Today, many Americans spend most of their time at UFO conventions, UFO pilgrimages, and New Age gatherings. Cities and local people have learned to capitalize on their UFO phenomena. Rumors of the 1947 crash of a flying saucer draw tourists to Roswell, New Mexico, which holds an annual UFO festival and sports its own UFO museum. However, there is no study of the role played by rumor in the development of the Flying Saucer phenomenon. In July 1947,...