1966 in UFO history
From the UAP Encyclopedia, the open encyclopedia of UFO and UAP history · 📅 Year
Contents 5
| Year | 1966 |
|---|---|
| Events | 7 |
| Decade | 1960s |
| Topics | Military encounters (topic), Secrecy & cover-up (topic), Government programs (topic), Crashes & retrievals (topic) |
| Timeline | 1966 on the UAP Timeline |
1966 in UFO history — the UAP Timeline records 7 events in 1966, mostly about military encounters and secrecy & cover-up. People named in these events include J. Allen Hynek, Linda Moulton Howe, Jack Pickett, Gerald Ford, Edward Condon.
Overview
1966 was the year public pressure forced a change in official UFO policy. Early on 17 April, near Ravenna, Ohio, police officers Dale Spaur and Wilbur Neff saw a silvery, disc-shaped object with a bright light underneath. They chased it for miles, joined by police from other jurisdictions. Five days later Blue Book's head, Major Hector Quintanilla, announced that they had chased a satellite and then the planet Venus. The conclusion was widely derided, and J. Allen Hynek called it absurd.[1] Sightings in Massachusetts and New Hampshire also drew attention, and NICAP's membership grew to about 15,000.[1]
Congress responded. On 3 April Representative Gerald Ford, dissatisfied with Blue Book, said the Air Force had assured him that a coming scientific study would not be connected "in any way" with the Air Force.[2] On 5 April the House Armed Services Committee held a hearing on UFOs. Air Force Secretary Harold Brown defended the Air Force's work, and Hynek called for a civilian panel of scientists.[3] The timeline says Quintanilla told the committee that Blue Book had "no radar cases which are unexplained," which it calls false.[2] Shortly afterwards the Air Force sought a university for an independent study. On 6 October the University of Colorado agreed to run it under physicist Edward Condon, with funding of $313,000, later rising above $500,000.[3] Jacques Vallée recalls that he and Hynek were the first to testify to the Condon Committee.[4]
The timeline's other 1966 entries include a close pass by an object over two surveyors at China Lake Naval Ordnance Test Station on 18 January, and FBI letters on 21 July telling citizens that UFOs had "never" been within its jurisdiction, despite its own files.[2] On 23 July Vallée and colleagues were asked to send their 20 best cases to a "mysterious group of scientists" from Wright Field.[5] There are also claims of a disc crash at a Utah radar site and of Air Force–marked discs seen at MacDill Air Force Base in 1966–67.[5]
Events
- Cedar Breaks radar site crash claim (1966) — A radar technician reportedly saw a disc crash at a Utah radar site linked to Area 51.
- Jack Pickett and the MacDill discs (1966-1967) — A retired pilot and a journalist say they saw Air Force-marked disc craft at MacDill AFB.
- China Lake surveyors' sighting (1966) (18 January 1966) — Two surveyors at China Lake see a UAP pass low overhead and maneuver.
- Gerald Ford's call for UFO hearings (3 April 1966) — Rep. Gerald Ford is told an upcoming UAP study won't be tied to the Air Force.
- House Armed Services Committee UFO hearing (1966) (5 April 1966) — The Blue Book chief tells Congress there are no unexplained radar cases, contradicted by records.
- FBI denials of UFO interest (21 July 1966) — The FBI tells citizens UAP have never been its concern, contradicting its own files.
- Request for Vallée's best cases (1966) (23 July 1966) — Vallée receives a request from engineers to send their best cases to unnamed Wright Field scientists.
People
- J. Allen Hynek — Astronomer and Air Force UFO consultant from 1948 to 1969 who later founded the Center for UFO Studies.
- Linda Moulton Howe — Journalist and filmmaker who runs the Earthfiles website and has reported many crash-retrieval claims.
- Jack Pickett — Aviation journalist who said he saw Air Force disc craft at MacDill AFB.
- Gerald Ford — U.S. congressman and later president who called for UFO hearings in 1966.
- Edward Condon — Physicist who led the University of Colorado UFO study (1966–68).
- Mendel Rivers — Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee during the 1966 UFO hearing.
- Harold Brown — Air Force Secretary who testified at the 1966 House UFO hearing.
- Hector Quintanilla — Last head of Project Blue Book (1963–69).
- Brad Sparks — UFO analyst known for his catalogue of Blue Book unknowns and work on the CIA lawsuit.
- Jacques Vallée — Computer scientist and astronomer, author of the Forbidden Science journals and a central figure in UFO research.
Nearby years
1965 in UFO history · 1967 in UFO history
References
- Project Blue Book — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- UAP timeline published with Michael Shellenberger's 2024 congressional testimony, entries for 18 January to 21 July 1966 · oversight.house.gov
- Condon Committee — Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Chris Tattoli, "Jacques Vallée Still Doesn't Know What UFOs Are", Wired · wired.com
- UAP timeline (Shellenberger testimony), entries for 23 July 1966 and other 1966 claims · oversight.house.gov
Facts in this article are drawn in part from the Wikipedia articles “Project Blue Book”, “Condon Committee”, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
This page was last edited on 29 October 2026. Articles are written in our own words from the sources listed under References; disputed claims are attributed to the people who made them.
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