Officially, the term “flying saucer” appeared in 1947 after the incident with Kenneth Arnold. But to refer to a UFO, the word “plate” was recorded as early as 1878, when a Texas farmer described an unusual observation.
The events occurred on the morning of January 2, 1878 north of Dallas (Texas). Farmer John Martin went about his business, but he suddenly noticed a dark object in the sky in the south. Initially, it seemed to be the size of an orange, but the size of the UFO increased as it approached.
Sketch of “flying saucer” in Dallas (1878)
Martin said:
“I could not take my eyes off this flying saucer. I had to squint hard to look at it. I did not see the lights, and the object seemed dark. It seemed to me that he was moving at an incredibly fast speed ”.
Then Martin blinded by some flash, and the object disappeared from view. But this is not the end, because after a few seconds, the UFO appeared at the top right and seemed much larger, as it approached.
Martin said that the shape of a UFO resembled a balloon. In those days, such constructions already existed, but they were extremely rare and did not move at high speeds. Martin continued his observation until the UFO disappeared into the sky.
Daylight Disc Observation in 1927
A report on this event was published on January 25 and called the incident “a strange phenomenon”. The article fully conveyed the testimony of the farmer and at the end emphasized that John Martin is a reliable person who does not have sense to write a false story:
"Mr. Martin - Mr. Mr. undoubted truthfulness and this strange phenomenon, if it was not a balloon, deserves close attention from our scientists".
Of course, this incident interested many researchers. Ufologists believe that the real observation of an alien spacecraft. In the early 1970s. Joseph Allen Heineck reviewed Martin’s incident and classified it as a “daytime color disc”. This type of UFO travels at high speed and makes almost no sounds. Can dramatically turn around and disappear from sight.
Joseph Allen Heinek
Especially often about such disks or “flying saucers” began to be reported after 1940. Experts still think that this is an early model of a balloon, or the farmer could just make up a story, despite the assurances of journalists. The 1878 incident is still a mystery.
