No introduction needed for this Fortean.
Though he’ll get one—after the caveat that he was more an item of interest to Forteans than one himself.
Kenneth Arnold is best known for his observation, on 24 June 1947, of nine unidentified aerial objects near Mt. Rainier, in Washington. This was the birth of modern interest in UFOs and gave us, through the machinations of the press, the name flying saucer.
According to his own account, Arnold was born 29 March 1915 in Subeka, Minnesota, to Edward Arnold and the former Bertha E. Barden. When he was six, the family relocated to Montana. He attended school in Minot, North Dakota and was involved with the Boy Scouts. He was an excellent swimmer and diver, which he continued as a collegiate at the University of Minnesota. A knee injury cut short his football career.
Though he’ll get one—after the caveat that he was more an item of interest to Forteans than one himself.
Kenneth Arnold is best known for his observation, on 24 June 1947, of nine unidentified aerial objects near Mt. Rainier, in Washington. This was the birth of modern interest in UFOs and gave us, through the machinations of the press, the name flying saucer.
According to his own account, Arnold was born 29 March 1915 in Subeka, Minnesota, to Edward Arnold and the former Bertha E. Barden. When he was six, the family relocated to Montana. He attended school in Minot, North Dakota and was involved with the Boy Scouts. He was an excellent swimmer and diver, which he continued as a collegiate at the University of Minnesota. A knee injury cut short his football career.
In 1938, he went to work for Red Comet, Inc., a manufacturer of automatic fire fighting apparatus, based in Littleton, Colorado. Tw years later, he started his own company in the came business, handling, distributing, selling, and installing manual and firefighting equipment. Arnold had taken piloting lessons since his boyhood in Minot, and received his certificate in 1943. He used his plane to travel across the West for his business, logging forty to a hundred hours per month. It was on a business trip that he saw the nine objects—variously described—in June 1947. The story made the newspapers the next day and soon became a media sensation. It is not worth rehashing the blow-by-blow here.
For Arnold’s part, he was not entirely happy with all of the media exposure, and tried to duck some of it, but also refused to back down from his story. He also had a chance to peak with government investigators. And he persisted in following the development of flying saucer investigations through the 1950s, at least. He seems to have come to the conclusion that what he—and others—saw were visitors from other planets, or perhaps other dimensions. Arnold’s willingness to entertain non-standard explanations for what he saw makes sense of his choice to write an article on his experiences for Ray Palmer’s Fate. He went on to write other articles for the magazine recounting his investigation into other sightings. In 1952, he and Palmer co-authored, “The Coming of the Saucers.”
Arnold seems to have lost interest in flying saucers after a time—though he continued to see them, seven sightings in all between 1947 and 1983. But by 1957, he was using his connection to Fate magazine to sell snake oil. Martin Gardner notes he had an advertisement promoting something called “Turn-ers” that was guaranteed to cure dandruff, restore hair color, and reinvigorate the scalp. Palmer endorsed the product. Apparently, Arnold also went back to his business. Inspired by Barry Goldwater, he unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor of Idaho in 1962.
No convincing explanation of what Arnold has been offered, as far as I know, but then his subsequent actions—claiming repeated sightings, selling ridiculous nostrums—did not do his reputation any good, either. In a 1977 newspaper article, he is quoted as both comparing what he saw to the the Biblical story of Ezekiel, and simultaneously suggested they were inter-dimensional or extra-terrestrial living beings, not crafts: “They seemed to be alive in the center, to have the ability to change their density. I know that sounds strange.” He also claimed to have movie footage of two UFOs.
Kenneth Arnold died 16 January 1984, aged 68.
