The mysterious history of unidentified flying objects (or UAPs)

Ancient civilisations frequently recorded unusual celestial phenomena, and their descriptions often blended religious belief with observational detail.

In New Kingdom Egypt, during the reign of Thutmose III around 1450 BCE, scribes allegedly wrote about "fiery discs" that hovered for multiple days above the Nile River.

These glowing objects were described in what is known as the Tulli Papyrus, and it was said to have startled onlookers, though they were interpreted by some as omens.

However, the papyrus itself surfaced only in the 20th century and is widely regarded as a modern fabrication.

No original document has ever been found, and the Vatican denies any connection to it.

The only version known publicly comes from a typed transcript that was said to have been made by Boris de Rachewiltz. 

Likewise, Roman historians documented unexplained aerial occurrences that often occurred during political unrest or military campaigns.

Livy, in Ab Urbe Condita, mentioned several instances of "shields" or circular shapes that flew through the air, including a report from 218 BCE when the people of Arpi observed round objects moving above their city.

These sightings were recorded as "prodigia," or omens, which people treated as signs from the gods.

A later claim attributes to Plutarch a report of a fiery silver disc that descended between Roman and Pontic troops in 74 BCE, supposedly halting a battle in progress.

However, this specific event does not appear in his extant works and may be the result of modern exaggeration. 

Elsewhere, Chinese court astronomers during the Han dynasty kept detailed records of the skies, preserved in works such as the Book of Han.

One such record from 9 BCE described a bright object that moved in defiance of the wind.

Similar descriptions appear in ancient Indian texts, where chariots that flew called Vimanas featured in both religious epics and treatises.

The Mahabharata and Ramayana both contain references to these airborne vehicles, though scholars widely interpret these accounts as mythological symbols rather than literal descriptions of machines.

Some modern writers have introduced unfounded claims about advanced ancient technology, but primary Sanskrit sources do not support those claims. 

Clearly, a shared human tendency to report luminous, disc-shaped or unpredictable objects that moved can be found across distant civilisations.

For this reason, many researchers have re-examined whether certain ancient stories reflect observations of real, unexplained events. 

After the invention of aircraft and the beginning of global aviation, unidentified object sightings became more common.

In June 1947, American pilot Kenneth Arnold reported seeing nine fast-moving discs near Mount Rainier, which quickly sparked national headlines.

Although he described the motion as similar to a saucer that skipped across water, the media mistook this for a description of form and then called them "flying saucers."

Soon after, sightings increased rapidly. In the 1950s, both civilians and military personnel across North America and Europe had reported lights that flashed and silent craft described as metallic discs.

The Cold War atmosphere encouraged suspicion of foreign surveillance, prompting the U.S. Air Force to initiate Project Blue Book in 1952.

Over the next seventeen years, this project collected and analysed more than 12,000 reports, most of which were later attributed to natural or man-made sources.

However, several hundred incidents remained unexplained and generally lacked evidence of deception.

The Condon Report, which was published in 1968 near the project's end, concluded that further scientific study of UFOs was unwarranted, though critics later challenged its methods and conclusions. 

At the same time, similar events were recorded in other parts of the world. During the autumn of 1954, French citizens filed hundreds of sighting reports, some involving physical effects such as disrupted electrical devices or temporary paralysis.

In particular, Researcher Aimé Michel documented many of these cases and noted patterns in their locations.

In Argentina, the Soviet Union, and Australia, witness accounts echoed the same key details: silent flight and unusual speed reported for craft observed near sensitive sites. 

As media coverage grew, so too did the association between aerial phenomena and advanced technology.

Importantly, the increase in radar systems and surveillance equipment provided evidence for some of the more credible encounters. 

After the 'Roswell incident' in July 1947, suspicion of a government cover-up increased.

But what had happened there? Initial reports stated that the U.S. military had recovered a "flying disc" from the desert.

Hours later, officials replaced this claim with an explanation involving a weather balloon.

Decades later, in the 1990s, the U.S. Air Force released a detailed report attributing the debris to Project Mogul, a classified program that had involved high-altitude balloons designed to detect Soviet nuclear tests. 

Over the next several decades, released documents and insider accounts had reinforced the idea that governments knew more than they admitted.

For example, in 1980, the Rendlesham Forest incident drew attention when U.S. servicemen stationed in the United Kingdom described glowing lights and a landed craft near their base.

Although British and American officials downplayed the event, later testimony and internal memos revealed that military leaders had taken the incident seriously.

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt's memo about the event only became public after a Freedom of Information Act request. 

Likewise, from 1989 to 1990, Belgian authorities faced an unusual wave of sightings involving triangular craft with lights at each corner.

As panic spread, the Belgian Air Force scrambled fighter jets on multiple occasions.

Radar operators confirmed lock-ons, but later analysis suggested some of these returns may have been caused by misidentified aircraft or atmospheric conditions.

Nevertheless, the objects evaded capture, and no nation claimed responsibility.

Although several photographs of the craft circulated widely, one of the most prominent images was admitted to be a hoax in 2011. 

In 2017, revelations from journalists confirmed the existence of the Pentagon's Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program.

This secret effort was funded between 2007 and 2012, which had focused on analysing sightings that military personnel had reported.

When the story became public, it proved that official interest in UFOs had continued despite previous claims to the contrary. 

Then, between 2004 and 2015, U.S. Navy pilots reported repeated interactions with aerial objects that displayed behaviour that no known aircraft could match.

In November 2004, pilots from the USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group encountered a smooth, white, oval object off the coast of California.

Referred to as the "Tic Tac," the craft hovered, dropped altitude rapidly, and shot away at extreme velocity.

