Introduction: The Power of Terminology
The Evolution of UAP Terminology: The language we use to describe unexplained objects in our skies has evolved significantly over the past 75 years, reflecting changing cultural attitudes, scientific approaches, and government policies. This evolution—from “flying saucers” to “UFOs” to “UAPs”—represents more than mere semantic shifts. Each term carried its own implications and shaped both public perception and serious investigation of these mysterious phenomena. This terminology evolution tells a fascinating story about our collective attempt to understand the unexplained in our skies.
Pre-Modern Era: Ancient Aerial Anomalies
Long before modern terminology emerged, unexplained aerial phenomena were documented across civilizations and epochs.
Historical Account – Roman historian Titus Livius (Livy), circa 218 BCE:
“At Arpi, round shields were seen in the sky; at Capena, two moons rose in the daytime. At Caeré, the waters flowed mixed with blood, and even the spring of Hercules flowed with drops of blood. In the territory of Antium, bloody ears of grain fell into the harvesters’ baskets.”
Historical Account – From the Medieval Nuremberg Chronicle, April 14, 1561:
“At dawn, between 4 and 5 a.m., a dreadful apparition occurred in the sun, and then this was seen in Nuremberg in the city, before the gates, and in the country. At first there appeared in the middle of the sun two blood-red semi-circular arcs, just like the moon in its last quarter. And in the sun, above and below and on both sides, the color was blood, there stood a round ball of partly dull, partly black ferrous color.”
Historical Account – Governor John Winthrop, Colonial America, March 1639:
“In this year one James Everell, a sober, discreet man, and two others, saw a great light in the night at Muddy River. When it stood still, it flamed up, and was about three yards square; when it ran, it was contracted into the figure of a swine: it ran as swift as an arrow towards Charlton, and so up and down about two or three hours.”
These early accounts used religious or meteorological language to describe what today might be categorized as unidentified aerial phenomena. Terms like “signs,” “wonders,” “prodigies,” “celestial phenomena,” and “aerial ships” dominated pre-20th century accounts.
The Flying Saucer Era (1947-1952)
The modern era of UAP terminology began on June 24, 1947, when businessman and pilot Kenneth Arnold spotted nine unusual objects flying near Mount Rainier in Washington state.
Witness Testimony – Kenneth Arnold, June 1947:
“They flew like a saucer would if you skipped it across the water. They fluttered and sailed, tipping their wings alternately and emitting those very bright blue-white flashes from their surfaces. They were flat like a pie pan and so shiny they reflected the sun like a mirror.”
Though Arnold actually described the objects’ movement as like “saucers skipping across water” rather than their shape, newspaper headlines soon proclaimed “Flying Saucers Seen by Idaho Pilot.” The term captured public imagination and spawned a cultural phenomenon.
Witness Testimony – United Airlines Pilots E.J. Smith, Ralph Stevens and Stewardess Marty Morrow, July 4, 1947:
“We saw these objects for about twelve minutes. They were like nothing I had seen before. They were half-moon shaped, flat on the bottom and rounded on top, flying in a definite formation. It wasn’t hallucination. There were too many of us who saw them.”
Witness Testimony – Lieutenant George F. Gorman, North Dakota National Guard, October 1, 1948:
“The object was round and blinking. It was about six to eight inches in diameter and was blinking on and off. When I attempted to chase it, it was able to turn much faster than my aircraft and ran circles around me. I had the distinct impression that its maneuvers were controlled by thought or reason.”
The term “flying saucer” dominated public discourse from 1947-1952. This period saw:
- Thousands of “flying saucer” sightings reported across the United States
- The establishment of Project Sign (1947) to investigate these reports
- The famous “flying saucer crash” at Roswell, New Mexico in July 1947
- The release of Hollywood films like “The Flying Saucer” (1950)
- The Washington D.C. “saucer flap” of July 1952
Media Impact – Frank Scully, Variety columnist and author of “Behind the Flying Saucers” (1950):
“The flying saucer has beaten the atom bomb, penicillin, and television as conversation pieces, and may outlast them all as a permanent addition to the subjects which people get excited about.”
The UFO Era (1952-2017)
While “flying saucer” remains in public vocabulary, the term “Unidentified Flying Object” or “UFO” was formally introduced by the United States Air Force in 1952. Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, the first director of Project Blue Book, led this terminological shift to remove the shape implication and provide a more neutral descriptor.
