A rancher discovered unusual debris near Roswell, sparking military reports of a 'flying disc' followed by a rapid retraction and official explanation of a weather balloon.
In July 1947, debris was recovered from a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. The U.S. military initially announced the recovery of a 'flying disc,' but quickly retracted the statement, attributing the debris to a weather balloon. The case later became one of the most famous UFO incidents in history, fueling decades of conspiracy theories involving alien spacecraft and government cover-ups. Later explanations pointed to Project Mogul, a classified balloon program designed to detect Soviet nuclear tests.
| Date: | 1947-07-08 |
| Location: | Roswell, New Mexico |
| Country: | United States |
| Category: | Military |
| Credibility: | Low / Controversial |