LA Opens Fire on the Sky: Wartime UFO Panic
Anti-aircraft batteries poured over 1,400 rounds of ammunition into the sky above Los Angeles after radar operators reported an unidentified object, triggering a citywide blackout and killing three civilians from falling shrapnel and car accidents. The object was never identified, and the incident — fueled by post-Pearl Harbor paranoia — became one of America's most enduring wartime mysteries and a touchstone for UFO enthusiasts.
February 24, 1942
84 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on February 24
The Drury Lane Theatre collapsed into ash on February 24, 1809, consuming Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s fortune and his life’s work in a single night. Watching th…
King Huneric of the Vandals purged his North African kingdom of Nicene bishops, forcibly replacing them with Arian clergy and exiling dissenters to Corsica. Thi…
King Huneric didn't just persecute bishops — he went after the money men too. In 484, the Vandal ruler expelled Christian bishops across North Africa and shippe…
The English brought 30,000 men to Roslin. The Scots had 8,000. But the English arrived in three separate columns, hours apart. The Scots attacked each one befor…
Charles had been king for 61 days. He'd claimed Hungary's throne after the previous king died without a male heir, but Hungary's nobles never wanted him. They w…
King Charles III of Naples and Hungary succumbed to his wounds in Buda after a group of Hungarian nobles ambushed him with a poisoned blade. His sudden death pl…
Talk to History
Have a conversation with historical figures who witnessed this era. Ask questions, explore perspectives, and bring history to life.