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World UFO Day seeks to encourage the idea that extraterrestrial life might be a reality rather than a figment of imagination.
World UFO Day 2025: This day is celebrated in two different dates, June 24 and July 2. (AI generated image)
WORLD UFO DAY 2025 DATE, HISTORY, SIGNIFICANCE AND KEY FACTS: World UFO Day is celebrated globally on July 2 every year. The non-formal observance is held with the broader aim of garnering mainstream attention for discussions around UFOs (unidentified flying objects). It also seeks to encourage the idea that extraterrestrial life might be a reality rather than a figment of imagination. World UFO Day 2025 is an ideal occasion for you to satiate your curiosity about alien lifeforms and mysterious aerial sightings.
World UFO Day 2025: History and Significance
While it is more widely celebrated on July 2, some people also celebrate World UFO Day on June 24. The reason behind the lack of consensus on a single day for the observance is that the occasion commemorates two separate incidents that took place just a few days apart in 1947. June 24 marks the anniversary of the day on which an American aviator named Kenneth Arnold claimed to see a group of unusual flying objects. Meanwhile, July 2 commemorates the famous Roswell incident.
World UFO Day 2025: 5 UFO Sightings In India And Across The World
- Mount Rainier, Washington, US: On June 24, 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold reported witnessing nine unusual objects flying in a synchronised manner.
- Roswell, New Mexico, US: Just days after Arnold’s claim, the crash and subsequent recovery of a flying object in New Mexico’s Roswell sparked major and long-lasting conspiracy theories centred around the possible existence of aliens. Though the wreckage in question was later identified by the US military as the debris of an experimental weather balloon, the explanation only worked towards reinforcing conspiracy theories. Decades later, however, the balloon was eventually revealed to be a tool in a project meant to detect Soviet nuclear bomb tests.
- Canary Islands, Spain: In June 1976, widespread claims of a UFO sighting came from both civilians and military personnel in the area. They claimed to have witnessed a humongous sphere that hovered at a really short altitude for several minutes and eventually vanished into thin air. Two humanoid-like figures were also supposedly witnessed inside the large, translucent ball.
- Bihar, India: An account of a suspected UFO sighting from 1957 suggests that hundreds of villagers of a particular area in a now-defunct district called Manbhum gathered to witness a UFO that came down to an altitude of 500 ft above ground level.
- Tehran, Iran: The eerie incident that took place in the sky over Tehran on September 16, 1976, is considered one of the most well-documented UFO sightings. According to reports, three fighter warplanes were scrambled after a bright object was reported by multiple civilians and also detected by a radar. The pilots of two of the fighter jets involved in the defensive sorties claimed that some of the onboard systems in their aircraft faced technical issues as they approached the unusual object.
Bhaswati Sengupta is a Sub-Editor at News18, where she works closely with the Web Stories and Photo Gallery team to create visually engaging and impactful digital content. She also contributes to Lifestyle sect…Read More
Bhaswati Sengupta is a Sub-Editor at News18, where she works closely with the Web Stories and Photo Gallery team to create visually engaging and impactful digital content. She also contributes to Lifestyle sect… Read More
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