When was area 51 constructed

According to the CIA , secretive flight testing has been happening in the area since the military began testing U-2 CIA spy planes in , around the time reports of U. Air Force in southern Nevada — though the site is still very secretive. The public found out that Area 51 officially existed in August after Dr. Jeffrey T. The only overlap is the discussion of the U-2 flights and U.

Hello US government, this is a joke, and I do not actually intend to go ahead with this plan. These reports were, in large part, coming from airline pilots flying from east to west at dusk. They reported seeing fiery disks, flying saucers , at altitudes "too high" for any man-made plane. At the time, as far as the public knew, even the most advanced military aircraft flew below altitudes of 40, feet.

Once all the notes had been compared, civilians were told they were witnessing a "weather phenomenon. Decades later, one man's unsubstantiated claims would solidify what many people already suspected. In the interview, Lazar claimed he and others had been stationed at a base in the Nevada desert called "Sector 4.

He said that they were working to reverse-engineer an antimatter reactor-powered alien spaceship. No record of Lazar ever being employed by any government or military organization has ever been found. The existence of the base became America's worst-kept secret in the mids. Though passing references to the base had appeared in the media before, the first major Hollywood production to specifically feature the base was the summer blockbuster turned cult classic, "Independence Day.

More recently, it was social media that brought attention to Area In June , year-old college student Matty Roberts decided to create a Facebook event. Roberts didn't think anyone would give the event, which he created as a joke, more than a passing chuckle.

But within a few days, more than 2 million Facebook users chimed in to "confirm" their attendance. The Air Force issued a stern warning discouraging people from trying to gain access to a military base.

Despite the warnings, around 1, people packed their campers and headed into the Nevada desert with your standard, alien-centric festival kit: Roswell-inspired onesies, inflatable aliens and the like. Forty bold individuals did make it as far as the outskirts of the base, but they mostly just chanted for a while and then dispersed when confronted by law enforcement.

One arrest was made for public urination. That's about all we know about Area In August , the Pentagon announced the formation of a new task force to better understand the nature and origin of such reports. In , the Pentagon admitted that it had been running a secret multi-million dollar program to investigate UFOs for years. When they started out with the original cover story about it being used for weather research and just announcing that it was this airfield being built with a few hangars and a runway, you know, that was given out to the news media.

Despite making it seem like something innocuous, somehow the fact that it was kind of a little more secretive than anything else got out there. The more the base tries to make it a big deal about secrecy, the more interested people are from the outside.

Area 51, the infamously mysterious military installation in the Nevada desert, has fascinated people for decades. Related Program:. The A could travel over 2, miles an hour 3, kilometers an hour and cross the continental U. But despite being "the most advanced aircraft ever built," as CIA historian David Robarge writes , the A never saw spy service over the Soviet Union.

And just as the Archangel was to be deemed ready for operation, its successor, the U. Air Force's famed SR Blackbird , was already in the works. All rights reserved. Cat and Mouse at Area 51 It was discovered that Soviet spy satellites, dubbed ash cans by Area 51 staff, were making regular rounds over Nevada.

Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London Love them or hate them, there's no denying their growing numbers have added an explosion of color to the city's streets. India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country.

Epic floods leave South Sudanese to face disease and starvation. Travel 5 pandemic tech innovations that will change travel forever These digital innovations will make your next trip safer and more efficient. But will they invade your privacy?