The story made news headlines across America, and eventually rippled through the media across the rest of the globe. And despite the inaccuracy of the media's description, within weeks there were hundreds of reports of disc and saucer-shaped objects in the sky. Perhaps it was just a lucky coincidence that the subsequent sightings resembled the inaccurate media report more closely than Kenneth Arnold’s actual description. But more likely it seems to me that the fact that similar reports followed the media story is an indication of the ability of the media to promulgate a perception to a gullible public. If you think that this is underrating the public’s ability for skeptical enquiry then you need only be reminded of the day when H.G. Wells' classic novel, The War of the Worlds, was adapted for a radio broadcast. To the surprise of the broadcasters, it was mistaken by thousands of Americans for a real report of a Martian invasion, resulting in panic and nationwide mayhem.

Whether they were real or not, flying saucers and aliens had captured the public's attention, and by the early 1950's they had become a versatile science fiction plot device, featuring in movies such as The Day the Earth Stood Still, Invaders from Mars and Earth versus the Flying Saucers. It is interesting to watch some of these movies again today to see what influence they have had on the present day flying saucer story. Invaders from Mars is particularly interesting because it features alien abductions and alien implants years before they ever started being reported. In the movie, a young boy by the name of David awakens to witness a flying saucer land in the field behind his house. Its alien inhabitants abduct his parents and other members of society, returning them with implants in the backs of their necks, and young David becomes the only one to uncover the alien’s secret plans to enslave humanity. 

Admittedly, there are some differences between the recent abduction reports and the those in the movie, for example in Invaders from Mars the aliens hide underground beneath a sandpit area and abduct people by cunningly removing the sand beneath the abductee's feet and pulling them underground. In contrast, recent reports of alien abductions invariably involve more sophisticated methods of abduction, such as tractor beams. But the basic elements of abduction are the same, with people being taken against their will, examinations being conducted by aliens on an operating table, and implants being inserted into their bodies.

Many elements of the Betty and Barney Hill abduction story can be traced back to the movie Invaders from Mars. The Hill abduction story had a similar influence to the flying saucer story of Kenneth Arnold. Before the Hills reported their story, claims of abductions by aliens in flying saucers were virtually unheard of, but after it received widespread publicity in the 1960's, claims of alien abductions occurred suspiciously more frequently. It is interesting to note that Barney Hill's description of his alien abductors surfaced under hypnosis only 12 days after an episode of The Outer Limits, which featured aliens of the same unique description. In fact, the uncanny resemblance of reported alien abductors to humans could possibly be blamed on the lack of imagination of early Hollywood costume makers, whose movies quite possibly influenced the imaginations of many future generations of abductees.

With the recent popularity of TV shows like The X-Files and movies like Independence Day, it is not surprising that stories of flying saucers and alien abductions have become more and more prominent. Since they have inspired so many fictitious novels and screenplays over the years then would it really be so surprising if we were to find out that aliens were merely products of our own creative imaginations, serving only a poetic existence. The search for the truth may turn out to be a journey in human understanding, revealing our hunger for mystery, our love for story-telling and our longing for company on a lonely planet in a seemingly empty universe.