We’re absolutely out of this world here on planet OJO and as it’s World UFO Day, it got us thinking – is there anything else out there?
There have been countless crazy stories of UFO sightings over the years and just in case you’ve been living under a rock, we’ve tracked down the strangest tales from across the globe and beyond.
So strap on your space suit and get ready for liftoff because we’re going on an alien adventure!
The 10 craziest UFO sightings
#1. Ancient Egypt
If you’re interested in UFOs, you won’t mind hopping into the OJO time machine as we take you back to Ancient Egypt. The concept of extra-terrestrial life may seem like a modern phenomenon, but the first recorded UFO sighting actually dates back to 1440 BC.
Thutmose III, the pharaoh at the time, noted in his scribes that he’d spotted ‘fiery disks’ floating over the skies. But the Condon Committee, who studied UFO reports back in the ‘60s, claimed that the scribes weren’t real. Fake news!
#2. Introducing: Flying Saucers
Back in the time machine we go and we’re hurtling into the 20th century for the first post-World War II UFO sighting in the USA. In 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold reported nine shiny, flying objects rocketing past Mount Rainier in Washington at breakneck speed.
The incident would change the landscape of future sightings, with Arnold’s description of the objects leading to the press coining the term ‘flying saucer’. Every day’s a school day!
#3. Alien Autopsy
Fans of mid-noughties comedy films may remember Alien Autopsy starring Ant and Dec, which was surprisingly loosely based on a true story. Just a month after the conception of flying saucers, an object that crash landed on an army base in New Mexico was identified as a weather balloon.
But more than 30 years later, rumours circulated that the balloon story was a cover-up and conspiracy theorists claimed the crash, named the Roswell Incident, actually involved alien spacecrafts.
And if that’s not enough to convince you, footage emerged in the ‘90s of an alien autopsy, which supposedly took place shortly after the Roswell Incident.
#4. UFOs Down Under
While many of us associate 1966 with England winning the World Cup, something even more unthinkable happened that year over in Australia. At Westall High School in Melbourne, several students and a teacher spotted a large purple spacecraft.
The UFO supposedly descended from the sky, flew over the school and disappeared behind some trees, before launching back upwards at speed. Whatever it was, at least it would have made that day’s show and tell more exciting.
#5. He’s behind you!
Anyone familiar with horror films will know it’s never a good sign when somebody is being followed through the woods – and that’s exactly what happened to three witnesses in Texas in 1980, who claimed their pursuer was a UFO.
In fact, the trio became so concerned by the hovering disc they abandoned their car, only to be confronted by an intense heat that later led to them being treated for radiation poisoning.
#6. The Secret Garden
We’ve all been there. You hear a noise in the garden and grab the nearest weapon to defend yourself, only to be confronted by an innocent cat playing in the bushes. Well, replace cat with UFO and you can imagine what a French couple experienced back in 1982.
Their report claimed a metallic vessel hovered above the garden for 20 minutes and when they attempted to take a picture of it, the camera jammed. Creepy stuff, right? There were also suggestions the UFO impacted the plants in the garden, but it turns out they were simply dehydrated.
#7. Phoenix Lights
While the majority of UFO sightings have been reported by a handful of witnesses, the Phoenix Lights phenomenon in 1997 was seen by hundreds, who claimed an enormous V-shaped craft covered in flashing lights passed overhead.
The governor of Phoenix at the time, who was a pilot, admitted he had never seen anything like it. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a UFO!
#8. O’Hare Airport
It’s not uncommon to see interesting aircrafts at an airport, but your average passenger jets don’t tend to be saucer shaped, nor do they fly directly upwards through holes in the clouds. Yet that’s what several witnesses claim to have seen at Chicago O’Hare Airport in 2006.
The UFO didn’t show up on a radar so official authorities declined to investigate it further, branding it a “weather phenomenon”.
#9. Dudley Dorito
The East Midlands town of Dudley is perhaps best known as being the birthplace of Lenny Henry – that was until 2007 when the infamous Dudley Dorito was first spotted.
Aptly named because it’s shaped like the popular crisps, the black triangle is believed to be a UFO. It’s not just a one-time thing either – the peculiar object has been spotted several times since. Who knew an article about UFOs could make you feel so hungry?
#10. Life On Mars?
Back in the ‘70s, David Bowie asked the question on everybody’s lips: “Is there life on Mars?”. And two years ago, some people thought we might finally get our answer.
Not all UFOs have been spotted on Earth – it’s not the only planet in the universe after all. So, when NASA sent its Curiosity Rover to explore Mars, UFO experts analysed the footage and became convinced there was a crashed alien spaceship in the background.
The pictures were blurry at best and looked more like rocks to us, but we’re still holding out hope that there’s some form of life out there!
