AREA 51 MYTH OR TRUTH

# The Mystery of Area 51: What's Really Going On There?

Area 51 is one of the most secretive and mysterious places on Earth. Located in the Nevada desert, about 85 miles north of Las Vegas, it is a highly classified military base that has been the subject of countless conspiracy theories and rumors. What is Area 51 and what goes on there?

![A sign warning trespassers near Area 51]

## The History of Area 51

Area 51 was created in 1955 as a testing and development facility for the U-2 spy plane, a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft that could fly over the Soviet Union and take photos of its nuclear facilities. The base was chosen for its remote location, flat terrain, and dry lake bed, which served as a natural runway. The base was also surrounded by restricted airspace and mountains, which provided additional security and privacy.

The U-2 program was a joint project of the CIA and the US Air Force, and was kept secret from the public and even from most government officials. The base was given the codename "Paradise Ranch" to make it sound more appealing to the workers who lived there. Later, it was simply referred to as "the Ranch" or "Groom Lake", after the name of the nearby salt flat.

Over the years, Area 51 continued to host various secret aircraft projects, such as the A-12 Oxcart, the SR-71 Blackbird, the F-117 Nighthawk, and the B-2 Spirit. These planes were designed to be stealthy, fast, and maneuverable, and were used for reconnaissance, surveillance, and combat missions. Some of these planes were also tested at other locations, such as Edwards Air Force Base in California and Tonopah Test Range in Nevada.

Area 51 was also involved in other covert operations, such as Project Oxcart, which involved flying overflights of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis; Project Have Doughnut, which involved testing captured Soviet MiG fighters; and Project Aquatone, which involved flying U-2s over China during the Taiwan Strait Crisis.

## The Secrets of Area 51

Despite its long history and important role in national security, Area 51 has never been officially acknowledged by the US government until 2013, when the CIA released a declassified report on the U-2 program in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. Even then, the report only mentioned Area 51 by name once, and did not reveal any details about its current activities or operations.

The secrecy surrounding Area 51 has fueled many conspiracy theories and speculations about what goes on there. Some of the most popular ones include:

- Area 51 hosts an alien spacecraft and its occupants that crashed near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. The US government has been studying the alien technology and biology ever since, and has made contact with other extraterrestrial civilizations.

- Area 51 is a site for reverse-engineering alien technology and developing advanced weapons and aircraft, such as anti-gravity devices, laser beams, cloaking devices, and time travel machines.

- Area 51 is a site for experimenting on human subjects and animals with genetic engineering, mind control, telepathy, and other paranormal phenomena.

- Area 51 is a site for storing nuclear weapons and conducting underground nuclear tests.

- Area 51 is a site for preparing for a possible alien invasion or a global catastrophe.

Of course, there is no credible evidence to support any of these claims, and most experts dismiss them as fantasies or hoaxes. However, some people still believe them or are curious about them, and have tried to get closer to Area 51 to find out more.

## The Storming of Area 51

In July 2019, a Facebook event titled "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us" went viral online. The event invited people to gather near Area 51 on September 20th and attempt to enter the base en masse to "see them aliens". The event was created as a joke by Matty Roberts, a college student from California who was inspired by an internet meme. However, millions of people expressed interest in attending or supporting the event.

The event sparked a media frenzy and attracted attention from various celebrities,