In 1973, Jimmy Carter reported seeing a UFO.

Famous Figures

I n addition to having one of the most remarkable post-White House lives of any president, Jimmy Carter had one of the most interesting trajectories toward the Oval Office. That includes not only being a peanut farmer but also reporting seeing a UFO in 1973, at which time he was governor of Georgia and three years away from being elected to the nation's highest office. The actual sighting took place in 1969, while Carter was visiting the Lions Club in Leary, Georgia. In his report, he wrote that "a kind of green light appeared in the western sky. This was right after sundown. It got brighter and brighter. And then it eventually disappeared. It didn't have any solid substance to it, it was just a very peculiar looking light. None of us could understand what it was."

An amateur astronomer with a strong knowledge of physics stemming from his time in the U.S. Navy's nuclear submarine program, Carter insisted that what he saw wasn't Venus, as some skeptics suggested, and that 10 to 12 others witnessed it as well. He also vowed to encourage the government to release "every piece of information" about UFOs to the public if he were to become president, though he ultimately opted not to do so for fear that the information could have "defense implications" that might risk national security.

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By the Numbers

Years Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were married, the longest of any presidential couple

Percentage of Americans who believe UFOs have been spotted

41%

Carter's place in early polling for the 1976 Democratic nomination, which he won

12th

Year Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize

2002

Did you know?

The White House is considered extremely haunted.

Jimmy Carter is hardly the only commander in chief to have had a supernatural experience; the White House itself is notorious for being haunted. Harry Truman once heard three knocks on his bedroom door at 4 a.m. and wrote in a letter to his wife that "the damned place is haunted sure as shootin'." (This was actually due to the deteriorating condition of the building before Truman ordered a gut renovation.) Many people also believe that Abraham Lincoln still resides in the building — even Winston Churchill thought he encountered Honest Abe. "Good evening, Mr. President," he reportedly said. "You seem to have me at a disadvantage."