Credit: Getty[/caption]
Area 51 is one of the most mysterious places on the planet. Shrouded in secrecy, the military base's existence was not officially confirmed by the US government until 2013, but its history goes a lot longer back than this. With reports from as early as the 1980s suggesting that it's home to all things extraterrestrial.
The base has recently hit the headlines thanks to a Facebook event, which aims to discover the truth about the base. It's been dubbed "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us", and over a million people have clicked attend, prompting the US government to warn that force will be used to stop anyone on a mission to "see dem aliens". So, before you actually join the rade, here are some facts you don't need to put yourself in danger to discover!
[post_page_title]How Area 51 Got Its Name[/post_page_title]
Now, the name Area 51 is so synonymous with aliens that it's hard to believe it's derived from anything, well, ordinary. But that is indeed the case and this is how the top-secret base got its name.
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Credit: The National Security Archive / Via nsarchive2.gwu.edu[/caption]
A little known fact about Area 51 is that it's named after a grid reference on an atomic energy commission map. Don't worry, we're as surprised as you that it's not the site of a crash-landed UFO or something like that.
[post_page_title]Its Had Other Names[/post_page_title]
However, there is no reason to be totally disappointed as the base has had other names in the past, which are arguably even more fitting to a place as shrouded in secrecy as Area 51. This is what they are...
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Credit: Getty[/caption]
The base has also been known as Paradise Ranch, Watertown, and Dreamland. Yup, we're thinking it too - they all sound like the names of amusement parks. But maybe there's some truth in this... for aliens.
[post_page_title]The Base Was Established In 1955[/post_page_title]
While rumors of the base's association with extraterrestrial research have been around for decades, the base itself has existed for over half a century, and it was actually created way back in 1955.
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National Geographic / Via nationalgeographic.com.au[/caption]
Back then, all that was known about Area 51 was that it was the location of a secret project dubbed "Aquatone" - the code name for the aircraft pictured above which was used to spy on the Soviet Union.
[post_page_title]There's No Fences[/post_page_title]
While it's no secret that Area 51 is a restricted area, with signs surrounding the base warning that the "use of deadly force" has been "authorized", anyone who turns up for the air could find something very unexpected.
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Credit: Getty[/caption]
Unbelievably, despite being one of the most-talked-about mysterious places in the world, there are absolutely no fences surrounding Area 51, making the proposed raid not such a far fetched idea.
[post_page_title]But Seriously Don't Cross The Borderline[/post_page_title]
We know that the use of deadly force is authorized on anyone who dares cross the threshold into Area 51, and this is what one former guard had to say about what could happen to people who trespass on the site.
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Credit: Getty[/caption]
According to the National Geographic, a former Area 51 security guard, said that he'd been told he had the "call clear" to "waste" (yup, that word exactly) anyone who dared "penetrate" the borderline.
[post_page_title]The Restricted Area 51 Terminal[/post_page_title]
By now, you're probably wondering how the people who actually work in Area 51 access the facility without, well, getting shot, and it turns out that they have an access route as secretive as the base itself.
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Credit: Google[/caption]
Area 51 employees access the base by plane through a restricted airport terminal at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. It's called the "Gold Coast". One thing's for sure - we don't think there will be a Starbuck's inside.
[post_page_title]The Area 51 Airline[/post_page_title]
Unsurprisingly, you won't see any American Airlines planes landing in Area 51. Instead, the base has its own airline, and there's one distinct feature which will tell you which planes are heading there...
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Tomás Del Coro / CC / Via en.wikipedia.org[/caption]
They are all unmarked and belong to an airline called Janet. Seriously. So if you're ever in McCarran International Airport and want to imagine what it's like to work there, you know what planes to look out for.
[post_page_title]The Original Area 51 Location[/post_page_title]
Another little known fact about Area 51 is that its current location in the middle of the Nevada Desert was not, in fact, its original one. It was actually originally located on the edge of an abandoned airstrip at the edge of Groom Lake.
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Credit: TD Barnes and Roadrunners Internationale / Via cia.gov[/caption]
This was a place the government had already used, namely, for nuclear testing. In fact, Groom Lake was also another name for Area 51 in the past. Not going to lie, we've had a chat, and we think Dreamland is the best previous name!
[post_page_title]Edwards Air Force Base[/post_page_title]
Because employees traveling to Area 51 do so through an airport in Nevada, it's only natural to assume that the base is administered by an airforce there too, when, in reality, it's actually administered by an airforce in California.
