In the summer of 1952, on July 19th and again on July 26th, there were both radar and visual sightings of “Flying Saucers” in and around Washington D.C., and throughout the summer there were similar incidents all over the world. From 1947 to 1953 there were 26 major sightings, from Washington to Brazil, Japan, Italy, West Germany and Sweden. The Unidentified Flying Objects generated headlines and inspired an entire genre of movies. Most UFOs could be explained but some remain a mystery to this day.
Meanwhile, in Milan…
By Roberto Motta and Pete Vack
Photos from Centro Documentazione Storica Alfa Romeo, and Roberto Motta
In Italy, there was another sighting in June of 1952, but this time it was real and tangible (as well as loud, no doubt) when the aptly named Alfa Romeo “Experimental Department” proudly put their own UFO on display for the press to view at Monza. The timing couldn’t have been better; as the new C52 1900 was called the “Disco Volante”.