Area 51: Secret Nevada Test Site, Pioneering Aircraft, and the Emergence of UFO Lore

To the point

Area 51 started in the 1950s as a secret Nevada test site for advanced aircraft like the U‑2, A‑12/SR‑71, F‑117A and B‑2, a secrecy that fueled UFO lore and claims such as Bob Lazar’s, publicized by George Knapp, with a 2017 NYT piece confirming some UFO research and releasing related videos, all atop a hazardous, irradiated legacy that has turned the area into a pop‑culture UFO pilgrimage site.