**********
It is, of course, possible that Kenneth Arnold knew something of Fort, Forteanism, or the Fortean Society prior to his sighting of those none aerial objects. But there’s no evidence for that. Much more likely, Arnold learned of the Fortean Society and Forteans after his name made the media and he was approached by the likes of Ray Palmer and others with an interest in science fiction, the paranormal, the occult, and Theosophy: all of whom would have been interested in unidentified flying crafts, and all of whom would have known about Fort and Forteanism. It’s even possible that he learned of Fort through the press, as the flying saucer craze got Fort and his books mentioned in a couple of studies. Arnold was reading the papers about flying saucers int he late 1940s and early 1950s; he hardly could have missed the citation.
Arnold’s interest in Fort dates to 1950, but is centered around flying saucers and the year 1952. Martin Gardner calls him “a great admirer of Charles Fort,” but that seems exaggerated, based on a single quote: “I realize it’s the ‘data of the damned,” he said in 1950—the earliest reference I have seen connecting him and Fort. “Who’s to determine what is and isn’t real?” The quote is still interesting one, though, offering as it does a look into the skepticism of mainstream media and science that allowed Arnold to speculate on the extraterrestrial origin of what he saw near Mt. Rainier and to sell his “Turn-ers.” Arnold was willing to entertain outlandish possibilities, and maybe even use his skepticism to make a buck, but it’s hard to know how much of a personal philosophy he made his doubt.
The other three connections between Kenneth Arnold, Fort, and the Society are all from 1952, and all trivial. One of these was a passing reference to Fort in the book by Palmer and Arnold: “Surely, here was a mystery that would have warmed the heart of that sardonic humorist, the late Charles Fort.” (This sentence echoed a January 1951 article syndicated out of Kansas: “Flying Saucers Would Have Delighted Heart of Dogma-Defying Charles Fort.”) It is worth noting in regard to this reference, tangential thought it was, Palmer and Arnold acknowledged that Fort was a humorist—while Gardner accused Arnold of being confused on the matter, and taking Fort all too seriously. Arnold’s views are too little known—there is no comprehensive study, as far as I can tell—to make a judgment one way or another.
The other two references both come from the pages of Doubt. Sometime before 1952 Kenneth Arnold became a member of the Fortean Society, whether out of interest or because he was recruited, I don’t know. He is mentioned in Doubt 36 (April 1952), but only by his last name (which means it, perhaps, wasn't him; but no other Arnolds appear in the magazine’s pages). The reference comes in a long list of credits, and includes contributors of some 158 pieces on flying saucers. Arnold was likely among them. His final appearance in Doubt—and the last connection i can find between him and the Society or Fort—came with issue 39 (January 1953—meaning the contribution was sent in 1952). On page 181 there is another generic reference to a member surnamed Arnold. Page 180, in a column running down the best clippings sent in since the last issue, Thayer acknowledges “MFS Ken Arnold, the original flying-saucer man.” The article was from a Montana newspaper and concerned birds flying into a house and killing themselves. A university professor and the police both said that the waxwings had become drunk on fermented mountain ash berries.
It’s one more bit of evidence that Arnold’s interest in Forteana extended beyond flying saucers. But to the extent that it did, he never really made his enthusiasm public.
For Arnold’s part, he was not entirely happy with all of the media exposure, and tried to duck some of it, but also refused to back down from his story. He also had a chance to peak with government investigators. And he persisted in following the development of flying saucer investigations through the 1950s, at least. He seems to have come to the conclusion that what he—and others—saw were visitors from other planets, or perhaps other dimensions. Arnold’s willingness to entertain non-standard explanations for what he saw makes sense of his choice to write an article on his experiences for Ray Palmer’s Fate. He went on to write other articles for the magazine recounting his investigation into other sightings. In 1952, he and Palmer co-authored, “The Coming of the Saucers.”
Arnold seems to have lost interest in flying saucers after a time—though he continued to see them, seven sightings in all between 1947 and 1983. But by 1957, he was using his connection to Fate magazine to sell snake oil. Martin Gardner notes he had an advertisement promoting something called “Turn-ers” that was guaranteed to cure dandruff, restore hair color, and reinvigorate the scalp. Palmer endorsed the product. Apparently, Arnold also went back to his business. Inspired by Barry Goldwater, he unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor of Idaho in 1962.
