Unexplained encounters in United States
55 famous cases and 1 story shared by people from United States: 18 sky, 11 visitors, 12 creatures, 9 voices & sounds, 6 places. Famous cases set out what was reported and the explanations offered, without taking a side.
By state or region
Famous cases
The Phoenix LightsDisputedPhoenix, Arizona, USA · 13 March 1997The Roswell IncidentOfficially explainedRoswell, New Mexico, USA · July 1947The Marfa LightsDisputedMarfa, Texas, USA · Reported since the 1880sThe Kecksburg FireballDisputedKecksburg, Pennsylvania, USA · 9 December 1965The Wow! SignalUnexplainedBig Ear radio telescope, Delaware, Ohio, USA · 15 August 1977The Taos HumUnexplainedTaos, New Mexico, USA · Early 1990s onwardsThe Sailing StonesExplainedRacetrack Playa, Death Valley, California, USA · Seen since the early 1900s; solved in 2014The Patterson–Gimlin FilmDisputedBluff Creek, Northern California, USA · 20 October 1967The MothmanDisputedPoint Pleasant, West Virginia, USA · November 1966 – 1967Betty and Barney HillDisputedWhite Mountains, New Hampshire, USA · 19–20 September 1961The Socorro LandingUnexplainedSocorro, New Mexico, USA · 24 April 1964The Flatwoods MonsterDisputedFlatwoods, Braxton County, West Virginia, USA · 12 September 1952The Pascagoula EncounterDisputedPascagoula River, Mississippi, USA · 11 October 1973The Seneca GunsUnexplainedSeneca Lake, New York, and the US East Coast · Reported since the 1800sThe Ringing RocksPartly explainedRinging Rocks Park, Upper Black Eddy, Pennsylvania, USA · Known since the 1800sThe Devil's KettleExplainedJudge C.R. Magney State Park, Minnesota, USA · Known for generations; studied in 2016–17Skinwalker RanchDisputedUintah Basin, Utah, USA · Reports since the 1990sChampUnconfirmedLake Champlain, New York and Vermont, USA · Reported since the 1800sThe Jersey DevilLegendPine Barrens, New Jersey, USA · Legend from the 1700s; sightings in January 1909The Dover DemonDisputedDover, Massachusetts, USA · 21–22 April 1977Travis WaltonDisputedApache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona, USA · 5–10 November 1975The Allagash AbductionsDisputedEagle Lake, Allagash Wilderness, Maine, USA · August 1976Kenneth Arnold's SightingDisputedNear Mount Rainier, Washington, USA · 24 June 1947The Moodus NoisesExplainedMoodus, East Haddam, Connecticut, USA · Reported for centuriesThe Yellowstone Lake MusicUnexplainedYellowstone Lake, Wyoming, USA · Reported since 1872The Max Headroom Broadcast IntrusionNever solvedChicago, Illinois, USA · 22 November 1987Coral CastleMostly explainedHomestead, Florida, USA · Built 1923 – 1951The Schirmer EncounterDisputedAshland, Nebraska, USA · 3 December 1967Japan Air Lines Flight 1628DisputedOver north-eastern Alaska, USA · 17 November 1986The Aurora AirshipProbably a hoaxAurora, Wise County, Texas, USA · 17 April 1897The Secrets of Mount ShastaLegendMount Shasta, California, USA · Legends since the late 1800sThe Gloucester Sea SerpentDisputedGloucester Harbor, Massachusetts, USA · August 1817The Lizard Man of Scape Ore SwampDisputedBishopville, South Carolina, USA · Summer 1988The Lawndale ThunderbirdsDisputedLawndale, Illinois, USA · 25 July 1977The Washington FlapDisputedWashington, D.C., USA · July 1952The Incident at ExeterDisputedExeter, New Hampshire, USA · 3 September 1965The O'Hare Airport SightingDisputedO'Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, USA · 7 November 2006The Brown Mountain LightsDisputedBrown Mountain, North Carolina, USA · Reported since the early 1900sThe Hudson Valley BoomerangMostly explainedHudson Valley, New York, USA · 1982 – 1986The Red SpritesConfirmedMinnesota, USA, and above storms worldwide · Reported by pilots for decades; filmed in 1989The Menehune of KauaʻiLegendAlekoko fishpond, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi, USA · Told for generationsCaptain MidnightExplainedOcala, Florida, USA · 27 April 1986The Men in BlackFolkloreBridgeport, Connecticut, USA · From 1953The Paulding LightExplainedRobbins Pond Road, near Paulding, Michigan, USA · Reported since the 1960s; tested in 2010The Music on the Far Side of the MoonExplainedMission Control, Houston, Texas, USA · May 1969; transcripts released in 2008The Buff Ledge EncounterDisputedBuff Ledge, Lake Champlain, Vermont, USA · 7 August 1968The Levelland SightingsDisputedLevelland, Texas, USA · 2–3 November 1957The Lubbock LightsMostly explainedLubbock, Texas, USA · August – September 1951The Stephenville LightsMostly explainedStephenville, Texas, USA · 8 January 2008The Gulf Breeze PhotographsProbably a hoaxGulf Breeze, Florida, USA · 1987 – 1988The Megamouth SharkConfirmedOff Oahu, Hawaiʻi, USA · Discovered on 15 November 1976The Fresno NightcrawlersProbably a hoaxFresno, California, USA · Filmed in 2007 and 2011The Bear Lake MonsterHoaxBear Lake, Utah–Idaho, USA · 1868Steller's Sea ApeUnidentifiedShumagin Islands, Alaska, USA · August 1741Pele's CurseLegendHawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Hawaiʻi, USA · Told since the 20th century