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Two new books explore how UFOs captured the world’s imagination

Greg Eghigian's After the Flying Saucers Came and Luis Elizondo's Imminent both show how our fascination with UFOs goes beyond simple curiosity

By Chen Ly

4 September 2024

380363 03: William Protor polishes a model flying saucer on property near Jamul, CA, October 15, 2000, purchased by the Unarius Academy of Science to serve as a future landing site for

News reports and media helped fuel popular fascination with flying saucers

David McNew/Newsmakers/Getty Images

After the Flying Saucers Came
Greg Eghigian (Oxford University Press (out now in the US; 30 September in the UK))

Imminent
Luis Elizondo (John Blake (UK); William Morrow (US))

On 24 June 1947, pilot Kenneth Arnold set off on what seemed like an ordinary flight from Chehalis to Yakima, both in Washington. The skies were clear and the winds mild – perfect flying conditions. But midway through his journey, Arnold noticed something unusual: a bright flash, like sunlight reflecting off a mirror. Worried about a potential…

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