No convincing explanation of what Arnold has been offered, as far as I know, but then his subsequent actions—claiming repeated sightings, selling ridiculous nostrums—did not do his reputation any good, either. In a 1977 newspaper article, he is quoted as both comparing what he saw to the the Biblical story of Ezekiel, and simultaneously suggested they were inter-dimensional or extra-terrestrial living beings, not crafts: “They seemed to be alive in the center, to have the ability to change their density. I know that sounds strange.” He also claimed to have movie footage of two UFOs.
Kenneth Arnold died 16 January 1984, aged 68.
**********
It is, of course, possible that Kenneth Arnold knew something of Fort, Forteanism, or the Fortean Society prior to his sighting of those none aerial objects. But there’s no evidence for that. Much more likely, Arnold learned of the Fortean Society and Forteans after his name made the media and he was approached by the likes of Ray Palmer and others with an interest in science fiction, the paranormal, the occult, and Theosophy: all of whom would have been interested in unidentified flying crafts, and all of whom would have known about Fort and Forteanism. It’s even possible that he learned of Fort through the press, as the flying saucer craze got Fort and his books mentioned in a couple of studies. Arnold was reading the papers about flying saucers int he late 1940s and early 1950s; he hardly could have missed the citation.
Arnold’s interest in Fort dates to 1950, but is centered around flying saucers and the year 1952. Martin Gardner calls him “a great admirer of Charles Fort,” but that seems exaggerated, based on a single quote: “I realize it’s the ‘data of the damned,” he said in 1950—the earliest reference I have seen connecting him and Fort. “Who’s to determine what is and isn’t real?” The quote is still interesting one, though, offering as it does a look into the skepticism of mainstream media and science that allowed Arnold to speculate on the extraterrestrial origin of what he saw near Mt. Rainier and to sell his “Turn-ers.” Arnold was willing to entertain outlandish possibilities, and maybe even use his skepticism to make a buck, but it’s hard to know how much of a personal philosophy he made his doubt.
The other three connections between Kenneth Arnold, Fort, and the Society are all from 1952, and all trivial. One of these was a passing reference to Fort in the book by Palmer and Arnold: “Surely, here was a mystery that would have warmed the heart of that sardonic humorist, the late Charles Fort.” (This sentence echoed a January 1951 article syndicated out of Kansas: “Flying Saucers Would Have Delighted Heart of Dogma-Defying Charles Fort.”) It is worth noting in regard to this reference, tangential thought it was, Palmer and Arnold acknowledged that Fort was a humorist—while Gardner accused Arnold of being confused on the matter, and taking Fort all too seriously. Arnold’s views are too little known—there is no comprehensive study, as far as I can tell—to make a judgment one way or another.
The other two references both come from the pages of Doubt. Sometime before 1952 Kenneth Arnold became a member of the Fortean Society, whether out of interest or because he was recruited, I don’t know. He is mentioned in Doubt 36 (April 1952), but only by his last name (which means it, perhaps, wasn't him; but no other Arnolds appear in the magazine’s pages). The reference comes in a long list of credits, and includes contributors of some 158 pieces on flying saucers. Arnold was likely among them. His final appearance in Doubt—and the last connection i can find between him and the Society or Fort—came with issue 39 (January 1953—meaning the contribution was sent in 1952). On page 181 there is another generic reference to a member surnamed Arnold. Page 180, in a column running down the best clippings sent in since the last issue, Thayer acknowledges “MFS Ken Arnold, the original flying-saucer man.” The article was from a Montana newspaper and concerned birds flying into a house and killing themselves. A university professor and the police both said that the waxwings had become drunk on fermented mountain ash berries.
It’s one more bit of evidence that Arnold’s interest in Forteana extended beyond flying saucers. But to the extent that it did, he never really made his enthusiasm public.
