One Thousand and One Nights

A classic collection of stories from medieval times is One Thousand and One Nights. These tales from Southwest Asia relate the adventures of kings and councillors, fishermen and merchants, soldiers and slaves. In this world of magic and mys­tery, some stories involve that age-old dream of humans flying.

О By the 1800s and 1900s, science fiction had replaced ancient myths and legends about flight. Author Jules Verne described a journey to the Moon and back in From the Earth to the Moon (1865). The launch of Verne’s fictional craft (illustrated here) took place in Florida, which later became the real launch site for the U. S. space program.

MODERN MYTHS

Myths from many different cultures tell of gods who come down to Earth to meet with humans. Some people claim that these stories reveal vis­its from space travelers in ancient times and that some ancient drawings show gods in spaceships or wearing helmets. Scientists dis­miss these claims, however. Today, stories about aliens from other planets focus on unidentified flying objects, or UFOs. Since UFO sightings in Washington and Idaho gained great media attention in 1947, sightings of UFOs have increased dramatically. By the 1950s, some people were beginning to connect UFOs with religious and supernatural beliefs. Claims of UFO sightings are most common in the United States. The kinds of UFOs people report most frequently are flying saucers or moving lights.

О A photograph from the files of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) shows what the photographer claimed was a UFO over New Jersey in 1952.

Many UFO images appeared in the period, and there was much doubt about the authen­ticity of the images.