Area 51 first became popular in the 1950s when it was established, and shortly afterward when numerous UFO sightings were reported there. been reported. Area 51 was established by the US government to test top secret military weapons, particularly military aircraft ("Groom Lake Air Force Base - Area 51"). It is located in a remote part of the Nevada desert. No public is allowed into Area 51 and no one knows what really exists inside the gates, or what the government and military are hiding there. The government dismissed most of these claims as testing of aircraft and other weapons, but some were never resolved and remain a mystery to this day. People have often speculated about what was inside and what exactly was going on inside the doors, but no one really knows except for the people who worked there and who sworn to secrecy. Many believe the UFOs seen near Area 51 and across the United States are U-2 spy planes that the military was testing there. However, some people believe that the government is hiding a major secret there from the American public, namely that there is a major secret there. Aliens and alien spaceships are stored there. Many people who do not believe that anything other than military weapons testing is taking place inside Area 51 believe that all UFO sightings are actually just military aircraft. They proved that often the light patterns people report being on the underside of the UFO match the light patterns on some military aircraft. Jeffrey Richelson, who works at the National Security Archives, studied declassified documents released in August 2013 and came to the conclusion that during the 1950s and 1960s, the military extensively tested the U-2 spy plane, which ...... middle of paper ......th full stop. Others, however, persist in claiming that there are real UFOs inside the gates of Area 51 and try to keep the public from finding out. Whatever your opinion on the activities taking place inside Area 51, it will likely never be fully known. Works Cited “Area 51 and its declassified objective: no UFOs, but numerous U-2 spy planes”. NBC News. Np, and Web. April 9, 2014. “Bob Lazar, UFO Hoax.” How things work. HowStuffWorks.com, February 8, 2008. Web. April 15, 2014. “Groom Lake Air Force Base - Area 51.” Groom Lake Air Force Base - Area 51. Np, nd Web. April 9, 2014. Heussner, Ki Mae. “UFOs? Aliens? Area 51 Revealed." ABC News. ABC News Network, April 10, 2009. Web. April 9, 2014. Strickland, Jonathan and Patrick J. Kiger. "How Area 51 Works." HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks.com, July 5, 2007. Web April 7.. 2014.