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Credit: Getty[/caption]
Area 51, which is located 150 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is actually administered by Edwards Airforce Base in Southern California.
[post_page_title]Bob Lazar's Interview[/post_page_title]
Although Area 51 was established in the 50s, it didn't really capture anyone's imagination until the 80s when a former employee named Bob Lazar gave an interview about his time working there to KLAS-TV.
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Credit: 8 News NOW / Via youtube.com[/caption]
He told the news station that he worked at a "secret facility", but most interestingly of all, a facility that was kept a secret because alien technology was being "reverse engineered" there.
[post_page_title]He Drew The Spacecrafts[/post_page_title]
Obviously, the moment Lazer mentioned alien technology, people were sent into a frenzy, and the former Area 51 employee revealed a sketch he'd made of the spaceship he was working on.
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Credit: 8 News NOW / Via youtube.com[/caption]
The drawing of the ship, which, admittedly, looks like media and sci-fi representations of flying saucers, was dated March 29, 1989.
[post_page_title]But There Was One Crucial Difference[/post_page_title]
However, not everything Lazer had to say about the spacecraft he was working on sounded like something straight out of a mad man or someone on the hunt for fame. This is the unexpected way that he said it operated.
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Credit: 8 News NOW / Via youtube.com[/caption]
Lazer said that the spacecraft he worked on didn't hover as you might expect. Instead, they flew with their "bellies" or "bottom" forward. Interesting...
[post_page_title]There's Evidence![/post_page_title]
Now, while Lazer's revelations could be seen as the ramblings of a mad man or someone on the hunt for fame, they do actually match some pretty convincing evidence of a UFO.
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Credit: To The Stars Academy of Arts & Science / Via youtube.com[/caption]
Featured below is the "Gimbal UFO" a video the Pentagon released in 2017. As you can see, the UFO is flying bottom first, just like Lazer said!
[post_page_title]The CIA's Acknowledgement[/post_page_title]
Despite the base clearly existing, its existence wasn't officially confirmed by the CIA until 2013, which naturally begs the question, why?
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Credit: ABC / Via youtube.com[/caption]
According to Reuters in 2013: "Released by George Washington University's National Security Archive, the 400-page CIA history contains the first deliberate official references to Area 51 as a site developed by the intelligence agency in the 1950s to test fly the high-altitude U-2 reconnaissance plane."
[post_page_title]What The CIA Document Didn't Mention[/post_page_title]
By the time Area 51's existence was confirmed, it had been associated with extraterrestrial research for years. However, this was not mentioned in the document released by the CIA.
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Credit: Getty[/caption]
Instead, all we know for sure is that it's a military training base. However, it's no secret that the US government has spent millions of dollars on extraterrestrial research, it's just a question of where.
[post_page_title]Area 51 Has Grown Over The Years[/post_page_title]
Satellite images have given us a good idea of what Area 51 looks like, and they've demonstrated that the base has grown considerably in size and infrastructure over the years.
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Credit: National Geographic / Google / Via nationalgeographic.com.au[/caption]
Back in the 50s, all Area 51 consisted of was one runway, a few hangars, trailers, and a mess hall. Now, it's got a number of runways and buildings. Could it be that it really is nothing more than an airforce base?
[post_page_title]The Military Is Watching You[/post_page_title]
There might not be a fence surrounding Area 51, but before you decided to go on a personal investigation mission for YouTube, take note of the fact that it is heavily monitored by the military.
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Credit: National Geographic / Via nationalgeographic.com.au[/caption]
Sure, you might think you'll be able to dodge the armed guards and security cameras, but you won't. That's why people are planning to storm the base on mass. Safety in the numbers and all that.
[post_page_title]Area 51 On Google Maps[/post_page_title]
Area 51 is so synonymous with aliens that even Google has gotten in on the action, and if you zoom in on the base on Google maps, you'll get a fun surprise when your icon does this...
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Credit: Google[/caption]
Yup, it transforms into a little spaceship. Pretty neat, eh? I think it's adorable, and if the proposed raid actually takes place, it could turn out to be more than just a quirky joke!
[post_page_title]Is It The Moon?[/post_page_title]
The 1969 Moon landings were one of the most iconic events in human history. As Neil Armstrong so famously put it: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
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Credit: Getty[/caption]
However, it's been widely speculted that the moon landings were fake, and some have suggested that the staged event was constructed at the mysterious Area 51.
[post_page_title]Roswell[/post_page_title]
The US's fascination with UFOs reached fever-pitch in 1947 when an alleged spaceship crashed over Roswell, New Mexico. Once Area 51 became associated with extraterrestrial life, many believe it was sent there.
