1947 following reports of the capture of a flying disc by u.s
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1947 79 years ago Selected Events July 8 4 sources

Following reports of the capture of a "flying disc" by U.S. Army Air Forces personnel near Roswell, New Mexico, the military stated that the crashed object was a conventional weather balloon.

On July 8, in the year 1947, Following reports of the capture of a "flying disc" by U.S. Army Air Forces personnel near Roswell, New Mexico, the military stated that the crashed object was a conventional weather balloon. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of July 8, one of 362 recorded events on this date across all of history.

Debris found by a rancher in 1947 near Roswell, New Mexico, has become the basis for UFO conspiracy theories alleging that the United States military recovered a crashed extraterrestrial spacecraft. After metallic and rubber debris was recovered by Roswell Army Air Field personnel, the United States Army Air Forces announced possession of a "flying disc". This announcement made international headlines, but was retracted within a day. The debris was from a complex and uncrewed military balloon train consisting of linked balloons and assorted equipment, operated from the nearby Alamogordo Army Air Field as part of the top-secret Project Mogul, a program intended to detect Soviet nuclear tests. To obscure the purpose and source of the debris, the army reported that it was merely a conventional weather balloon.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on July 8, 1947 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 4 Wikipedia articles.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 22 June 2026.

On This Date in History 362

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 8 Edward D. DiPrete, American politician, 70th Governor of Rhode Island
Notable Deaths 2025 Jul 8 Paulette Jiles, American writer (born 1943)
Historical Events 2022 Jul 8 Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is shot and killed with an improvised firearm due to resentment against the…
Notable Deaths 2022 Jul 8 Shinzo Abe, Japanese politician (born 1954)
Notable Deaths 2022 Jul 8 Larry Storch, American actor and comedian (born 1923)
Notable Deaths 2022 Jul 8 Luis Echeverría, Mexican lawyer and politician (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2022 Jul 8 Tony Sirico, American actor (born 1942)
Selected Events 2022 Jul 8 Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe (pictured) was assassinated with an improvised firearm due to resentment…
Selected Events 2021 Jul 8 Head of a Bear (pictured) sold at auction in London for a total of £8.8 million, a record for a drawing by Leonardo da…
Notable Deaths 2020 Jul 8 Naya Rivera, American actress, model and singer (born 1987)
Notable Deaths 2020 Jul 8 Alex Pullin, Australian snowboarder (born 1987)
Notable Deaths 2018 Jul 8 Tab Hunter, American actor, pop singer, film producer and author (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2016 Jul 8 Abdul Sattar Edhi, Pakistani philanthropist (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 8 Ken Stabler, American football player and sportscaster (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2015 Jul 8 James Tate, American poet (born 1943)
Historical Events 2014 Jul 8 Israel launches an offensive on Gaza amid rising tensions following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli…
Historical Events 2014 Jul 8 The Brazil national football team suffers its joint-worst defeat, losing 7–1 to Germany in the semi-finals of the FIFA…
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 8 Plínio de Arruda Sampaio, Brazilian lawyer and politician (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 8 John V. Evans, American soldier and politician, 27th Governor of Idaho (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 8 Ben Pangelinan, Guamanian businessman and politician (born 1956)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 8 Howard Siler, American bobsledder and coach (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2014 Jul 8 Tom Veryzer, American baseball player (born 1953)
Selected Events 2014 Jul 8 German citizen Lars Mittank disappeared from Varna Airport, Bulgaria; his last known movements were widely watched on…
Selected Events 2014 Jul 8 In the 2014 FIFA World Cup semi-final at the Mineirão, Germany defeated Brazil 7–1 (players pictured), breaking…
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 8 Dick Gray, American baseball player (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 8 Edmund Morgan, American historian and author (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 8 Claudiney Ramos, Brazilian footballer (born 1980)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 8 Rubby Sherr, American physicist and academic (born 1913)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 8 Sundri Uttamchandani, Indian author (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2013 Jul 8 Brett Walker, American songwriter and producer (born 1961)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 8 Muhammed bin Saud Al Saud, Saudi Arabian politician (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 8 Ernest Borgnine, American actor (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 8 Gyang Dalyop Datong, Nigerian physician and politician (born 1959)
Notable Deaths 2012 Jul 8 Martin Pakledinaz, American costume designer (born 1953)
Historical Events 2011 Jul 8 Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U.S. Space Shuttle program.
Notable Deaths 2011 Jul 8 Roberts Blossom, American actor and poet (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2011 Jul 8 Betty Ford, 38th First Lady of the United States (born 1918)
Notable Deaths 2009 Jul 8 Midnight, American singer-songwriter (born 1962)
Notable Deaths 2008 Jul 8 John Templeton, American-born British businessman and philanthropist (born 1912)
Notable Deaths 2007 Jul 8 Chandra Shekhar, Indian lawyer and politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2007 Jul 8 Jack B. Sowards, American screenwriter and producer (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2006 Jul 8 June Allyson, American actress and singer (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2005 Jul 8 Maurice Baquet, French actor and cellist (born 1911)
Notable Deaths 2004 Jul 8 Paula Danziger, American author and educator (born 1944)
Historical Events 2003 Jul 8 Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashes near Port Sudan Airport during an emergency landing attempt, killing 116 of the 117…
Selected Events 2003 Jul 8 Sudan Airways Flight 139 crashed near Port Sudan Airport during an emergency landing attempt, killing 116 of the 117…
Notable Deaths 2002 Jul 8 Ward Kimball, American animator and trombonist (born 1914)
Notable Deaths 2001 Jul 8 John O'Shea, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1920)
Notable Births 1999 Jul 8 İpek Öz, Turkish tennis player
Notable Deaths 1999 Jul 8 Pete Conrad, American captain, pilot, and astronaut. Third man to walk on the moon. (born 1930)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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