs.
But right now, we’re still stuck in a loop. Much of what we rely on comes from anecdotal accounts or evidence that never materializes. And, as you mentioned, there’s also the frustrating pattern of people claiming they have answers but refusing to share them publicly, only in secret.
For now, we’re left with the enigma. Some people are comfortable with that, but others, myself included, want to keep pushing for a deeper understanding.
