Aliases
Disambiguation
Refers to the early terminology for disc-shaped UFO reports, particularly associated with the 1947 Kenneth Arnold incident and subsequent Cold War-era sightings. NOT to be confused with modern disc-shaped aircraft projects like the Avrocar or classified military platforms.
Stats
Concept
A historical term coined in 1947 by U.S. news media to describe purported disc-shaped UFOs, originating from misinterpretation of Kenneth Arnold's description of erratic movement during his June 1947 sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington.
Um termo histórico cunhado em 1947 pela mídia norte-americana para descrever alegados UFOs em forma de disco, originário de interpretação equivocada da descrição de Kenneth Arnold sobre movimento errático durante seu avistamento de junho de 1947 perto do Monte Rainier, Washington.
Enrichment
- Flying saucer - WikipediaWikipedia▎ high· 2026-05-14
- Term coined in 1947 by U.S. news media
- Originated from Kenneth Arnold sighting June 24, 1947 near Mount Rainier, Washington
- Arnold described movement ('like a saucer skipped across water'), not shape; reporters misinterpreted
- Became iconic Cold War-era UFO terminology
- CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947-90 - Federation of American ScientistsFederation of American Scientists / Declassified Government Records▎ high· 2026-05-14
- Government used multiple terms interchangeably (flying disk, flying saucer, UFO)
- Project SIGN (initial name), Project SAUCER, Project GRUDGE, Project BLUE BOOK used various designations
- No single standardized official term established in early investigations
- Focus on investigating sightings rather than terminology standardization
- What are UAPs, and why do UFOs have a new name? - CBS NewsCBS News▎ high· 2026-05-14
- Flying disk/saucer terminology predates UFO (coined 1947 before UFO acronym standardization)
- UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) is modern official designation (21st century)
- Terminology evolution reflects shifting cultural and official perspectives
Flying Disk
Description (EN)
Stub generated by entity dedup. Will be enriched in Phase 6.
Descrição (PT-BR)
Stub gerado pela deduplicação de entidades. Será enriquecido na Fase 6.
<!-- enrichment:start -->Enrichment (EN)
Disambiguation: Refers to the early terminology for disc-shaped UFO reports, particularly associated with the 1947 Kenneth Arnold incident and subsequent Cold War-era sightings. NOT to be confused with modern disc-shaped aircraft projects like the Avrocar or classified military platforms.
Flying Disk is a historical terminology coined in 1947 by U.S. news media to describe purported disc-shaped unidentified flying objects following the Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting near Mount Rainier, Washington on June 24, 1947. The term originated from a misinterpretation of Arnold's description of the objects' erratic movement ("like a saucer skipped across water") as describing their actual shape. The U.S. Army Air Force officially used the designation in its July 8, 1947 press release announcing recovery of a "flying disk" near Roswell, New Mexico. The term appeared extensively in early government UFO investigations and declassified documents throughout the late 1940s and 1950s, eventually being replaced by the broader acronym "UFO" (Unidentified Flying Object) and more recently by "UAP" (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena).
Enriquecimento (PT-BR)
Desambiguação: Refers to the early terminology for disc-shaped UFO reports, particularly associated with the 1947 Kenneth Arnold incident and subsequent Cold War-era sightings. NOT to be confused with modern disc-shaped aircraft projects like the Avrocar or classified military platforms.
Flying Disk é uma terminologia histórica cunhada em 1947 pela mídia norte-americana para descrever alegados objetos voadores não identificados em forma de disco, seguindo o avistamento UFO de Kenneth Arnold perto do Monte Rainier, Washington em 24 de junho de 1947. O termo originou-se de uma interpretação equivocada da descrição de Arnold sobre o movimento errático dos objetos ("como um disco saltando na água") como descrevendo sua forma real. A Força Aérea do Exército dos EUA oficialmente utilizou a designação em seu comunicado à imprensa de 8 de julho de 1947 anunciando a recuperação de um "flying disk" perto de Roswell, Novo México. O termo apareceu extensivamente em investigações governamentais sobre UFOs e documentos desclassificados durante o final da década de 1940 e anos 1950, sendo eventualmente substituído pelo acrônimo mais amplo "UFO" (Unidentified Flying Object) e mais recentemente por "UAP" (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena).
External Sources
- Flying saucer - Wikipedia · Wikipedia · reliability:
high— Term coined in 1947 by U.S. news media; Originated from Kenneth Arnold sighting June 24, 1947 near Mount Rainier, Washington; Arnold described movement ('like a saucer skipped across water'), not shape; reporters misinterpreted; Became iconic Cold War-era UFO terminology - CIA's Role in the Study of UFOs, 1947-90 - Federation of American Scientists · Federation of American Scientists / Declassified Government Records · reliability:
high— Government used multiple terms interchangeably (flying disk, flying saucer, UFO); Project SIGN (initial name), Project SAUCER, Project GRUDGE, Project BLUE BOOK used various designations; No single standardized official term established in early investigations; Focus on investigating sightings rather than terminology standardization - What are UAPs, and why do UFOs have a new name? - CBS News · CBS News · reliability:
high— Flying disk/saucer terminology predates UFO (coined 1947 before UFO acronym standardization); UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) is modern official designation (21st century); Terminology evolution reflects shifting cultural and official perspectives