Historical Account – Captain Edward J. Ruppelt:
“We needed a name for these objects which would tell exactly what they were—namely, objects that were unidentified. They weren’t necessarily discs, they weren’t necessarily saucer-shaped, and they definitely weren’t spaceships from Venus. They were simply unidentified flying objects. I wanted the name to establish that to everyone hearing it. UFO seemed to do the job.”
This shift coincided with increasing government scrutiny and scientific investigation. The term “UFO” presented a more serious framework for discussion than the somewhat cartoonish “flying saucer.”
Witness Testimony – Major Jesse Marcel, regarding the Roswell incident:
“I’ve never seen anything like it before or since. It wasn’t anything from this Earth. The material was like foil but returned to its original shape after being crumpled and left no creases. There were small beams that you couldn’t break or even bend. All of this was incredibly lightweight.”
Witness Testimony – Commander David Fravor, USS Nimitz encounter, 2004:
“I was the commanding officer of Black Aces squadron aboard the USS Nimitz in 2004. The object we encountered accelerated in ways I’ve never seen before with no visible propulsion system, no visible wings or control surfaces. As I got close to it, it rapidly accelerated, disappeared, and seconds later appeared at our cap point 60 miles away. It was far beyond any technology we had in our inventory.”
Witness Testimony – Dr. James E. McDonald, atmospheric physicist:
“On the basis of my study of the UFO problem, I am led to the conclusion that these objects must be real, solid, physical objects under some kind of control, and that they do not represent any technology of which we on Earth have knowledge.”
The UFO era saw significant developments:
- The creation of civilian UFO research organizations (NICAP, APRO, MUFON)
- Major scientific studies like the Condon Report (1968)
- Formal government investigations (Project Blue Book)
- The development of the “Close Encounters” classification system by Dr. J. Allen Hynek
- Popular cultural artifacts like “The X-Files” television series
- Major cases including the 1976 Tehran incident, the 1980 Rendlesham Forest incident, and the 1989-1990 Belgian UFO wave
Media Impact – Declassified FBI Memo, “Guy Hottel Memo,” March 22, 1950:
“An investigator for the Air Force stated that three so-called flying saucers had been recovered in New Mexico. They were described as being circular in shape with raised centers, approximately 50 feet in diameter. Each one was occupied by three bodies of human shape but only three feet tall, dressed in metallic cloth of a very fine texture.”
Despite the attempt at neutrality, “UFO” gradually became culturally associated with extraterrestrial spacecraft, particularly through popular media. Scientists and serious researchers grew increasingly reluctant to use the term due to this association.
The UAP Era (2017-Present)
The most recent terminological shift began around 2017 with increased media, military, and government attention to the phenomenon. “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” or “UAP” represents an attempt to further destigmatize reporting and investigation.
Historical Account – Pentagon spokesperson, 2017:
“The Department of Defense has chosen to use the term ‘Unidentified Aerial Phenomena‘ or ‘UAP’ as a means to remove the stigma associated with previous terminology and encourage a scientific, evidence-based approach to these observations.”
Witness Testimony – Lieutenant Ryan Graves, US Navy F/A-18 pilot:
“We have rotation of all aviators through the East Coast squadrons that are seeing the exact same things. And we’re seeing these with multiple aircraft, multiple formations—so two airplanes, sometimes three. We saw these objects going out day after day after day, for at least a couple years.”
Witness Testimony – Luis Elizondo, former director of Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program:
“These aircraft—we’ll call them aircraft—are displaying characteristics that are not currently within the US inventory nor in any foreign inventory that we are aware of. They have been seen by military and commercial aircraft, they have been tracked by satellites in Earth orbit, they have been recorded by sonar equipment beneath the sea, and they have been photographed and recorded on gun camera footage.”
Witness Testimony – David C. Nolan, retired Air Force radar operator:
“What we were tracking performed maneuvers that defied the known laws of physics. They would go from hovering to thousands of miles per hour instantaneously. These weren’t glitches in our radar systems—multiple independent systems tracked the same objects simultaneously.”
