NOWCAST WESH2 News at 7
Watch on Demand
Advertisement

This Day in History: Air Force debunks UFO theories after Roswell rancher discovers mysterious debris
Natalie Newport
National Curator
This Day in History: Air Force debunks UFO theories after Roswell rancher discovers mysterious debris
Advertisement
This Day in History: Air Force debunks UFO theories after Roswell rancher discovers mysterious debris
Natalie Newport
National Curator
For decades, people have wondered if there was life elsewhere, beyond the stars, and the Roswell Incident in 1947 seemed to confirm extraterrestrial life for some. A rancher near Roswell, New Mexico named Mac Brazel was tending to his sheep when he noticed a bundle of metallic sticks held together with tape, chunks of plastic and foil reflectors, as well as scraps of a heavy, glossy, paper-like material. Mac took the items to the sheriff because, to him, it seemed out of this world. Neither the sheriff nor officials at the nearby Roswell Army Air Force base could identify the items. As soldiers scoured Mac’s land finding debris littered around, questions started to surface. On July 8, 1947, the local paper’s headline read: “RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region.”Air Force officials were quick to correct the paper saying it was just debris from a crashed weather balloon, but many people weren’t buying that explanation. For years following, Roswell became the home to a UFO sighting. Rumors grew more rapidly after 1950 when body-shaped items began falling from the skies in fields across New Mexico. Later it came to light that the artifacts and dummies were part of a top-secret project. In 1994, the Pentagon declassified information from the incident calling it “Project Mogul.”As the findings were made public, the answers to several unanswered questions were revealed. For instance, the dummies were used to test ways for pilots to survive falls from high-altitudes. As for the debris that Mac found? It was the main part of Project Mogul’s plan to use high altitude balloons at a part of the Earth’s atmosphere that can act as a sound channel. From there, the scientists believed these balloons would allow them to eavesdrop on nuclear tests happening around the world. Despite the mysteries being solved, there are still quite a few who refuse to reject the notion that UFOs landed in Mac’s ranch that day in 1947.

Advertisement

For decades, people have wondered if there was life elsewhere, beyond the stars, and the Roswell Incident in 1947 seemed to confirm extraterrestrial life for some.

A rancher near Roswell, New Mexico named Mac Brazel was tending to his sheep when he noticed a bundle of metallic sticks held together with tape, chunks of plastic and foil reflectors, as well as scraps of a heavy, glossy, paper-like material. Mac took the items to the sheriff because, to him, it seemed out of this world.

Neither the sheriff nor officials at the nearby Roswell Army Air Force base could identify the items. As soldiers scoured Mac’s land finding debris littered around, questions started to surface.

On July 8, 1947, the local paper’s headline read: “RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region.”

Air Force officials were quick to correct the paper saying it was just debris from a crashed weather balloon, but many people weren’t buying that explanation.

For years following, Roswell became the home to a UFO sighting. Rumors grew more rapidly after 1950 when body-shaped items began falling from the skies in fields across New Mexico.

Later it came to light that the artifacts and dummies were part of a top-secret project. In 1994, the Pentagon declassified information from the incident calling it “Project Mogul.”As the findings were made public, the answers to several unanswered questions were revealed.

For instance, the dummies were used to test ways for pilots to survive falls from high-altitudes.

As for the debris that Mac found? It was the main part of Project Mogul’s plan to use high altitude balloons at a part of the Earth’s atmosphere that can act as a sound channel.

From there, the scientists believed these balloons would allow them to eavesdrop on nuclear tests happening around the world.

Despite the mysteries being solved, there are still quite a few who refuse to reject the notion that UFOs landed in Mac’s ranch that day in 1947.