Former U.S. President Barack Obama’s surprising remarks on the possibility of extraterrestrial life have reignited the century-old debate on aliens prompting President Donald Trump to quickly order a review and release of government files related to unidentified flying objects (UFO) and aliens.
Here’s a Chronology of Major UFO/UAP Events showing the timeline of key sightings, incidents, government investigations, and disclosures related to unidentified flying objects (UFOs) or unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), drawn from historical records and recent developments in Washington D.C.:
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Date
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Event Description
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June 13, 1933
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Alleged UFO crash in northern Italy, one of the earliest reported recovery incidents involving potential non-human craft.
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June 24, 1947
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Pilot Kenneth Arnold reports seeing nine crescent-shaped objects flying at high speed near Mount Rainier, Washington, coining the term “flying saucers” and sparking widespread public interest in UFOs.
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July 1947
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The Roswell Incident: Debris from a crashed object near Roswell, New Mexico, is initially announced as a “flying disc” by the U.S. military, later retracted as a weather balloon; it becomes one of the most famous alleged UFO cover-ups.
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1948
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The U.S. Air Force launches Project Sign, the first official government study to assess if UFOs pose a national security threat; it evolves into Project Grudge in 1949.
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July 1952
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The Washington, D.C., UFO flap: Multiple unidentified objects detected on radar over the U.S. capital, with fighter jets scrambled; remains unexplained and leads to heightened government scrutiny.
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1952
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Project Blue Book is established by the U.S. Air Force to investigate UFO reports, succeeding earlier programs and operating until 1969.
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Sept 19-21, 1961
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Betty and Barney Hill abduction: The first widely publicized alien abduction case in New Hampshire, where the couple claims to have been taken aboard a UFO and examined by extraterrestrial beings.
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Jan 1969
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The Condon Report is released, concluding that UFOs warrant no further scientific study, influencing the termination of Project Blue Book.
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Dec 17, 1969
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Project Blue Book is officially terminated by the U.S. Air Force, after investigating over 12,000 reports and deeming most explainable.
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Nov 5, 1975
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Travis Walton abduction: A logger in Arizona claims to be abducted by a UFO, missing for five days before returning with detailed accounts of encounters aboard the craft.
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Dec 26, 1980
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Rendlesham Forest Incident: U.S. military personnel at RAF Bentwaters in the UK report erroneous lights and a triangular craft landing in the forest, with physical traces found.
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Nov 17, 2004
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USS Nimitz “Tic Tac” encounter: U.S. Navy pilots off the California coast observe a white, oblong object exhibiting impossible maneuvers, captured on video and radar.
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2007-2012
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The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) is secretly funded by the U.S. Department of Defense to study UFOs/UAPs.
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Dec 16, 2017
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The New York Times publishes an exposé on the Pentagon’s AATIP program, including leaked videos of UAP encounters, reigniting public and governmental interest.
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April 27, 2020
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The Pentagon officially releases three UAP videos (FLIR, GIMBAL, GOFAST) captured by Navy pilots, confirming their authenticity.
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Aug 4, 2020
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The UAP Task Force is established by the Pentagon to assess UAP threats to national security.
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June 25, 2021
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The Office of the Director of National Intelligence releases the Preliminary UAP Assessment, analyzing 144 incidents from 2004-2021, with most unexplained.
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July 20, 2022
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The All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) is formed by the Department of Defense to investigate UAP across air, sea, and space domains.
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July 26, 2023
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Congressional UAP hearing: Whistleblower David Grusch testifies about U.S. government possession of non-human spacecraft and biologics; pilots Ryan Graves and David Fravor share encounters.
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Dec 22, 2023
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President Biden signs the NDAA FY24, including the first U.S. legal reference to “non-human intelligence” in relation to UAP.
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March 2024
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AARO releases an annual report on UAP, noting advancements in data collection and a decrease in unexplained cases through AI analysis.
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April 2024
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NASA’s UAP Study Team publishes its final report, recommending a dedicated research program and international collaboration on UAP.
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Sept 2025
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Congressional UAP hearing releases never-before-seen video of a U.S. drone firing a Hellfire missile at an unexplained “orb” off Yemen (incident dated October 2024), highlighting ongoing military encounters.
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Jan 20, 2026
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Filmmaker James Fox hosts a UAP press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., presenting new evidence on non-human encounters and crash-retrievals, calling for whistleblower protections.
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Feb 16, 2026
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Former President Barack Obama comments on a podcast that aliens are “real,” sparking debate amid ongoing congressional UAP investigations.
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Feb 19, 2026
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President Donald Trump announces via Truth Social that he is directing federal agencies, including the Pentagon, to identify and release files on UFOs, UAPs, and extraterrestrial life.
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Timeline of UFO Sightings, Events Leading to Trump Order on Release of US Govt Files added by Sridhar P on
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