Radar operators on a nearby cruiser confirmed the object's presence. 

Further encounters occurred near the U.S. East Coast during training missions, such as, between 2014 and 2015, Navy aviators who used infrared sensors recorded videos of objects that moved erratically, rotated mid-air, and accelerated abruptly.

Some pilots reported near misses, while others described objects that hovered motionless despite high winds. 

Due to these incidents, military leadership responded by creating new investigative programs.

In 2020, the Department of Defense formalised its approach with the UAP Task Force and, in 2022, it expanded the mission by establishing the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office, mandated under the National Defense Authorization Act.

These agencies now handle the collection of aerial and maritime sightings and other reports that crossed air and sea, involving unknown objects. 

Because national security depends on identifying threats in sensitive airspace, military officials now acknowledge that some aerial phenomena cannot be explained by human technology or foreign adversaries. 

Most scientists approach the UFO phenomenon with caution, as they argue that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

For this reason, natural explanations are usually considered first. Reflections caused by ice crystals, atmospheric inversions, or rare weather patterns can create illusions that trick even experienced observers.

What is more, optical effects often play a significant role in misinterpretations. 

Psychological research adds another layer of explanation. Under conditions of fear, confusion, or stress, people can misjudge distance, speed, and motion.

Aircraft viewed from unusual angles or under abnormal lighting can appear unfamiliar.

Additionally, cultural influences shape the way people describe what they see.

Reports of alien abductions, particularly during the late 20th century, often matched symptoms of sleep paralysis or vivid hallucinations while falling asleep. 

However, some scientists, however, have broken ranks with the majority view. In the 1960s, physicist James E. McDonald conducted detailed studies of sightings that radar returns confirmed, and that photographs and eyewitness testimony also supported.

He argued that at least a few reports warranted scientific attention. Similarly, astronomer J. Allen Hynek changed his views after years of involvement with Project Blue Book.

His later writings urged open-minded research and data collection. He also developed the "Hynek Scale" to categorise encounters based on proximity and interaction. 

Recently, interest has returned again, as Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has suggested that certain interstellar objects might be technological artefacts.

His theory gained attention after the detection of 'Oumuamua in 2017, which he proposed as one potential example of an artificial probe.

Most astronomers continue to favour natural explanations for the object's behaviour, yet Loeb's views have renewed public discussion about how to detect advanced life through physical remnants rather than only radio signals.

While traditional efforts like SETI focus on detecting transmissions, some researchers now seek "technosignatures", which are physical evidence of advanced technology. 

Over the past decade, media reports, leaked footage, and official briefings have changed how governments address the issue.

In 2021, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence released a report that analysed 144 sightings made by military personnel.

Of these, only one had a known explanation. Many of the rest involved unusual flight patterns, lack of propulsion, or electromagnetic effects. 

Later, in 2023, whistleblower David Grusch gave sworn testimony before Congress where he claimed that government agencies had recovered non-human craft and biological remains.

However, Grusch stated that he had not personally seen the materials and was relaying information provided by others.

Though no physical evidence was made public, his testimony was backed by two former Navy pilots who described their own encounters with unexplained objects.

Grusch, a former Air Force intelligence officer, alleged that efforts to conceal such recoveries spanned decades. 

Congressional committees have since demanded greater transparency and new laws now require intelligence agencies to share information with oversight bodies.

The reason for this shift lies not in popular culture but in practical risk, as unexplained objects near restricted zones threaten flight safety and training operations that could potentially affect national security. 

As a result, governments have begun to treat UAPs as issues requiring documentation, analysis, and potential response rather than as fiction or myth. 

Some researchers believe that UAPs may involve technology from intelligent life beyond Earth.

They base their claims on flight characteristics recorded in videos and sensor data, since these objects change direction instantly, accelerate without exhaust, and remain stable without wings or rotors.

Engineers say that no known human aircraft, based on current knowledge, can perform such actions. 

Others point to the growing number of planets that have been discovered in habitable zones in recent decades.

Given the age and size of the universe, many scientists agree that intelligent life may exist elsewhere.

Whether that life can travel interstellar distances remains uncertain.

However, critics argue that there is still no physical proof of alien craft. No materials with unknown properties have been definitively analysed and released publicly for independent scrutiny have been definitively analysed.

No communications have been intercepted. Although the probability of life beyond Earth remains high, the link between UAPs and extraterrestrials is not yet proven. 

The question continues to divide opinion. Some focus on technological possibilities. Others prioritise data gaps and the need for reproducible results.

Until direct evidence becomes available, guessing about alien technology remains a hypothesis. 

Finally, cultural influence plays a major role in how people report and interpret sightings.

During the 1950s, most descriptions featured round, metallic saucers and by the 1980s and 1990s, triangular shapes became more common.

That change mirrored developments in stealth aircraft design and media portrayals of futuristic technology.

Popular films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and television series like The X-Files (1990s) helped shape public expectations about alien visitors and unidentified craft. 

At the same time, psychological effects contribute to the phenomenon. People who experience sleep paralysis often describe lights or shadowy figures.

Under stress, the brain can fill in missing information, which can create false memories or exaggerate real ones, while social and emotional context shapes how people describe unusual events. 

Still, many cases involve multiple witnesses, radar confirmation, or instrument readings.

Those details cannot be dismissed as imagination alone. When trained pilots, control tower staff, and surveillance systems all report the same event, the explanation often requires more than psychological explanations. 

For now, the mystery continues. Whether the answer lies in misidentification, secret programs, rare atmospheric effects, or something less familiar, the consistent nature of certain reports suggests that some encounters involve real phenomena.

What those phenomena represent is unresolved.