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From July 12 to 29, 1952, a series of unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings were reported in Washington, D.C., and later became known as the Washington flap, the Washington National Airport Sightings, or the Invasion of Washington. [1]
- Overview
- Interactive Map: UFO Sightings Taken Seriously by the US Government
UFO reports in the capital's air space set headlines blaring across the nation about 'disks' and 'whatzits' and mysterious lights.
If 1952 marked the year that UFO fever spread across Cold War America, events in late July of that year spiked that mania to critical levels. That's when the grandfather of all "saucer" sightings took place in the skies above the nation's capital, causing a coast-to-coast collective jaw drop.
Did Aliens Invade Washington D.C. In 1952?
Over several weeks, up to a dozen unexplained objects repeatedly streaked across the skies over Washington, D.C.—spotted not just by crackpots, but by radar operators, professional pilots and other highly credible witnesses. The Air Force scrambled fighter jets, but the 'saucers' outran them. Around the U.S., sci-fi-like headlines blared, rumors flew and sightings soared.
When President Harry Truman quietly called for answers, a representative from the Air Force's secret UFO-investigation team, Project Blue Book, was summoned to D.C. But before anyone could fully probe the incidents, the Air Force hastily convened a press conference to quell the panic, blaming the whole thing on the weather.
The incident didn't just get covered in big-city papers. In every corner of the country, local publications ran stories, many drawn from national wire services, often edited with different details to fit their space. Some added sidebars with local 'saucer' news or tidbits like what Albert Einstein thought when asked about UFOs. One reporter got the bright idea to ask the Soviets if they were somehow behind it all. Below, some original clippings from around the nation during that extraordinary historical moment:
Mysterious lights. Sinister saucers. Alien abductions. Between 1947 and 1969, a small, top-secret Air Force team called Project Blue Book scientifically investigated some 12,000 UFO reports. Here are their most fascinating cases, along with other seminal UFO sightings.
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- Missy Sullivan
Sep 6, 2018 · The Washington, D.C. sightings of July 1952, also known as “the Big Flap,” hold a special place in the history of unidentified flying objects.
- Dave Roos
- 4 min
Mar 31, 2020 · Since the first engineering demonstration of video recording was in November 1951, and the first commercial use was in 1956, any claim of a reasonable quality video recording in the summer of 1952 seems very unlikely. Apparently the video was remastered.
Aug 3, 2018 · In the early morning of July 20, 1952, Capt. S.C. “Casey” Pierman was ready for takeoff at Washington National Airport, when a bright light skimmed the horizon and disappeared.
Dec 17, 2014 · This incident was also known as the ‘Washington Flap’ and the ‘Washington Airport sightings’ At 11:40 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, 1952, Edward Nugent, an air traffic controller at Washington National Airport (today Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport), spotted seven objects on his radar.
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Jan 22, 2020 · What was the significance of the 1952 UFO sightings and how did the sightings become known as the Great UFO Flap of 1952? The Objects Return on July 26, 1952 At around 8:15 p.m. one week later, a stewardess and a captain were on an inbound flight into Washington National Airport.
