Dear History and Humanities teachers,

As you know, history is not fixed. It is not a museum of facts behind glass. It is a living record we are always revising. Every generation uncovers new documents, hears new voices, and sees the past through fresh eyes. That is not a weakness of history. That is its power.

UAPs offer historians something rare and urgent: a treasure trove of primary sources from across time, cultures, and geographies, and a present-day phenomenon that demands context and interpretation. To ignore it is to ignore the job of the historian itself.

The Discipline of History

History begins with questions. Why did this happen? Who recorded it? Who was left out? What patterns emerge over time?

We study primary sources to get close to the lived reality of the past. We compare perspectives. We examine how memory, power, and narrative shape what gets called “history” and what gets dismissed as myth, hearsay, or folklore.

The historical method is not about memorizing timelines. It is about interpretation, revision, and dialogue between the past and the present.

History Is a Conversation

We often treat history as if it were complete. But every time we discover a new archive, translate a lost text, or listen to someone who was previously unheard, we rewrite what we thought we knew.

This is especially true in the case of UAPs and experiencer accounts. Oral histories, religious texts, ancient art, and modern testimony contain striking consistencies across time and culture. These are not isolated anecdotes. They are patterns.

The question for history teachers is not whether UAPs are real in the narrowest sense. The question is: Why have people across all times and places reported these experiences? What do these accounts tell us about how humans have understood the sky, the gods, the stars, and themselves?

Primary Sources Are Everywhere

We are living through a time when people are speaking out. Experiencers are sharing their stories. Military and intelligence personnel are testifying. Government documents are being declassified. Independent researchers and journalists are building archives in real time.

These are primary sources. They are messy, diverse, contradictory, and raw. Just like the best historical material always is.

What matters is how we approach them. Can we apply the same rigor and respect we bring to other forms of testimony? Can we teach students how to think critically about narratives that fall outside the mainstream?

If we do, we are not abandoning history. We are practicing it.

A History Curriculum That Stays Alive

History should evolve with new information. We revise our understanding of ancient civilizations when we find new sites or decode new languages. We reconsider the impacts of colonization and empire when we center the voices of the colonized. We adjust our views of historical events when whistleblowers, survivors, or new documents emerge.

Why should the history of human contact with the unknown be any different?

UAPs intersect with questions of power, secrecy, spirituality, technology, and identity. They are woven into folklore, religious narratives, government cover-ups, Cold War politics, and modern media. In short, they belong in the historical record.

The Role of History Teachers

As educators, we are not just teaching what happened. We are modeling how to ask questions about the past. We are helping students see that history is a conversation, not a conclusion.

Model curiosity. Show students that when new information comes to light, we pay attention. We investigate. We revise.

With more academic departments now taking UAP studies seriously, we are entering a new chapter. Research will become more accessible. Data that was once hidden may become public. Future historians will look back on this moment and ask how we responded.

Let’s make sure they see that we responded with open minds, sharp tools, and a willingness to ask the questions that matter.