In July 1947, unknown debris was discovered near Roswell, New Mexico. The military initially announced "capture of a flying disc," then retracted the next day, calling it a "weather balloon." The controversy has never stopped.
Timeline
On July 4, 1947, rancher Mac Brazel discovered large quantities of unusual metallic debris scattered across his ranch near Roswell, New Mexico.
On July 8, the Roswell Army Air Field issued a press release announcing "RAAF captures a flying disc."
The next day, the military retracted the statement, claiming the debris was a "weather balloon."
Key Figures
- Major Jesse Marcel: Base intelligence officer responsible for collecting the debris. He later publicly stated it was definitely not a weather balloon.
- Mac Brazel: The rancher who first discovered the debris. The military took some of his samples.
- Glenn Dennis: A local funeral home owner who claimed the military asked him about "handling small caskets."
After 1978
In 1978, physicist Stanton Friedman interviewed Major Marcel, reigniting public interest in the case.
In 1980, the bestselling book The Roswell Incident was published.
In 1994, the U.S. Air Force released a report claiming the debris came from a high-altitude balloon of "Project Mogul," used to monitor Soviet nuclear tests.
In 1997, the Air Force issued another report, claiming the "alien bodies" story originated from crash-test dummies used in aircraft accident tests.
Controversy Points
1. Why did the military's initial press release use the term "flying disc"?
2. Over several decades, multiple witnesses claimed to have seen "non-human bodies."
3. The 1994/1997 official explanations are widely criticized as full of holes.
Current Status
Roswell is now a tourist city, home to the International UFO Museum and Research Center. A UFO Festival is held every July.
Sources: U.S. Air Force 1994/1997 reports, Major Marcel interview records, Roswell Daily Record archives.