The History of an Assumed UFO Sightings

UFO sightings have been steadily increasing and technology has been a major contributor to this increase. The ease of taken a picture and posting online with the same device. There is a vast amount of people who own smart phones, and with these devices make capturing images and posting online much easier.

There has been an exponential increase in UFO sightings since the 1950's. The UFO crash of Roswell, Nevada in 1947 stirred up conspiracy theories and was the start of the extraterrestrial craze. It has been believed that the government covered up evidence of a UFO that crashed and that extraterrestrial bodies were recovered. The government tried to conclude that it was a weather balloon that crashed in Roswell and this was responsible for being what is believed to be from outer space. In 1947 after World War Two was the start of the Cold War between Russia and the United States. Both of these countries was involved in immense amount of research and were always finding ways to improve military technology.

The first official report of a UFO, was in 1947 by Kenneth Arnold, a pilot and businessman. When he was flying he observed nine disk shaped objects by Mt. Ranier, Washington and was estimated that these disks could be traveling in excess of over 1,000 mph. After Arnolds sighting, there was a major incline in unexplained objects that same year by pilots, air traffic control and even the military all over the United States.

UFO sightings have increased exponentially over the years according to Sam Monfort, who is a doctoral student in Human Factors and Applied Cognition at George Mason University. His research shows 104,947 reported sightings on record for over hundred years. The first recorded sighting of a UFO in the United States was in Portland in 1905. Viewers were perplexed and could only describe as if the object came from the heavens. In 1980 there were 5,000 reported sightings and a major increase in 2010 with roughly around 45,000 sightings. This trend appears to be mostly in the United States as far as reports.

According to Monfort, the nation collects around 2,500 sightings per 10 million people, which is 300 times more than the global median. Monfort believes that having a more online accessibility in the United States results in a larger percentage in sightings. Being able to go online and post on blogs or forums with your smart phone with ease. Sharing with friends on social media such as, Twitter, Facebook and snapchat has also been easier to upload a sighting that an individual has experienced. With all these easier ways of accessibility, this creates a good case on what Monfort believes.

Many believe that the rise of sightings is due to being confused with sky phenomena, new military crafts, and meteors. The use of technology can also contribute, as the use of cgi and Photoshop can trick individuals believing the images they see are real. People are being more curios and are observing the sky more and notice things they can’t explain. Particular scenarios can be observed as UFO's such as: new technology by the government, space debris, weather balloons, satellites and even asteroids entering the atmosphere.

The accelerated rate of technology can contribute to the growing rate of UFO sightings. The invention of the camera in 1816 made it possible to capture and save images. The earliest photograph of a unknown object was captured on Mt. Washington in 1870. Cameras back then were still very heavy and fairly large and not very accessible when needed to take an image quickly. As cameras became lighter and had automatic speed shutters, they were a lot more accessible to take an image quickly and reducing the possibility of missing a shot. As the technology progressed with cameras and the introduction of video recording capabilities there were more images of unknown objects being observed.

In recent years we have seen the largest percentage of UFO sightings by a wide margin. In 2010 there were 45,000 reported sightings of unknown objects. This can be due to media and the accessibility of online social media. The introduction of the smart phone with a camera in 2000, gave a firsthand accessibility to capture images and talk on the go. Majority of Americans today own a smart phone or will own a smart phone in the future. According to the Pew Research, sixty-one percent of Americans own a smart phone. There is more of a chance for someone today to capture and record a UFO versus 1950 because of the technology that is provided today exceeds that of 1950.

With that many people with a quick accessibility to record or capture an image of the unknown, it is no wonder why we have seen an exponential increase in reported sightings. The accelerated rate of technology can contribute to the growing rate of UFO sightings. The invention of the camera in 1816 made it possible to capture and save images. The earliest photograph of a unknown object was captured on Mt. Washington in 1870. Cameras back then were still very heavy and fairly large and not very accessible when needed to take an image quickly. As cameras became lighter and had automatic speed shutters, they were a lot more accessible to take an image quickly and reducing the possibility of missing a shot. As the technology progressed with cameras and the introduction of video recording capabilities there were more images of unknown objects being observed.

In recent years we have seen the largest percentage of UFO sightings by a wide margin. In 2010 there were 45,000 reported sightings of unknown objects. This can be due to media and the accessibility of online social media. The introduction of the smart phone with a camera in 2000, gave a firsthand accessibility to capture images and talk on the go. Majority of Americans today own a smart phone or will own a smart phone in the future. According to the Pew Research, sixty-one percent of Americans own a smart phone. There is more of a chance for someone today to capture and record a UFO versus 1950 because of the technology that is provided today exceeds that of 1950. With that many people with a quick accessibility to record or capture an image of the unknown, it is no wonder why we have seen an exponential increase in reported sightings.

The accelerated rate of technology can contribute to the growing rate of UFO sightings. The invention of the camera in 1816 made it possible to capture and save images. The earliest photograph of a unknown object was captured on Mt. Washington in 1870. Cameras back then were still very heavy and fairly large and not very accessible when needed to take an image quickly. As cameras became lighter and had automatic speed shutters, they were a lot more accessible to take an image quickly and reducing the possibility of missing a shot. As the technology progressed with cameras and the introduction of video recording capabilities there were more images of unknown objects being observed.

In recent years we have seen the largest percentage of UFO sightings by a wide margin. In 2010 there were 45,000 reported sightings of unknown objects. This can be due to media and the accessibility of online social media. The introduction of the smart phone with a camera in 2000, gave a firsthand accessibility to capture images and talk on the go. Majority of Americans today own a smart phone or will own a smart phone in the future.

According to the Pew Research, eighty-one percent of Americans own a smart phone. There is more of a chance for someone today to capture and record a UFO versus 1950 because of the technology that is provided today exceeds that of 1950. With that many people with a quick accessibility to record or capture an image of the unknown, it is no wonder why we have seen an exponential increase in reported sightings.