218: Close Encounters: UFOs in American History

Alienstock, the event jokingly conceived by college student Matty
Roberts to storm Area 51 on September 20, is officially canceled.
When more than 500,000 planned to attend and another 500,00
indicated they were interested in the Facebook event back in
July, the U.S. Air Force took notice and issued a strongly worded
statement that discouraged the plan.


 


But that hasn’t stopped an unknown number of people from planning
to descend on rural Nevada this weekend, leading the FAA to shut
down airspace above Area 51 as a precaution. This interest in the
unknown isn’t new and to shed some light, BackStory is
republishing our 2018 episode about UFOs in American History. In
“Close Encounters,” Nathan, Brian and Ed discuss the things in
the sky we struggle to explain – unidentified flying
objects.

Image: Grainy B&W image of supposed UFO, Passaic, New Jersey.
July 30, 1952. Source: www.cia.gov via Wikimedia Commons

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