The Secrets Hidden Behind Area 51, the history and myths unfolded
Exposed to the eyes of the public over 30 years ago, what keeps people obsessed?
What is Area 51?
When it comes to the unknown, people often speculate the truth and whether it’s real or not. There has always been an underlying tension in the United States on whether the government informs the public on everything it knows and everything it does. One of the biggest examples can be portrayed through Area 51, a military ground located in the depths of Nevada’s desert that has been theorized as holding classified information from the American people. This heavily guarded compound built for weapon experimentation during the Cold War remains a popular topic of conversation today regarding the holding of extraterrestrial life behind its walls. Acquiring the nickname Dreamland, the site was constructed as an Air Force base in 1942 holding just two runways for planes for both landing and take off. Centered around Groom Lake, the compound was repurposed by the CIA in the early 1950s as a testing zone for aircraft weaponry and nuclear testing during the Cold War. With the experimentation of the nuclear bomb and fear of Soviet insight on military projects, the government kept Area 51 secretive from the public eye for decades. So why does this attract the attention of people?
Why This Myth Came To Be?
- Project Blue Book
- Protective Security
- CIA Espionage
- Bob Lazar
- Hazardous Waste
Science-fiction has remained a major topic in pop-culture for decades whether it was portrayed through comic books, television shows, or even the radio. This genre didn’t come into full effect until the early 1950s when people began claiming they witnessed the sighting of a UFO, (unidentified flying objects). These UFO sightings became so popular that the government began a program called Project Blue Book, where civilians were asked to draw and describe their sightings to the US Air Force so they can further investigate and analyze the case. Whether this was done to ease the worries of the public, or actually look into potential extraterrestrial lifeforms is up for you to decide however this created a relationship between the government and its knowledge of aliens in the public eye. By the time Project Blue Book ended in 1969, over 12,000 cases were reported, many of which claimed to be seen in the Nevada region.That being said, with the secrecy of Area 51, could sightings reported through Project Blue Book have already been known by the government as experimentation with alien life forms on their protective grounds?
The level of security used to protect Area 51 is far beyond what you might expect. The grounds are covered with hidden cameras, sensors and security trucks that are perched around each of the entrances. The gravel used on the leading roads to Area 51 is made of a special material creating a larger dust cloud than normal when driven over. This is done in order for security to have a better sight of upcoming vehicles approaching the zone. The security personnel are known as camo dudes who have been known to be extremely intolerable for those trying to enter the area. While rumors circulate of being “shot on-site” when trying to sneak in, it is a known fact that you will be detained for attempting to enter or even staying near the entrances for too long. With that being said, this still does not deter people from trying to get a closer look at Area 51 as people are constantly chased away by the camo dudes. By going through these extreme extents of security, people only become more fascinated by what Area 51 could be hiding inside its walls.Many believe Area 51 to be the birthplace of espionage for the CIA. During the 1950s, all sorts of innovative aircraft were being tested in the compound for use against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. With the construction of the U-2 spy plane, the CIA has been known to do some of their most classified projects aiming towards the Counterterrorism and Defense Department network. While the specifics are uncertain, people who have worked on the grounds of Area 51 have opened up some information about what goes on, even if it’s only in little pieces.
Annie Jacobsen, an expert and historian on Dreamland explained that the secrecy of the zone “helped the federal government pursue technologies in very large open areas, something that would not have been able to be done with the knowledge of outside sources”. With an answer sounding so legitimate, it almost destroys any claims towards suspicious activity going inside the grounds right? Well in the 1980s a man by the name of Bob Lazar went on Nevada news stations claiming he worked inside the compound and was a part of a project involving a flying saucer that was believed to be from outer space. Lazar also claimed to come face to face with aliens uncloaking the secrecy that Area 51 was once trying to hide. While none of these accusations were ever pronounced true, it caused the public to gain interest in the site creating more speculation on the government and their contact with alien life forms.
