What Really Happened at Roswell, New Mexico? What happened in 1947 at Roswell, New Mexico? Some say an extra- terrestrial space-craft crash landed at a nearby air base. The military, on the other hand, says that it was only a weather balloon. Weather a balloon or a spaceship, the Roswell Incident has become a story of epic proportions. In the first week of July, 1947, something strange happened in Roswell, New Mexico. This incident took place at a ranch northwest of the small desert town, where the wreckage of the supposed “flying-saucer” was found. This wreckage was first found by a local rancher, Mac Brazel, when he went ou