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Credit: Roswell Daily Record[/caption]
The government, however, dismissed the claims that it was a spaceship which crashed in Roswell, saying that it was nothing more than a weather balloon, albeit an atomic monitoring balloon with nuclear testing capabilities.
[post_page_title]What It's Really For[/post_page_title]
Okay, so we know that Area 51 is an air force training facility, but what exactly does this mean? Well, fake combat scenarios are created there and military crews are trained accordingly.
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Credit: Getty[/caption]
The military has also given examples, revealing that the U-2 spy plane, an ultra-high altitude aircraft used for reconnaissance, had its first flight at Area 51.
[post_page_title]It's Technically The Government's Fault[/post_page_title]
For years, people have claimed to see UFOs surrounding Area 51, which only contributed to its notoriety. However, the government new what many of these UFO were...
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Credit: Alien Planet / YouTube[/caption]
But they didn't want to reveal the full capabilities of the US military, which is why they simply let people speculate when, in reality, what they were often seeing had a logical explanation.
[post_page_title]Other Test Planes[/post_page_title]
Alien activity aside, Area 51 has been home to the testing of a number of planes. NBC News reported that these included the Lockheed A-12 Oxcart and the D-21 Tagboard.
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Credit: Mapping Service / DigitalGlobe / Google Earth[/caption]
Pictured above is a Google Earth view of Area 51 which, no doubt to the dismay of alien hunters, shows runways and a cluster of buildings that suggest it really is nothing more than an airforce training site.
[post_page_title]Captured Aircraft[/post_page_title]
While there is no doubt that secret research into aliens has been conducted by the US government, no official evidence of it exists - yet.
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Credit: National Security Archive[/caption]
However, a declassified file from 2013 revealed that they tested "secretly obtained" fighters there during the Cold War in the 70s and 80s.
[post_page_title]No One Knows What's Happening There Right Now[/post_page_title]
We might have snippets of information about what Area 51 was used for in the past, but all we know about its current purpose is that it still has one - we just have absolutely no idea what it is.
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Credit: Getty[/caption]
So, if you just so happen to be in Las Vegas airport and see someone boarding an unmarked plane, your best bet is to ask them. Not that they'd be legally able to tell you anything (well, maybe after one too many at the bar)!
[post_page_title]The CIA Has Investigated Alien Aircraft[/post_page_title]
We know that the US government has spent a lot of money on extraterrestrial research, and part of this has definitely involved researching alien craft after the number of reported sightings dramatically increased in the 50s.
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Credit: Getty[/caption]
The CIA announced in 1952 that "there is a remote possibility that they may be interplanetary aircraft". So is it a mere coincidence that Area 51 was established three years later? We may never know.
[post_page_title]Paradise Ranch[/post_page_title]
We know that Area 51 was once known as Paradise Ranch and it turns out that it was done for a good reason. It was to encourage members of the military to come and live there and work in the base.
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Credit: TD Barnes and Roadrunners Internationale / CIA[/caption]
Living in the middle of the desert, after all, is a hard sell. According to Time magazine, this rebranding was the brainchild of engineer Kelly Johnson.
[post_page_title]It Can Trap Daredevil Tourists[/post_page_title]
While trespassing on Area 51 is a feral crime that could see you subject to up to six months imprisonment, or even death, depending on how far into the site you go, it also serves another purpose.
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Credit: Getty[/caption]
The base can trap daredevil tourists! As it stands, going up to the perimeter of the site is actually a pretty popular tourist attraction. Oh, and in addition to the aforementioned penalties, you could also get landed with a $1,000 fine.
[post_page_title]Hilary's Promise[/post_page_title]
While running for the presidency in 2016, Hilary Clinton promised as part of her campaign trail that she'd make more information about Area 51 public, which means we could have had aliens instead of Trump...
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Credit: Randy Holmes / ABC[/caption]
"I would like us to go into those files and hopefully make as much of that public as possible. If there's nothing there, let's tell people there's nothing there," Clinton told Jimmy Kimmel on "Jimmy Kimmel Live".
[post_page_title]The Extraterrestrial Highway[/post_page_title]
We might never know if there are any actual aliens in Area 51, but one thing we do know for sure is that nearby there is a stretch of road called The Extraterrestrial Highway which 100% exists.
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Credit: Getty[/caption]
As the picture above demonstrates, it's full of fun quirky road stops and is a great idea if you're wanting to get in on the alien action without risking the repercussions!
