World UFO day: 9 most infamous sightings

July 2 marks World UFO Day, and for those of you who grew up with Earth Versus the Flying Saucers, Close Encounters Of the Third Kind, and even The X-Files, it is time to go down memory lane and celebrate those unrealistic special effects and their apropos approach to extra-terrestrial life. You almost believed that that UFO's were real. Whoever didn't shed a tear for a small, harrowing creature who wanted to "phone home" should throw the first stone.

Whether you're a proud proponent or slandering skeptic, please see below nine of the most famous and controversial UFO and alien-related sightings in history.

1. Most Famous: The Roswell UFO Sighting

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The 1947 Roswell, New Mexico crash story was inspired by Kenneth Arnold's "flying saucer" sighting of the same year. Farmer Mac Brazel informed the sheriff about debris which he qualified as "saucer remains," and gave rise to the myth, the legend, and the plot of 1999's Roswell.

2. Most Witnessed: The Flying Black Triangles

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In 1989/1990 Belgium, 13,500 people claimed to have seen flying black triangles in the sky, and 2,600 of them even filed reports about the alleged UFOs. The Belgian military looked into the incidents and chalked them up to mere helicopters.

3. Most "Mysterious": The Hunrath and Wilkinson Disappearance

November 11, 1953 was a dreary year for fellow UFO enthusiasts Karl Hunrath and Wilbur J. Wilkinson. Hunrath, inventor of a device intended to bring down flying saucers, and his colleague Wilkinson rented a small plane with three hours of fuel and no flight plan. The two men hoped to meet a "grounded saucer" that would take them to outer space. Needless to say, the two men were never heard from since.

4. Most Puzzling: 1976 Tehran Incident


Tehran officials were puzzled to find that two F-4 aircraft and ground control equipment were intercepted by an unidentified object in 1976. "The Iranian generals said on public record that they had thought the object was extraterrestrial."

5. Most Bowl-Shaped: The Chicago Airport UFO

On November 7, 2006, this cereal bowl wonder seemed to be floating in the sky. Dozens of travelers in the Chicago O'Hare airport watched the metallic object and called the authorities, to no avail.

6. Most Drone-like: The Sao Paulo UFO


Millions of Brazilian protesters saw what looked like a shiny, white ball patrolling the skies of São Paolo. While the original video of the UFO was taken down, sources are pointing at the true origin of the sighting: government drones.

7. Most Erotic: Parkes + Alien=K-I-S-S-I-N-G


British politician Simon Parkes publicly stated that he has been visited by UFO's harboring alien figures since he was a child. Moreover, he claims to have lost his "holographic" virginity to one of these alien figures at the precocious age of six. Too much TV, or is Parker onto something?

8. Most Australian: Westall UFO Sighting

In 1966 Melbourne, more than 200 students and teachers witnessed a UFO land onto a field, and then rise up and fly away. Despite the government's insistence that they actually saw a helicopter, Australians gather at the field site every year in memory of the incident.

9. Most Name Recognition: The Flying Saucer

On June 24, 1947 businessman and pilot Kenneth Arnold claimed to have seen a "flying saucer" across Mt. Rainier, Washington. However, skeptics have stated that Arnold's vision of a UFO was merely a pelican.