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The Secrets of Area 51: What’s Actually Happening There? · The Infographics Show Podcast

• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the infographics. Ready for another deep dive.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: Always awesome. This time we're tackling a place that sparked
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: countless conspiracy theories, Area fifty one. I mean, we've all
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: heard the rumors, seen the memes, maybe even thought about
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: joining that whole storm Area fifty one thing a few
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: years back.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Right, Oh, yeah, that was a wild one totally.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: But today we're separating facts from fiction. We're diving into
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: an article from space dot com. It's called Area fifty one.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: What is it and what goes on there? And well,
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: let's just say there's more to this story than just
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: little green men.
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: Definitely more to it than that. Yeah, Area fifty one
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: is definitely shrouded in mystery, but it is a real
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: place with a real history.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: Okay, So to kick things off, let's get the basics
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: out of the way. We're exactly iss Area fifty one.
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: I feel like most people picture some super secret underground bunker.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: I heard it's actually visible on Google Maps these days.
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah it is. It's about one hundred and twenty miles
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: north of Las Vegas, out in the Nevada Desert, part
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: of a larger complex, actually, the Nevada Test and training
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: range basically a massive area the military uses for you know, testing.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: Things, So not exactly hidden away then.
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: Not visually no, but it's heavily guarded. Of course. The
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: article mentions armed guards, motion sensors, camera, you know, the
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: whole nine yards. But yeah, the fact that it's on
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: Google Maps kind of challenges that whole image of Area
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: fifty one as this totally off the grid clandestine location. Huh.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: Interesting? What about the name itself Area fifty one is
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: that some official military designation?
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: Not really, The military uses other names like Groom Lake
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: or Homi Airport. Sometimes they refer to it as part
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: of the Nevada National Security Site. Okay, Area fifty one
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  Speaker 2: seems to come from old Atomic Energy Commission maps from
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  Speaker 2: way back in the nineteen fifties. It just kind of
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  Speaker 2: dots stuck.
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: It's funny how a bit of bureaucratic labeling can turn
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: into this global phenomenon.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: Right, the power of names, I guess, But names aside,
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: let's get to the heart of it. What actually happens
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: at Area fifty one.
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  Speaker 1: Well, back in twenty thirteen, the government finally declassified some
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: info about Area fifty one. They confirmed it exists and
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: revealed its initial purpose testing the U two spyplane exactly.
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: The U two was developed in the fifties, a marvel
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  Speaker 2: of engineering for its time. It could fly crazy high,
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: allowing it to gather intel over Soviet territory during the
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: Cold War.
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: I bet seeing this sleek black plane soaring at those
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  Speaker 1: heights would have been mind blowing back then. I could
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: see why some folks might have mistaken it for something
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: well extraterrestrial.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: Oh. Absolutely, the U two was so advanced some sightings
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: sparking UFO rumors makes total sense. In fact, the article
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: even suggests that testing new aircraft at Area fifty one
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: could be a major source of these you know, misidentifications.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: Wow, makes you wonder what other cutting edge aircraft might
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: have taken flight from Area fifty one over the years.
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: Well, besides the U two, Area fifty one has been
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: linked to some pretty iconic aircraft. The A twelve ox Cart,
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: for one, a precursor to the SR seventy one Blackbird,
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: you know, that super fast, sleek reconnaissance aircraft, almost futuristic looking.
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  Speaker 1: And speaking of futuristic, can't forget the F one to
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  Speaker 1: seventeen Nighthawk, that stealth fighter practically disappears from radar. Right,
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  Speaker 1: imagine seeing that streaking across the sky, no idea what
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: it is.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, stealth technology was a huge breakthrough, and Area fifty
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  Speaker 2: one was key in testing and refining those aircraft. So
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: maybe the government isn't hiding aliens there, but they've definitely
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: been hiding some seriously impressive human ingenuity.
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: That's for sure. And if you're enjoying this deep dive
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: on Area fifty one, make sure you hit that follow
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: button and leave us a five star rating. It really
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: helps other curious listeners discover the infographics and join the conversation.
