There are many relatively unknown facts about Area 51. If we digress from all these aliens and weather modifications for a moment, we realize that these facts are as interesting as the most far-fetched conspiracy theories around the place.
10. It grows
It has been a long time since the general public became aware of Area 51, although the CIA did not recognize its existence until 2013. What was originally an inconspicuous military base created during the Cold War has become America's biggest military secret, in large part due to publicized statements from its employees.
Since then, public interest in the base has only grown, as has the base itself. Most of us believe that Area 51 is one protected area that has remained unchanged since its inception. But, in fact, Area 51 is still expanding, along with the amount of research being done there. The expansion of Area 51 has caused a lot of controversy, as much of the land that now makes up its area was seized forcibly without adequate explanation. We're not hinting that in the years since the base was built, they've found more aliens to experiment with. We're just saying it's possible.
9. No one knows why she was named Area 51
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Most of us are unaware that this base was not always called Area 51, even if some time ago the government began to call it that. According to documents from the Cold War era, its original name is Homey Airport or Groom Lake. Despite this, the base is now referred to exclusively as Area 51, even in official documents. Of course, this begs the question: where does this name come from? Area 51 implies the existence of zones 1 through 50, and if they exist, no one has been able to find them. What's the answer? We have no idea. We know that this is what the place was called in 60s government charts, and that the CIA officially confirmed this in 2013.
Some people say the reason was the grid naming system used by the Atomic Energy Commission. Others argue that areas 1-50 were first created but eventually destroyed due to aliens spiraling out of control. As far as we know, any of these explanations may be true.
8. Navy officials confirm UFO videos are real
While there are certainly many conspiracy theories around Area 51, almost all of them can be discredited if one goes to reason and logic. We're sure there is some truth to some of them - since the military really needs a base to test secret technology for national security purposes - but some of these theories are too far-fetched to be true.
But only until the moment when you do not take into account one of the videos that the leadership of the US Navy has. It shows UFOs filmed in this region. In the video, the Navy plane interacts with several strange flying objects, and up to a certain point this video was considered a fake. While the US Navy has not confirmed the presence of aliens, they have acknowledged that strange flying anomalies have been seen in and around Area 51.
7. One of these UFOs matches Lazar's description
While many ordinary people have forgotten exactly how Area 51 became popular, the conspiracy theorist community remembers that it was thanks to Bob Lazar. He served in Area 51 and became the first person to claim to have seen the government conduct experiments with aliens there.
If you do not believe in conspiracies, then decide that none of his predictions can be true, and he made them solely for the sake of glory. We thought so too, at least until the description of one of the objects he spoke about matched one of three UFOs, the presence of which was confirmed by the US Navy. He claimed to have worked on a bottom-to-bottom spacecraft and described its shape in detail. If you look at the above video, you will see that one of these objects perfectly matches the description of the one that Lazar spoke about.
6. Initial Purpose of Site 51
Amid all this chatter about aliens and conspiracy theories, it's hard to find the real purpose of Area 51. Many conspiracy theorists believe that the area was built solely to house captured aliens. Although this may also be true, as many unrelated people have claimed to have seen strange things in Area 51.
You see, when the Cold War broke out, the entire Eastern Bloc was suddenly closed by what we know as the Iron Curtain. Because of this, the United States had to come up with an effective way to collect intelligence. Area 51 was originally intended to conduct research on secret American U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. The secrecy of the base can also be explained by the simple fact that the American military did not want the Soviet Union to know about it, because otherwise the whole point would be lost.
5. There is no real fence around Area 51
Given that this facility is so heavily guarded by the US military, one would think that Area 51 has some kind of physical boundary to keep the curious outside. After all, if you can just cross its guarded perimeter, then it's not such a secret facility, right?
In fact, this is exactly the case. There is no fence around Area 51. While some of its interior is guarded around the perimeter, the base itself has no physical boundary. This does not mean that you can enter it unnoticed, since magnetic sensors are installed in many places, as well as watchtowers, from where they will definitely shoot at you if you try to do this.
4. The secret of daily commuting
Many of you may have wondered about the working life of the people working in Area 51. No living quarters were built for the employees. Who wouldn't want to work for the largest army in the world with free housing?
While we assume that some of the staff working at Site 51 have their own accommodations here, most do not. They get to the office, perhaps in one of the most unusual and secret ways - by air. There is an entire hangar inside the facility dedicated to Area 51 employees, and there is a closed terminal for them at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. Interestingly, the planes use a secret call sign called Janet. But this name is not the airline, it is just the name given to these aircraft when they are in civilian airspace.
3. You can see it in the Google Maps application
Even if the general public has no idea what is inside Area 51, one company knows its internal location, at least from satellite altitude. Google Maps is arguably one of the few private companies allowed to display the object, and you can even see it in high definition right now. The maps also show in high resolution how the object has grown over the years, which is very surprising.
Google even has a dedicated pointer for Area 51 if you enter its coordinates. Just navigate to 37.24804, -115.800155 and you will find that the little Google Street sign has turned into a tiny spaceship.
2. The most closely guarded secret of the American military
Without going into conspiracy theories, you might think that Area 51 is just another secret US military facility. After all, conspiracy theories exist around every important secret military base in the world. All conspiracy theories around Area 51 seem to stem from Bob Lazar's initial statement, and it's safe to assume that if it weren't for that, Area 51 would be viewed solely as another military target.
But it's not just conspiracy theorists who find this object interesting. When several astronauts while on the Skylab space facility accidentally photographed the object, the CIA sent them a special memorandum stating that this is the only coordinate on the planet for which there are clear instructions not to do this. In other words, the government also recognizes Area 51 as the single most closely guarded secret in the US military. What does it mean? You can only guess.
1. The real problems of Site 51
We have heard so many conspiracy theories about Area 51 that we are no longer paying attention to the real problems. It's hard to pay attention to, for example, sexual harassment in the workplace in Area 51, when we're constantly being told about things like exoskeletons made from someone else's skin.
As is the case with most companies, the real problems in Area 51 have more to do with corporate misconduct and employer's neglect of proper working conditions than with aliens. There have been quite a few lawsuits claiming that Site 51 personnel were exposed to hazardous chemicals, and possibly at least two people died as a result. The situation is further complicated by the government's refusal to disclose the real state of affairs, since everything inside the facility is a strictly guarded state secret.