Top 20 UFO news stories of 2011

SETI's Allen Telescope Array (ATA), which was put into hibernation mode in April 2011 due to a lack of funding. Image Credit: NASA

On this, the last day of 2011, I have put together a list of what I think are the 20 most important UFO news stories. I waded through many important news items, as the title of this website suggests, there really are UFO news stories very nearly every day, and some days there are several. It was hard to whittle it down to 20, but I think I did it. They are not listed in order of importance, but rather chronologically.

1. January – UFO Wikileaks – In late 2010 there was a lot of news about UFO stories to be found in the Wikileaks files. Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, made fun of the whole thing, but the media went crazy with it. In January 2011, due to the great work of Grant Cameron, we were finally able to uncover what appears to be the files he was referring to. Read more here.

2. January – Saudi Arabia Forum includes UFOs – A huge business forum held in Saudi Arabia included UFO researchers. Although they did not attend the UFO lectures, some of the other notable speakers at the forum were Tony Blair and Bill Clinton. Read more and watch the UFO presentations here.

3. February – Space Treaty – Launched at the UFO Congress, aerospace expert, Dr. Carol Rosin, announced the creation of a treaty for peace in space, which also had the support of astronaut Edgar Mitchell, along with other notables. Among other things, it addressed UFOs and extraterrestrials. Read more here.

4. February – Nation of Islam UFO panel – On the same weekend that people interested in UFOs were meeting for the UFO Congress, the Nation of Islam was having a large gathering in Chicago. Their convention included a UFO panel; some of the panelists were also speakers at the UFO Congress. There were tens of thousands at the Islam convention who attended the UFO panel. Read more here.

5. March – Sammy Hagar discusses ET encounter – In March, famous rock star, Sammy Hagar, released a memoir titled, Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock. It included his alien encounters, which he had spoken about in the past. However, with the release of his book, the media ran with the ET angle, and Hagar never shied away from talking about it. Read more here.

6. April – FBI and NSA UFO files– In April the FBI and NSA revamped their websites to make declassified documents easier to find. In doing so they made it easier to find UFO documents. Although these documents had been seen before, they were new to many and created a media buzz. Read more about the FBI file here. Read more about the NSA file here.

7. April – SETI on hold – The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project lost funding in April. This made headlines and had people worried about their future. Although they were able to find other funding and support, it set up the topic of extraterrestrial life to be a repeating news item throughout the rest of the year. Read more here.

8. May – Roswell UFO Nazi/Russian collaboration – Journalist Annie Jacobsen caused a media frenzy when she released her book about Area 51. She didn’t have any shocking revelations when it came to Area 51, but claimed that the UFO that crashed in Roswell was a Nazi airplane recovered by the Russians and filled with children mutilated by Nazi war criminal, Josef Mengele. Read more here.

9. May – ET movie invasion – Although the entire year seemed to be full of movies with alien themes, the summer was particularly full of them. This lead to lots of celebrities being asked about ETs and UFOs, causing a lot of interesting responses. Read more here.

10. June – Spielberg confirms Reagan ET comment– One of those aforementioned interviews was with Steven Spielberg. In this great interview with Ain’t It Cool, Spielberg confirmed that Ronald Reagan had made a comment after viewing the movie E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, that few knew just how real the movie is. Read more here.

Ronald and Nancy Reagan talking with Steven Spielberg after a special screening of E.T.: The Extraterrestrial at the White House. Image Credit: Reagan Library

11. June – Argentinean Air Force launches new UFO commission – In June Argentina launched an official Air Force UFO commission, becoming one of the few countries to have a standing, government funded, UFO research group. Read more here.

12. June – Scientist endorses UFO book – In June, respected scientist, Derrick Pitts, who is the chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, endorsed Leslie Kean’s UFO book. Pitts says of the book, UFOs: Generals, Pilots, and Government Officials Go On the Record, that “we should be able to address [UFOs] scientifically, without all the stigma involved.” I always get excited when a well-known and respected scientist realizes that this is a viable phenomenon, deserving serious study. Read more here.

13. July – Test shows Roswell debris may be from space – During the annual Roswell anniversary celebrations, I got to meet a man who found debris at the alleged crash site of a UFO.  He had it tested by a reputable lab, and the first test shows it may be of extraterrestrial origin. We are still waiting for further testing, but this is the first time this sort of test has yielded such results. Read more here.

14. July – New Hampshire commemorates Betty and Barney Hill UFO experience – The state of New Hampshire created a plaque to commemorate the first widely publicized alien abduction encounter. Read more here.

New Hampshire state marker commemorating the Betty and Barney Hill incident. Image Credit: Indian Head Resort owner, Peter Spanos

15. August – UFOs in China – the entire year of 2011 was a busy year for UFOs in China. However, August was particular full of Chinese UFO stories. Read more here.

16. August – British UFO Files – More UFO files were released by the UK. This batch included battles between the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and high-level officials who wanted UFOs given more attention, and the MOD using “dirty tricks” to skirt the issue. Retired MOD UFO investigator, Nick Pope, apologized for his role in the affair. Read more about the officials here. Read about Pope’s apology here.

17. August – Alien Abduction researcher, Budd Hopkins, passes away – A pioneer of alien abduction research passes away. Read more here.

18. October – Air Force UFO Rules Vanish after Huffington Post Inquiry – After inquiring about Air Force UFO policies, Lee Speigel of the Huffington Post, was told her would be granted an interview. However, by the time the interview was setup, the policies were changed, excluding references to UFOs which were there previously. The Air Force claims it was coincidence. Read more here.

19. November – White House responds to ET petition – The White House website posted a page allowing the public to submit petitions. UFO researchers quickly took advantage of the opportunity, prompting the White House to respond to an inquiry about extraterrestrials. Read more here.

20. December – German Court Orders Release of UFO Report – A German citizen sued the government for the release of a UFO report and won. Read more here.

I think 2011 was an exciting year for UFOs, and although it is a slow process, I do see an improvement in the public’s perception, and willingness to discuss, the UFO phenomenon. I have no doubt that 2012 has a host of surprises and excitement in store.

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