For years, conspiracy theorists have claimed the US government is hiding a huge secret in the middle of the Nevada desert.
They believe, in a classified American military base, the US government works to reverse engineer alien machinery, in the hopes of developing weapons and technology beyond imagination.
That base is of course, Area 51, and it’s occupied a special place in US UFO folklore for the best part of half a century, with a number of believers claiming it’s a hub of alien activity.
Of course, the US military has always refuted these claims, only acknowledging the base’s existence in 2013, and maintaining a high level of secrecy around whatever it is that goes on there.
Recently though, this veil of secrecy was torn asunder when two UFO enthusiasts, Tim and Tracey Doyle, from the YouTube Channel UFO Seekers, went on a multiple day hike to the secret base.
Climbing 8,000 foot to the top of Tikaboo Peak, the pair managed to film some half-decent footage of the base’s buildings, and even a few military vehicles driving around.
GettyUnfortunately for true believers out there, there was no evidence of either aliens visiting the base, or the military working on nefarious technologies.
In fact, it looks like any other military base would look from a distance, which is a bit anti-climactic if we’re honest, but not entirely unexpected because there are theories the ‘real base’ is entirely underground.
Theorists believe there’s a network of underground labs, rooms and hangars, which is where the base primarily conducts all its operations as well as a ‘transcontinental’ railway system.
Google EarthInterestingly, a number of American veterans who’ve worked at the facility have admitted the base does boast a pretty extensive presence underground, although they deny the more outlandish claims.
Over the years a number of ‘former employees’ have come forward and exposed what was going on at the base.
In 1989, Bob Lazar claimed he’d worked underground at the base on an alien spacecraft that the US government had in its possession.
Meanwhile, in 1996, Bruce Burgess, a 71-year-old mechanical engineer, claimed to be a former employee at Area 51 during the 1950s. He said he worked on a ‘flying disc simulator’ which was based on a crashed extraterrestrial craft.
X51/WikimediaBurgess went one step further though, saying the American government is reverse engineering alien technology. He also claimed they’re actively working with alien beings.
He said he worked with a being known as ‘J-Rod’ – an alleged alien ambassador who survived when his craft crashed in Arizona.
Of course, none of these claims have ever been proven and other, less hysterical, accounts of what goes on at the base have come out over the years.
The main one seems to be the base works on experimental aircraft and weaponry – when these aircraft are on test flights, or spotted out and about, people don’t recognise them and chalk them up as alien craft.
There’s even evidence to support this. When they were testing the Lockheed U-2 the number of UFO sighting reports increased.
So many, the real secret of Area 51’s a bit more terrestrial than people realise?
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More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.