Where are all the UFO’s : A In Depth Look At UFO Data Since The Early 1900's
Every year in America there are thousands of reported cases of every-day people seeing unidentified flying objects(UFO’s) in the sky. Documented instances in America can be traced as far back as far as colonial times. Today you could say that claims of UFO’s (commonly associated with the idea of extraterrestrial life) are met with lots of skepticism. No matter what side of the great debate you are on as far as extraterrestrial life stands, when it comes to the idea of Aliens you will undoubtedly have heard different theories, maybe read a scientific web article were a scientists has taken information, variables, parameters and used them to calculate the odds that we are not alone in the universe. The drake equation taken at face value, would suggest that there are indeed alien life forms out there and lots of them. Calculations based on statistics say the universe should be full of life, some even intelligent with technological capability that would surpass our own.
For my data I used information found on a website used for UFO record keeping named nuforc.org. Anyone who sees an abnormal phenomenon in the sky can report their sighting just as long as it has occurred within the last 14 days. They take reports via phone and have a lot of historical data going as far back as the 1900's.
“The phenomenon of UFOs is real. I know that there are scientific organisations which study the problem.”Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev on 26th April 1990
It is not until the early 1950’s that UFO documented reports started to drastically rise.Taken with a grain of salt of course seeing how the reporting time is well over half a century since the sighting. After the logging of forty in 1950 this number would steadily climb hitting new highs almost every other year. There is one particularly disturbing story that went on to achieve fame, in a way. Occurring on June 27 1947, a man accompanied by his son and dog were out on Washington’s Maury Island collecting logs when they saw 6 six “donut shaped” objects in the sky. Before long one of them fell from the sky, hitting the boy on the arm and landing on the dog. He managed to get photos of the object and showed his supervisor who was shocked upon seeing the scene in person. The following morning, he was visited by a man in a black suit. They end up at a local diner, where the man was able to recount in extraordinary detail what him and his son had just experienced. “What I have said is proof to you that I know a great deal more about this experience of yours than you will want to believe,” the man said, according to author Gray Barker’s 1956 book that was written about the incident. Later this story would go one to inspire the movie men in black in 1997
The numbers I have from nuforc.org also drastically increased in the 1990’s and early 2000’s with the internet invading homes across america UFO hunters and paranormal enthusiasts had a place they could be heard by the entire world. Number of accounts now well over two thousand every single year. still increasing until reaching a record high in 2014 before falling off to less than half in the years to come.
The above graph shows the seven states with the most UFO sightings ever recorded. These seven states make up just over 40% of all reported recorded sightings.
It was interesting looking at some of the summary information I had, especially case count in cities of the six and seventh ranked states. while total count only differed by a few hundred. 4110–3900 the area distribution can obviously greatly vary. I also would have expected to see Nevada, being the location for area 51 higher on the list, it placed behind both Pennsylvania and Ohio. But I guess Nevada is mostly dessert after all.
So based on data from 2013 if you were eager to have a run in with a UFO your best chances might be near in the upper east coast, California has never been a bad option. Here’s a map to maybe help plan your next vacation destination.
