Military8 Jul 1947Roswell, NM

Roswell debris recovery

Name: Roswell debris recovery
Start: 1947-07-08
Location: Roswell, NM

The Roswell Daily Record of July 8, 1947, reporting the Army's flying disc announcement Roswell Daily Record, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Roswell Army Air Field announced it had recovered a "flying disc" from a nearby ranch, and the Army said the next day it was a weather balloon. A 1994 Air Force report concluded the debris most likely came from Project Mogul, a then-secret balloon program.

Evidence

Significance

Sources

OfficialReport of Air Force Research Regarding the 'Roswell Incident' (July 1994), archived af.mil copy (opens in a new tab)U.S. Air Force (NARA web harvest) / 1994-07
OfficialGovernment Records: Results of a Search for Records Concerning the 1947 Crash Near Roswell, New Mexico (NSIAD-95-187) (opens in a new tab)U.S. General Accounting Office / 1995-07-28
OfficialThe Roswell Reports: What crashed in the desert? (opens in a new tab)National Archives, The Unwritten Record blog / 2014-07-07

How sources are chosen and tiered

7 Jan 1948Military

Mantell incident

Kentucky Air National Guard Capt. Thomas Mantell died when his F-51 crashed while climbing after an object reported by the Godman Field tower near Fort Knox. Investigators concluded he likely lost consciousness from lack of oxygen; a Navy Skyhook balloon is widely cited as the object.

Evidence

Significance

19 Jul 1946Military

Swedish ghost rockets and the Lake Kolmjarv impact

In summer 1946 Swedes reported hundreds of rocket-like objects; on July 19 witnesses saw one dive into Lake Kolmjarv, but an army search of the lakebed found nothing. A Defence Staff committee attributed many reports to meteors, suspected Soviet tests for the rest, and never found proof.

Evidence

Significance

19 Jul 1952Military

Washington, D.C. radar sightings

On two weekends in July 1952, radar at Washington National Airport and Andrews AFB tracked unexplained targets, some matched by pilot sightings, and jets were sent to intercept. The Air Force publicly suggested temperature inversions as a likely cause.

Evidence

Significance

23 Nov 1953Military

Kinross F-89 disappearance

An F-89C interceptor flown by 1st Lt. Felix Moncla Jr. with radar operator 2nd Lt. Robert Wilson vanished over Lake Superior after being vectored toward an unknown radar target. The Air Force said the target was an off-course Canadian C-47; no wreckage or crew were found.

Evidence

Significance