The UAP era has been marked by:
- Official acknowledgment of UAP incidents by the US Department of Defense
- Release of verified US Navy UAP videos (“FLIR,” “GIMBAL,” and “GOFAST”)
- Congressional hearings and reports on UAPs
- Establishment of the Pentagon’s Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) and later the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO)
- NASA’s independent UAP study team
- Formal protocols for military personnel to report UAP sightings
Media Impact – New York Times, December 16, 2017:
“In the $600 billion annual Defense Department budgets, the $22 million spent on the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program was almost impossible to find. Which was how the Pentagon wanted it. For years, the program investigated reports of unidentified flying objects, according to Defense Department officials, interviews with program participants and records obtained by The New York Times.”
Terminological Analysis: More Than Just Words
The evolution from “flying saucers” to “UFOs” to “UAPs” reflects important shifts in how these phenomena are perceived and studied:
Terminological Comparisons
Flying Saucers (1947-1952)
- Implies specific shape and construction
- Culturally connected to science fiction of the era
- Associated with Cold War anxieties
- Encouraged reports of disc-shaped objects specifically
- Primarily a cultural and media term
UFOs (1952-2017)
- More neutral, focusing on identification status
- Scientific approach to categorization
- Still carried cultural baggage of alien association
- Widely recognized across languages and cultures
- Dominated both scientific literature and popular culture
UAPs (2017-Present)
- Removes “flying” and “object” assumptions
- Emphasizes phenomena rather than solid craft
- Associated with military/intelligence terminology
- Designed to reduce reporting stigma
- Encourages broader scientific inquiry
The Impact of Terminology on Reporting and Research
Terminology doesn’t just describe phenomena—it shapes how we understand them. Each terminological shift has influenced:
- Reporting Patterns: Different terms encourage different types of reports. The “flying saucer” era saw many disc-shaped objects reported, while the UAP terminology encourages reporting of a wider variety of phenomena.
- Scientific Approach: The term “UAP” has helped legitimize scientific study by removing the extraterrestrial implications of “UFO.”
- Government Response: Official adoption of “UAP” terminology coincides with increased government transparency and formal investigation protocols.
- Witness Credibility: Military and commercial pilots are more willing to report “UAPs” than they were to report “UFOs” due to reduced stigma.
Scientific Perspective – Dr. Peter Sturrock, Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University:
“The stigma attached to UFO research has been a significant impediment to scientific progress. The shift to UAP terminology may help overcome this barrier by distancing the phenomenon from its cultural associations with aliens and conspiracy theories.”
Regional and International Terminology
While English terminology has evolved from flying saucers to UFOs to UAPs, other cultures and languages have their own rich terminological history:
- France: OVNI (Objet Volant Non Identifié) and PAN (Phénomène Aérospatial Non-identifié)
- Brazil: OVNI (Objeto Voador Não Identificado)
- Russia: NLO (Neopoznannyy Letayushchiy Ob’yekt)
- China: 不明飞行物 (Bùmíng Fēixíng Wù)
Historical Account – General Ricardo Bermúdez, Chilean Air Force (ret.), former director of CEFAA:
“In Chile, we use the term ‘UAP’ officially but the public still uses ‘OVNI.’ The terminological shift matters less than the methodology—we approach each case with scientific rigor regardless of what we call it.”
Future Terminology: Beyond UAP?
As our understanding evolves, so too might our terminology. Some scientists and researchers have already proposed alternatives:
- Anomalous Aerospace Vehicles (AAVs)
- Transmedium Objects or Trans-medium Anomalous Phenomena (TAP)
- Non-conventional Aerospace-undersea Phenomena
- Unexplained Aerial Events (UAE)
Scientific Perspective – Dr. Jacques Vallée, computer scientist and ufologist:
“Whatever terminology we adopt must recognize that these phenomena transcend simple categorization. They may represent something far stranger than nuts-and-bolts spacecraft from another world—perhaps phenomena that challenge our very understanding of physics and consciousness.”
Conclusion: What’s in a Name?
The evolution from “flying saucers” to “UFOs” to “UAPs” reflects our ongoing struggle to understand and categorize unexplained aerial phenomena. Each term has shaped how witnesses report experiences, how scientists approach the subject, and how governments respond to incidents.
As we continue to gather data and apply scientific methodology to these observations, our terminology will likely continue to evolve. The language we use matters—it frames our perceptions, guides our research, and influences policy decisions. Whatever we choose to call them, the mysterious objects and phenomena in our skies continue to challenge our understanding of the world and universe around us.
Whether we call them flying saucers, UFOs, or UAPs, the fundamental questions remain the same: What are they? Where do they come from? And what might they tell us about ourselves and our place in the cosmos?
