Global interest in UFOs peaked to an unprecedented level as Internet searches for UFOs almost tripled* over night with the release of UFO files by The National Archives .

Reflecting this UFO mania The National Archives’ UFO webpage attracted 264,285 visits the first day, five times more than usual.  Over the next four days 1,348,054 files were downloaded.

David Thomas, chief information officer at The National Archives, “It just shows the fascination in encounters of a third kind is very real. This launch exceeded our expectations and showcased our ability to deliver large scale projects in the face of sustained web traffic.”

Released under the Freedom of Information Act, these 8 UFO files were the first tranche transferred to The National Archives by the Ministry of Defence. In anticipation of the demand, The National Archives web team worked with UK managed hosting provider NetBenefit and their Content Delivery Network (CDN) specialist Panther Express to ensure uninterrupted viewing of this previously unseen material.

Jonathan Robinson, chief operating officer NetBenefit comments, “With a project like this, capacity for the unknown has to be anticipated and planned for.  A resilient hosting solution with scaleable bandwidth was key to its success. ”

The files contained details of alleged alien abductions, sightings of flying saucers and crop circles. 

ENDS