Fact, Fiction and Speculation: The Secret of Area 51

Area 51 is a desolate outpost of the military base deep in the Nevada desert. It became all the more infamous among the conspiracy theorists, UFO groups, and the general public because of years and years of secrecy. After all, it was officially part of Edwards Air Force Base for many years and held top-secret government projects full of wild speculation of extraterrestrial life and technologies known to no man.

Area 51 was initiated in the Cold War age to develop super-advanced aircraft and mostly for testing them. The place was very much isolated, and the base was made suitable for secret operations. With time, mystery started brewing in the area. It was not until 2013 that the US government actually acknowledged the existence of Area 51-when it released classified documents in declassified form through the CIA. Those records confirmed the facility was used for trying out the high-tech aircraft, which included the U-2 spy plane and the SR-71 Blackbird.

No small admission on the part of the government in this respect served to dampen the public interest in the place. As a matter of fact, the secrecy regarding the base, coupled with the stories about the strange lights and UFOs in the area, just helped sharpen speculations that Area 51 was not just a military facility but one catering to extraterrestrial research.