On this day in 1947, rancher WW Brazel discovered some debris near Roswell, and the front pages of the Roswell Daily Record reported the RAAF captured a "flying saucer," which kicked off the UFO craze that has captured the minds of millions of people.

Seventy-seven years later, the UFO conspiracies and controversies still continue to live on.

...rancher W.W. (“Mac”) Brazel discovered some unusual debris near Roswell, New Mexico, in June. The material included tinfoil, rubber strips, and sticks. The following month he took the items to the Roswell sheriff, who in turn contacted the Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF). After collecting the wreckage, the RAAF issued an extraordinary press release that stated that a “flying disc” had been retrieved from a local ranch. The Roswell Daily Record immediately picked up the press release, and on July 8, the story was printed with the headline “RAAF Captures Flying Saucer On Ranch in Roswell Region.”