The Roswell Incident
A rancher found a field scattered with foil, rubber strips and sticks, and the local air base announced it had recovered a 'flying disc'.
What was reported
In the summer of 1947, rancher W. W. 'Mac' Brazel found debris on a ranch north-west of Roswell. On 8 July, Roswell Army Air Field issued a press release saying it had recovered a 'flying disc'. Within a day, the military corrected the story: it was a weather balloon.
The case was largely forgotten until the late 1970s, when researchers began interviewing people who said the debris had been something else. Roswell became the most famous UFO case in the world.
Explanations offered
In 1994 the US Air Force said the debris came from Project Mogul, a classified programme that flew balloons to listen for Soviet nuclear tests, which would explain the secrecy. Many researchers accept this. Others still believe a craft was recovered and hidden.
- When
- July 1947
- Where
- Roswell, New Mexico, USA
- Witnesses
- A rancher, then military staff
- Status
- Officially explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.