The ChillX Zone

A Rash of 1947 Sightings Sparked Nationwide Fascination

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (July 3, 2025) — In the scorching summer of 1947, the United States witnessed numerous reports of “flying disc” sightings. It began on June 24. Pilot Kenneth Arnold reported nine shimmering objects near Mount Rainier. His account and the media’s quick coining of “flying saucers” ignited a nationwide frenzy.

From small towns to big cities, people shared their experiences. Ordinary citizens claimed to see mysterious, disc-shaped craft. Servicemen and even law-enforcement officers saw them looming in the skies.

While many early reports proved credible—or at least baffling—the craze also spawned outright hoaxes. Among the most colorful was the Twin Falls “saucer” incident of July 3, 1947.

Tin-Foil “Discs” in Idaho

That afternoon, rail foreman B. G. Tiffany called the Twin Falls Times-News. He reported a fleet of nine silver discs gliding silently over the ridgetops near Hollister, Idaho. He described them as perfectly round, about 30 inches in diameter, moving in tight formation—attributes echoing Arnold’s earlier sighting.

Within hours, deputies and curious locals combed the hillsides. By evening, they claimed to have recovered a small, rigid disc—half-buried in sagebrush. Word spread that the Army had confiscated the mysterious object, fueling speculation of genuine extraterrestrial contact.

Official Response and Unraveling

The U.S. Army quickly released the recovered object and dismissed the incident as a juvenile prank. Local teenagers had fashioned the disc from sheet metal. They used tin foil. They launched it with a homemade catapult to impersonate the summer’s sensational sightings.

By July 11, Army officials publicly labeled the episode a hoax, and national headlines moved on.

Yet in its brief lifespan, the Twin Falls incident captured the era’s heady mix of fascination and fear. Idaho newspapers ran front-page photographs of the “alien disc,” and evening radio broadcasts quivered with excited eyewitness accounts.

Legacy of the Flying Disc Craze

Ultimately debunked, the Twin Falls saucer hoax remains emblematic of the 1947 UFO craze. It illustrates how collective anxiety and sensational journalism can elevate even a pedestrian prank into national lore.

Historians note that after mid-July, genuine reports dwindled and public skepticism rose—marking the end of the so-called “flying disc craze.”

Today, enthusiasts and skeptics alike revisit Twin Falls. Some hunt for proof of alien visitation. Others seek earthly explanations. Everyone views the site as a vivid snapshot of Cold War–era America. Every shimmer on the horizon sparks hope. It evokes dread or—sometimes—clever teenage mischief.