UFO Sightings by Decade: A Timeline You Can Actually Follow
From wartime radar blips to smartphone videos, here is how UFO reports have changed shape, decade by decade.
People were describing strange things in the sky long before anyone used the word "UFO". This section follows that story in order, so you can see how each era's reports reflected the technology, fears and culture of the time.
Start with the oldest recorded UFO sighting and the UFO folklore that existed before airplanes, then move through UFO sightings before 1900 and the wartime foo fighter sightings of WWII. For the big picture, our UFO sightings by decade timeline ties the whole modern era together.
All Historical Timeline files
UFO Sightings Before 1900: What People Reported Long Before Roswell
Modern UFO history usually starts in 1947. But written reports of odd sky objects go back centuries earlier.
What Is the Oldest Recorded UFO Sighting in History?
Long before the word 'UFO' existed, ancient writers described things in the sky they could not explain.
UFO Sightings During WWII: The Strange Story of the Foo Fighters
Long before flying saucers made headlines, fighter pilots were already reporting something odd in the night sky.
UFO Folklore Before Airplanes Existed: Sky Stories From Long Ago
Every culture on Earth seems to have a story about something strange moving through the sky, long before flight was possible.
More case files: Government & Disclosure · Sightings & Evidence · Historical Figures & Ancient Records