Military historian reveals the ‘real secrets’ of Area 51
- The U.S. Air Force military base is in a remote area of southern Nevada
- It’s shrouded in mystery
- However, a military historian has finally unveiled the truth behind the conspiracy theories
Published on Feb 01, 2024 at 8:58 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Feb 02, 2024 at 8:46 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Adam Gray
The secret U.S. Air Force military base in a remote area of southern Nevada is shrouded in mystery, but a military historian has finally unveiled the ‘real secrets’ of Area 51.
Highly classified, its existence and name was not actually acknowledged by the U.S. government until 2013.
The information was finally made public via several documents that were released via a Freedom of Information Act request.

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The intelligence largely centered on formerly classified CIA information about the development and testing of the U-2 spy plane.
However, the historic data also uncovered where the tech had been tested: Area 51.
To triangulate: Area 51 is roughly 100 miles from Las Vegas, and sits in the center of the Nevada National Security Site, which itself lies within the even larger Nellis Air Force Range.
There is an airfield in the space, known as Homey Airport.


The overall facility is referred to commonly as Groom Lake.
Key to not entering another combat during the Cold War was surveillance technology – for both the US and the Soviet Union.
Designed to keep tabs on the enemy, the surveillance information and the technology to get it were closely guarded secrets for national security.
Enter the U-2 spy plane.
The US plane was capable of reaching altitudes others, quite literally, couldn’t reach.

It traveled globally to capture covert high-resolution photographs and measurements.
In 1955, its remote location made Area 51 a frontrunner for testing the U-2 spy plane in order to keep it from the public and the enemy.
However, where there’s a dearth of information, mystery and wild speculation will surely follow.
Reports took flight of unidentified flying objects in the 1950s and 1960s.
The Reno Evening Gazette newspaper ran the headline: “More Flying Objects Seen in Clark Sky,” on 17 June, 1959 as just one example.


And the shroud of mystery, alongside chat of little grey and green men, remains seven decades later, with the site still off-limits to civilian and the majority of military air traffic.
Crashed alien spacecraft, space alien experiments and even extra-terrestrial staff, were conspiracy theories emanating from the now-legendary Area 51.
Our search for alien life still ongoing both at home: with a former US Intelligence Officer testifying under oath that the US government has UFOs and alien bodies.
And further afield: a gas was recently found on one planet considered a huge breakthrough.
But, with the knowledge of what was being tested there far from the prying eyes of the general public and the fact that, as test flights increased in the 1950s and 1960s, so too did local UFO sightings, it’s pretty clear what was behind the ‘unexplained’.

Classified drone and other aerial military surveillance technologies have been tested at Area 51 in the more recent past.
In fact, per professor of history and Hayes Chair in National Security Studies at Ohio State University, Christopher McKnight Nichols, many UFO sightings match almost exactly with dates and times of flights of then-classified experimental aircraft.
And while this NASA astronaut claimed he saw something ‘alien-like’ while in space and 1000-year-old ‘alien bodies’ have reportedly been unveiled in Mexican Parliament – he is certain that the rumors of alien life on Area 51, at least, are false.
McKnight Nichols confirms: “There’s no reason to think that anything other than earthly technologies have been behind the strange sights and sounds at Area 51.”
The truth is out there – and it’s not as otherworldly as you might think.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”