The Extraordinary and extra-terrestrials, the unknown and unexplained are what draw people to Roswell, NM. Roswell's early days in the late 19th century were rooted briefly in trade then in farming due to a natural artesian water source just outside of the town. In the 20th century the airspace surrounding Roswell became the proving ground for many unknown flying objects, first with Robert Goddard, the father of American rocketry, centering his operation near Roswell in the 1930s, then with the military later testing rockets at White Sands Missile range and weather balloons at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo. On July 2, 1947, the crash of an unknown airborne object gave birth to the popular myth and legend of the town. While military officials maintain that the vessel was a weather balloon, many skeptics believe that the vessel was a spacecraft that carried alien lifeforms, and that the military was hiding information that proved such. The incident spawned numerous theories and stories including documentaries, books, and a fabricated alien autopsy video. In the 1990s, the WB network popularized a fictional television show named "Roswell" featuring fictional aliens living among the people of the town. Today the town embraces the popular myth by celebrating UFO's and aliens during an annual festival held in early July.