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Associated Press
The United States Air Force claimed that
these 200-pound test dummies were
mistaken for extraterrestrial bodies
near Roswell, N.M.
The United States Air Force claimed that
these 200-pound test dummies were
mistaken for extraterrestrial bodies
near Roswell, N.M.
On this Day: UFO Sighted in Roswell, N.M.
July 07, 2008 12:10 AM
by
Erin Harris
On July 7, 1947, William Brazel reported seeing a UFO at his New Mexico ranch, sparking widespread public rumors about aliens and a U.S. government cover-up.
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William “Mac” Brazel said he stared in awe as a massive, shining object cut through the muggy summer sky above his ranch in Roswell, N.M. He alerted local sheriff George Wilcox, and within hours the Roswell Army Air Field announced that it had come into possession of “a flying saucer.”
The Roswell incident set off a wave of public suspicion about the existence of extraterrestrial life forms.
A 1947 Federal Bureau of Investigation report stated that the alleged flying saucer had in fact been a radar-tracking balloon used by the military. However, the public was not convinced and accused the government of lying to cover up its retrieval of an alien spacecraft.
Area 51, a military base in Nevada, became a hot spot for controversy when people suggested that it was home to secret government operations.
In 1984 a series of false documents, known as the Majestic Twelve papers, began to surface, claiming that the government was involved in a top-secret alien conspiracy.
After a General Accounting Office inquiry in 1995, the Secretary of the Air Force said that the debris found in 1947 was remnants from the U.S. military’s Project Mogul, not pieces of alien spacecraft. The Air Force also explained that supposed “alien bodies” found near Roswell were in fact airmen who died in training accidents.
Although the Roswell incident has been largely dismissed as false, its excitement and mystery have inspired movies and video games.
The Roswell incident set off a wave of public suspicion about the existence of extraterrestrial life forms.
A 1947 Federal Bureau of Investigation report stated that the alleged flying saucer had in fact been a radar-tracking balloon used by the military. However, the public was not convinced and accused the government of lying to cover up its retrieval of an alien spacecraft.
Area 51, a military base in Nevada, became a hot spot for controversy when people suggested that it was home to secret government operations.
In 1984 a series of false documents, known as the Majestic Twelve papers, began to surface, claiming that the government was involved in a top-secret alien conspiracy.
After a General Accounting Office inquiry in 1995, the Secretary of the Air Force said that the debris found in 1947 was remnants from the U.S. military’s Project Mogul, not pieces of alien spacecraft. The Air Force also explained that supposed “alien bodies” found near Roswell were in fact airmen who died in training accidents.
Although the Roswell incident has been largely dismissed as false, its excitement and mystery have inspired movies and video games.
Headline Link: Flying saucers
The Roswell Daily Record reported on July 8, 1947, that Mr. and Mrs. Dan Wilmot had been sitting on their porch the previous evening when “a large glowing object zoomed out of the sky. … Wilmot said that it appeared to him to be about 1,500 feet high and going fast. He estimated between 400 and 500 miles per hour. In appearance it looked oval in shape like two inverted saucers, faced mouth to mouth, or like two old type washbowls placed together in the same fashion. The entire body glowed as though light were showing through from inside.” Later sources testify that the UFO was spotted by farmer William “Mac” Brazel.
Source: The Roswell Files
Background: UFO defined; previous sighting; Area 51
The History Channel defines UFOs (unidentified flying objects) as “any real or apparent flying object which cannot be identified by the observer and which remains unidentified after investigation.” The UFO classification method developed by Dr. J. Allen Hynek divides sightings based on proximity and viewing conditions while a more complex system, devised by Jacques Vallee, categorizes sightings by shape, position, and movement, and is preferred by most researchers. In 1969, physicist Edward Condon defined the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis as the “idea that some UFOs may be spacecraft sent to Earth from another civilization, or on a planet associated with a more distant star.”
Source: The History Channel
Kenneth Arnold, American businessman and recreational pilot, was the first person to report a UFO sighting on June 24, 1947, shortly before the Roswell incident. On a flight from Mount Rainer to Yakima, Wash., Arnold testifies that a cluster of nine dark, shiny objects that moved “like a saucer would if you skipped it across the water” passed in front of his plane in a flash of light. Skeptics believe that the alleged UFOs that Arnold saw were simply water droplets on his windshield or clouds of snow blowing off of the mountain cap, but a prospector on nearby Mount Adams reported seeing the same objects, lending credibility to Arnold’s account.
Source: UFOEvidence.org
Area 51, also known as Groom Lake, is a military facility in Nevada, located 90 miles north of Las Vegas. It was formerly a military aircraft testing base, but gained fame among UFO fanatics in 1989 when Bob Lazar claimed on television that he helped engineer an alien spacecraft there. Ever since, the so-called “Dreamland Resort” has under suspicion for hosting government UFO cover-ups associated with the Roswell incident and other bizarre sightings.
Source: Dreamland Resort
Later Developments: The Majestic Twelve; just a balloon
Many people believed that President Harry S. Truman, unable to deal with a nation probing for answers to the Roswell case, enlisted a team of scientists, military leaders, and government officials to investigate the incident. The team was allegedly called “The Majestic Twelve,” yet the only evidence of its existence is found in an unofficial document that surfaced in 1984. Since then, “thousands of papers have appeared and collectively been called the ‘Majestic Documents.’ All of these documents are allegedly dated from 1942 to 1997, ranging from contact with aliens to testing of alien spacecraft to cover-up memos.” The U.S. government insists that these papers are a hoax, although many UFO enthusiasts continue to believe them.
Source: The History Channel
The U.S. Air Force officially closed the Roswell case in 1997, attributing the “unusual” military activities of July 1947 to high-altitude research balloon launch and recovery operations that had been underway. It reported that the “aliens” observed in the area were actually “anthropomorphic test dummies” that the Air Force had used in balloon research and it cited two aircraft incidents that invalidate claims of “alien body” sightings at the Roswell Army Air Field Hospital.
Source: U.S. Air Force
Related Topics: Roswell hits pop culture
References to the Roswell Incident have surfaced all over popular culture, including science-fiction television shows, like “The X-Files,” to movies, like “Independence Day” and “Signs.” It is also featured in popular video games, like “Area 51” and “Deus Ex,” proving that the intrigue and fascination surrounding the phenomenon have not yet faded.
Source: The New York Times
© 2008 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
