Mysterious facts about Area 51.
                     MYSTERIOUS 
FACTS ABOUT 
AREA 51
INTRODUCTION
 Area 51 has been shrouded in mystery for 
decades, so it only makes sense that the 
rumored alien secrets held within the 
remote desert site would get a reboot in 
the social media age.
Source: time.com
WHAT IS AREA 51?
 Area 51, officially named the Nevada Test 
and Training Range at Groom Lake, is a 
high-security open training range for the 
U.S. Air Force in southern Nevada — 
though the site is still very secretive.
Source: livescience.com
OFFICIAL DECLARATION
 The public found out that Area 51 officially existed in 
August 2013 after Dr. Jeffrey T. Richelson, a senior 
fellow submitted a Freedom of Information Act 
Request in 2005.
 It was for information on the CIA’s Lockheed U-2 
plane reconnaissance program, the secret 
construction and testing of spy planes used to gather 
intelligence.
Source: KUNR
WHAT'S IN THE NAME?
 The name comes from designations on 
Nevada Test Site maps from the 1950s. 
 Area 51 is part of the Nevada Test Site (now 
known as the Nevada National Security Site), 
a remote area of desert 65 miles (105 
kilometers) north of Las Vegas. 
 It was the Nevada Test Site that hosted 
hundreds of nuclear weapons tests starting in 
the 1950s, almost 100 of which were above 
ground.
Source: History.com
CONSPIRACY CENTRAL
 Area 51's major claim to fame is as an 
alleged extraterrestrial technology 
research site. 
 It all started in July 1947, when the Roswell 
Daily Record's front-page headline 
screamed "RAAF Captures Flying Saucer 
On Ranch in Roswell Region." 
 Conspiracy theorists insisted it was an 
alien spacecraft which was then taken 
from the Roswell ranch property to Area 51 
for reverse-engineering. 
Source: YouTube
DELAYED UFO CLAIMS
 A man named Robert Lazar told a Las Vegas 
television station that he worked at a 
mysterious site called S-4 near Area 51 to 
reverse-engineer crashed flying saucers. 
 This caused quite a stir, but Lazar was later 
found to have fabricated his employment not 
only on the base, but his entire background.
  He claims to have graduated from MIT and 
Caltech but actually went to neither.
Source: Business Insider
NO VISITORS
 Area 51 is on the map, but it's a restricted area, 
with armed guards patrolling the fences around 
the parameter. 
 They're colloquially known as "Camo dudes" 
because that's what they wear when on the job. 
 Guards have sought compensation for breathing 
problems they say they've experienced since 
being exposed to toxic chemicals from the 
burning of the coatings meant to shield aircraft 
from radar.
Source:
ANOTHER CONSPIRACY?
 As if crashed UFOs weren't enough, some 
conspiracy theorists also think that Area 51 
is where the moon landing was staged. 
 In the 1974 conspiracy theorist Bill Kaysing 
argues that NASA astronauts never made it 
to space and that all the footage of Neil 
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the 
lunar surface was filmed at Area 51.
Source: History.com
AIR FORCE AFFILIATION
 Officially, Area 51 is part of the Nevada Test 
and Training Range (NTTR), which is affiliated 
with Nellis Air Force Base. 
 According to the Air Force, the NTTR is the 
largest combined air and ground space for 
peacetime military operations in any 
democracy in the world. 
Source: History.com
PARADISE IN THE DESERT
 During Area 51's heyday as a testing site for 
the U-2 and other secretive military tech, 
engineer Kelly Johnson came up with a deft 
bit of rebranding.
 He nicknamed the place "Paradise Ranch." It's 
paradise indeed if you like desert scrubland 
and temperatures that regularly hit 100 
degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees C) in the 
summer.
Source: History.com