Environmental hazards surrounding the compound of Area 51 pose another perspective on the secrecy. In the 1980s, the government authorized soil extraction around Groom lake after aerial shots around the site displayed potential contamination of chemicals into the ground. That being said, the cancer rate in the surrounding Nevada area was rising resulting in civilians suing the government believing that Area 51 was the cause. Five unnamed civilians sued the Air Force and Environmental Protection Agency after finding high levels of dioxin, dibenzofuran, and trichloroethylene in their body fat. They also claimed that they were present when the facility dumped excessive amounts of toxic waste into Groom Lake causing exposure to these chemicals by the surrounding people. Investigation claims were eventually exempted after President Bill Clinton’s executive order claiming that the cause could cause a breach in national security. Why the case was so quickly dismissed is a question still up for debate considering the permits of Clinton’s orders remain sealed, despite the fact that law requires them to be accessible to the public. Area 51’s use of the toxic chemicals only adds layers to the myths behind the walls of Area 51.
Area 51 and It’s Relevance Today
Dating back to Orson Wells 1938 radio broadcast War of the Worlds that the idea of an alien invasion could fall upon society was even thought of. Wells instilled the ideas of “Martians” into the heads of millions of people, even though the potential spotting of extraterrestrial life did not come for another decade. While this did not have a direct affiliation with Area 51 itself, it layed the foundation in the minds believers, later help to strengthen the idea that Area 51 is the holding compound for these discovered creatures.
A big factor that has made Area 51 a staple in pop-culture is the overall appearance and aesthetic of the grounds. Located far in the high deserts of Nevada the land surrounding the compound is scattered with eerie decaying signs warning visitors to not trust pass. It has been noted that people who decide to disobey these rules will be “reckoned with brute force and weaponry” that can cost their life. This has only increased people’s curiosity expanding the myths on what could be held inside. Surrounding spots on the border of Area 51 have become tourist attractions where people go for pictures and videos, bringing the grounds to the attention of social media. One of the most notorious being the black mailbox (which is now white). Located on a “desolated stretch of Nevada’s State Route 375” visitors come filling it with letters for aliens in hopes for them to recieve them at a later time. This mailbox became a landmark for alien enthusiests after many cases of alien sightings being seen when standing near this eerie piece of metal. Other acts such as the implementation of a street sign named “extraterrestrial highway” have been erected on this road only strengthening the curiosity of believers.
Over the course of this past year, speculation over what was held inside Area 51 was brought to public attention yet again. What started as merely a meme on Facebook and Instagram, people were urged to find the truth of what was held behind its walls. These people conjured ideas of entering Area 51 as what many thought to be in the size of an army in order to overun the security of the compound. With a scheduled date of storming in around mid-October, this was brought to the attention of news organizations and even the US government, advising people to not do so. While in the end, the raid was merely online hype due to the number of people showing up being much less than expected, it created much more of a cultural movement than what was expected. With Area 51 having such a wide spread over social media, their was a fluctuation of tourists within the Nevada region. Plans for a festival known as Alienstock were proposed in order to capitalize on the Area 51 trend. This festival would hold concerts and shops in the deserts outside of Las Vegas focused around the theme of extraterrestrial life and their captivity in Area 51. While Alienstock failed to take place last year, people still have high hopes to follow through the next year.
While this does not pertain to the grounds directly it brings a new perspective to the once unknown military facility as people have found ways to profit off of the unknown of compound. Famous podcasters such as Joe Rogan have even been known to bring up the topic of Area 51 in his segments, capitalizing on people’s curiosity monetarily. Television networks have used Area 51 as a source of marketing for profit as well. Fox Network’s The X-Files consisted of an 11 season show focusing on paranormal and extraterrestrial myths police were confronted with. While this show is fictional, the inclusion of Area 51 and aliens only helped re-ignite the myth giving the grounds once a again mysterious look through the eyes of television. Area 51 will always remain this way. The secrets that may lay behind those borders are something to enticing and interesting for the public to not to talk about from time and time again. The topic will continue to resurface bringing new speculation and thought as long as science-fiction remains prevalent. What do you think Area 51 holds.
Works Cited
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Morton, Ella. “E.T. Post Home: The Alien Mailbox of Area 51.” Slate Magazine, 4 Apr. 2014, www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2014/04/04/the_black_mailbox_of_area_51_in_nevada_is_used_to_communicate_with_aliens.html.
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Ward, Alex. “The Secret History of Area 51, Explained by an Expert.” Vox, Vox, 18 Sept. 2019, www.vox.com/2019/9/18/20864480/area-51-secret-planes-aliens-jacobsen-interview.
