I came across an intriguing UFO report from 1909 today in the Rock Island Argus dated December 23, 1909. This predates the famous Kenneth Arnold sighting, of course. While researching an unrelated topic, I decided to incorporate some additional search terms when examining historical records. I plan to share another sighting soon. Although I haven’t encountered these reports in past historical documents, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist; I’ve just yet to find them. If you know of any resources I should be looking at for these dates, please let me know—I want to make sure I’m not missing anything. I just found this information fascinating!
That’s a fascinating find! The 1909 UFO report is definitely a significant piece of history, especially considering how much earlier it predates the Kenneth Arnold sighting in 1947, which is often credited with igniting modern UFO interest. It’s interesting how reports of unidentified flying objects can be traced back so far, even before the term “UFO” was widely used.
If you’re looking for more historical sightings, you might want to explore terms like “airship” or “mystery airship,” as those were commonly used in reports from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Also, searching archives of local newspapers from different regions can yield some gems, as many sightings were reported in rural areas that might not have made it to national headlines. Your approach to expanding search terms is smart; sometimes a slight variation can lead to unexpected discoveries! I’m looking forward to seeing the other sighting you mentioned!