World UFO Day: History, Interesting Ways To Celebrate

World UFO Day, observed annually on July 2, highlights the strange phenomena that continue to capture the imaginations of many all over the world.

Unidentified flying objects, more commonly known as UFOs, have baffled and fueled people's curiosities for many years. In fact, it's celebrated on July 2 as it marks the anniversary of the famous Roswell incident in 1947, when farmers in Roswell, New Mexico, reported hearing a large crash and a rancher discovered strange debris on his property.

Initially, the U.S. military said the debris recovered was from a "flying disc," but later announced it was from a "weather balloon." Even after a 1994 report from U.S. Air Force explained that the wreckage came from one of its classified projects, the speculations regarding the true nature of the event still circulate to this day.

Some people celebrate World UFO Day on June 24 after the "first widely reported UFO sighting" by aviator Kenneth Arnold. The aviator reported seeing nine objects close to Mount Rainier in Washington while he was flying his plane. He described them as "like saucers skipping on water."

No matter which day you celebrate World UFO Day, the main idea is to put the spotlight on such incidences and spread awareness of the existence of UFOs.

Indeed, there have been reports of such sightings and interest in the subject even before these incidents. On this day, we can dive deep into these mysteries that continue to stir people's interests and imaginations.

Ways to celebrate World UFO Day

The simplest way to celebrate World UFO day is to spend a day sky watching and see if you can spot a UFO. People can even take the time to investigate other reported sightings as well. After all, even NASA is taking them seriously.

To begin, why not take a look at this map, provided by History website, that features information on some interesting UFO sightings. The map also mentions an incident that's believed to have begun the idea of "little green men." It happened in Kentucky on Aug. 21, 1955, when a family of eight adults and three children arrived at a police station late at night, horrified by a reported close encounter with aliens.

Another fun way to celebrate the day is by having a movie marathon of UFO and alien films. One can start with classics such as 1977's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and "Fire In The Sky" (1993) and then move on to movies such as 1997's "Independence Day," which is also fitting for the upcoming holidays.