AREA 51 FACTS & SECRETS
With all the secrecy shrouding Area 51, it’s time for some light to be shed. Learn more about the nicknames, entertainment, food, spy planes, and rumors surrounding this infamous site.
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On August 15, 2013 the CIA finally acknowledged the existence of Area 51. After repeated freedom of information request made by George Washington University the CIA lifted the veil of secrecy on Area 51.
On December 8, 2013 President Obama makes an off hand comment about Area 51, becoming the first President to publicly acknowledge its existence. This does not mean they are talking openly about UFOs and military secrets but it does open the door for lawsuits and additional freedom of information request from the public.
The name ‘Area 51’ derives from its marking on 1950’s Nevada Test Site maps. Today, the official name of Area 51 is Air Force Flight Test Center, Detachment 3, or AFFTC Det. 3 for short. For years even our own government denied its existence until Soviet pictures confirmed what many knew all along. The base did exist. The facility was originally designed for the testing of U-2 spy planes, and ultimately Stealth technology would be born there. The secret site has grown to many times its original size. The USAF took over command of Area 51, and its airspace in 1970.
