Top 10 Area 51 Mysteries

Landing on the moon is undoubtedly one of the most monumental achievements ever conducted and carried out by humankind. And yet some people still question whether it really happened at all, claiming that the whole thing was staged. Although exactly how, when or where it was staged, no one’s exactly sure. As such, various locations have been thrown around, including the Hollywood Hills, a top-secret studio location where filming was overseen by Stanley Kubrick, and yes, even Area 51. For some, Area 51 is where the fake of all fakes was sensationally pulled off - and that’s why no one’s allowed near the place.

Not every Area 51 theory is “aliens”, you know. The official line gears more toward it being a secret engineering den where the US develops state of the art aircraft, but there are also the widely pedalled rumours that the base serves as a test site for far-future technology, including time travel and teleportation. The idea is that deep in the Nevada desert there are hangars full of blueprints and prototypes that America is working on to stay ahead of their rivals… and that if the stuff of science fiction is ever to come true, it will’ve been achieved at Area 51 first of all.

Is there a better representation of humankind’s pride and ambition than trying to control nature? One theory surrounding Area 51 is that scientists are using it (and its mostly deserted surroundings) in their attempts to manipulate weather patterns. This may sound like complete science fiction, but the American government HAS dabbled in weather control in the past. In the late 1940s, the US Army Signal Corps, the Office of Naval Research, and the Air Force worked with General Electric in an attempt to control a hurricane. And then, from 1962 to 1983, the US government ran Project Stormfury, where they used silver iodide to weaken cyclones. So maybe this theory’s more than just a storm in a teacup.

Aliens or no, there has to be some reason why Area 51 is so secretive! Maybe the answer links back to an incident in 1994, when the base was the subject of an environmental lawsuit, with outside contractors suing the Air Force and the EPA. Allegedly, when working on-site, the contractors witnessed the burning of “unknown chemicals”, which led to them experiencing serious health problems - and may have even contributed to the deaths of two of them! The government went into full security mode in response, with President Clinton exempting Area 51 from federal environmental laws, and the Secretary of the Air Force refusing to disclose what the materials were. A memo released in 2005 suggested that the chemicals may have been related to developing Lockheed stealth aircraft - but it’s never been confirmed.

Black helicopters have long been a popular subject in conspiracy theory circles. Rumours about them have circulated since at least the early ‘70s, when they were linked to various environmental concerns like cattle mutilations, while in the mid-‘90s they were said to be in some way used to carry out the Endangered Species Act. But others have linked them to aliens. In UFO lore, the black helicopters are always seen near alleged UFO sightings… and so are used to cover up evidence, “Men in Black” style. Where does Area 51 come in? These helicopters are allegedly made and stored there… although, like most of everything to do with Area 51, there’s no proof to substantiate that claim.

We know that the United States Air Force uses Area 51 as a training center; we know it’s a part of the Nevada Test and Training Range; and we know that the Air Force originally purchased the site to experiment with the Lockheed U-2. We also know that planes like the SR-71 Blackbird and the Boeing Bird of Prey were all worked on and tested at Area 51. But we learnt all (or most) of that years after those jets were used in action. So, given that mysterious new airstrips are also often added to Area 51 and surrounding sites - like the nearby Area 6 - the question of what exactly they’re working on now is never truly answered.

And so, we start on the aliens! There are various theories that Area 51 serves as a prison of sorts, with its cells filled by our extra-terrestrial neighbors - who are allegedly interrogated behind the walls of the secret base. If you need “proof” of any sort, we point you towards Bob Lazar - a self-proclaimed physicist who allegedly worked at S-4, a secret site just south of Area 51. Among other things, Lazar claims to have glimpsed an alien interrogation, and seen top secret documents detailing alien history on Earth. There’s no way to verify what he has to say, but that hasn’t stopped him from convincing a lot of people.

Sticking with Bob Lazar, he’s divulged even more about the alien ships and machines that are allegedly held at Area 51. Lazar says that he was brought onto the site to “reverse engineer” a flying saucer, one of nine that were apparently held there at the time. He compared the material that the UFO was made out of to stainless steel and stated that it was fuelled by “atomic element 115” (Moscovium) - something which, according to Lazar, is used to generate gravity waves. Again, there’s no proof to back-up the claims, so you’re just going to have to trust him for now…

Yes, the alien theories mount up and up. While some say that Area 51 is where scientists are trying to create some type of alien-human hybrid for… some reason… The most prevalent rumours focus on one thing; alien autopsies. Nowadays, the internet is awash with supposed alien autopsy videos, but perhaps the most famous is an original 17-minute black and white clip from the mid-‘90s. It shows some suspiciously clumsy coroners dissecting a supposed alien corpse. The creators of the video have since admitted that it was a fake, but the legend of alien experiments at Area 51 lives on.

Alright, bear with us here, because we’re about to blow this whole thing wide open. Back in 1952, President Truman delegated the Majestic 12, a secret committee made of twelve members who reportedly recovered, analyzed, and investigated pieces of alien spacecraft. And Area 51 is said to be the home of that committee! But wait, it gets even better. Some hardcore theorists believe that the 12 eventually did make contact with aliens and invited them to meet President Eisenhower… Eisenhower then made a deal with the extra-terrestrials, so the theory goes, giving the US government exclusive access to alien tech in exchange for the United States covering up UFO sightings. So, you see? It all comes together!