Learn about UFOs with iMinds insightful knowledge series.

On 25 June 1947, Kenneth Arnold, a United States Forest Service employee and private pilot, witnessed nine Unidentified Flying Objects in the sky near Mount Rainier, Washington. This incident was to mark the beginning of a rapid increase in public interest in UFOs. Arnold, who at the time was searching for a downed transport plane, originally thought the objects he saw were jets. However, on closer inspection, he realised the objects had no tails and all but one looked like flat disks. He later described the objects as being similar to saucers skimming across the surface of the water. This description was repeated by a journalist when reporting the story, and this is how the term "Flying Saucer" was coined.

iMinds brings targeted knowledge to your eReading device with short information segments to whet your mental appetite and broaden your mind.