UFO Sightings in Kentucky and Tennessee .. a short study

Tennessee and Kentucky are combined here for a better map and statistics. They share mountainous topography and a long border.

Sightings eras are in colors: 86 events from 1880 through 1959 show as Blue spots. 38 from 1960 through 1974 are Violet, and another 60 from 1975 to the present are Green.

Tennessee lists 101 sightings, Kentucky 83. Both states have low sightings density over area, especially when compared to Illinois, Indiana and Ohio to the North.

The geographical center of the two-state area is 85:27W - 36:30N, somewhere in Cumberland County, KY known for its sport fishing.

The earliest KY-TN sighting listed was 28 July 1880 in Louisville, KY when numerous people saw a large dumbbell shaped object moving up, down and sideways.
(source: FSR Volume 3 #3)

See a wider map of the Southeast States.

Daily Sightings Histogram: Tennessee-Kentucky

<= Daily Histogram: Tennessee & Kentucky

Sightings for all years and both states are combined to show seasonal variation.

The busiest single day was 7 July 1947 with 5 events in both states. A smaller flap on 17 October 1973 includes landings.

The busiest months are October (28), July (25), and September (23). Other months average 11 events each. December lists only seven.

The busiest weekdays are Tuesday (30), Wednesday (30) and Thursday (28). Friday (18) is slowest. Kentucky - Tennessee sightings tend toward home and residential settings.

See similar studies for California Ohio Texas Pennsylvania Florida New York Washington Mass.+CT+RI New Mexico Michigan Missouri Oregon Carolinas Arizona Illinois & Indiana Wisconsin & Minnesota Georgia & Alabama Nevada & Utah Oklahoma & Kansas Louisiana Arkansas & Mississippi

<= 50-Year Graph of Tennessee & Kentucky

This shows a slow but otherwise typical distribution of events, with minor peaks in 1947, 1952 and 1973 especially.

Busy years are few in TN-KY:

1947 (11) 1950 (16) 1952 (17)
1957 (10) 1973 (15) 1995 (9)

Years not shown have 8 or fewer listings.

One early case (12 January 1910) claims thousands of witnesses saw a white cigar shaped object going South fast under windless conditions. Some reported a motor like noise.

At Oak Ridge, TN, a 'metal tube' was seen hovering over the atomic works there, on 18 September 1944, just days after it opened. This object departed as a crowd gathered to watch.

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