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: All right, we're back with the infographics, still diving deep
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: into Area fifty one. So we've got spyplanes, stealth tech.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: But I think there's one name that really cemented Area
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: fifty one's place in well, UFO lore Robert Lazar.
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, can't talk about Area fifty one without mentioning Lazar.
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  Speaker 2: Back in nineteen eighty nine, he came forward with some
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: pretty wild claims said he worked at a site called
• 4:03
  Speaker 2: S four near Area fifty one. Okay, get this. He
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: was supposedly tasked with reverse engineering alien technology.
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Whoa hold on reverse engineering alien tech? Now? That's getting interesting.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: What kind of technology are we even talking about here?
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: Well, according to Lazar, he was examining disc shaped craft
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  Speaker 2: analyzing something he believed was element one fifteen. Element one fifteen, Yeah,
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: synthetic element not even discovered at the time. Oh and
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: he also claimed to have witnessed autopsies of extraterrestrial beings.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: Autopsies. Okay, this is some next level stuff. Did anyone
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: actually believe him?
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: Lazarre's story definitely got a lot of attention, sparked some
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: serious debate, but ultimately his claims have been pretty much discredited,
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: so he couldn't offer any solid evidence, and investigations into
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: his background his education, well they revealed some inconsistencies, let's
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: just say so.
• 4:55
  Speaker 1: Basically a captivating story, but no real proof to back
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: it up exactly.
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: But even though czars claims haven't been substantiated, they definitely
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: left their mark. I mean, they fueled that public fascination
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: with Area fifty one as a potential hub for all
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: things extraterrestrial. And then, of course you've got all the books,
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: documentary as Hollywood movies. Right.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: Speaking of Hollywood, Area fifty one's practically a pop culture
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  Speaker 1: icon at this point, Independence Day of the X Files.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: It's everywhere. It's like, our fascination with this place is
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: just as strong as the mystery itself.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: Absolutely. Area fifty one represents the unknown, the possibility of
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: something extraordinary just out of reach. It taps into that
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  Speaker 2: human curiosity about the universe. Are we alone? What else
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: is out there? It's a powerful question, and.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: That fascination seems to span generations, right. I mean a
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: few years ago there was the whole storm Area fifty
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  Speaker 1: one thing, millions of people online, all pledging to raid
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: the base see them aliens?
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  Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I remember that.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: Mostly a joke, obviously, but it shows how deeply Area
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: fifty one is embedded in our culture totally.
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  Speaker 2: It was a fascinating social phenomenon, for sure. It shows
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: the power of the Internet to bring people together, even
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: if it's for a slightly absued, meme worthy cause.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: Right. But it also highlights how the secrecy around Area
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: fifty one has kind of backfired in a way. It's
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: like the less the government reveals, the wilder our imagination's run.
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: We fill in the gaps with speculation and conspiracy theories.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: It's true, the secrecy creates this information vacuum and that
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: vacuum gets filled with the most outlandish explanations.
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: So maybe there aren't actually aliens at Area fifty one,
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: but the place itself has become this sort of cultural
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: warshock test, reflecting our hopes, fears, anxieties about the unknown.
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: That's a really interesting way to put it. It really makes
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: you think, how does a place like Area fifty one,
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: shrouded in secrecy and speculation, hold such power over our
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: collective imagination? What does it say about our relationship with technology, government,
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: the search for truth?
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  Speaker 1: Big questions, and while we might not have all the answers,
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: I think it's important to keep exploring, keep questioning, to
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: delve d into these mysteries, the mysteries of Area fifty
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: one and the world around us. All right, we're back
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: for the final part of our Area fifty one deep dive.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: You know, we've covered a lot of ground here, spyplanes,
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: delt tech, even alien autopsies. But I kind of want
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: to shift gears a bit. What are some of the
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: big takeaways here? What can Area fifty one teach us
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: about ourselves about the world we live in.
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: That's a good question. I think one big takeaway is
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: the power of secrecy. You know, as we've seen the
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: government trying to keep everything about Area fifty one under wraps.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: It's kind of backfired in a way. Yeah, House so well,
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  Speaker 2: that lack of transparency, it breeds speculation, conspiracy theories, just
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  Speaker 2: a general mistrust of like official narratives.
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  Speaker 1: It's like that saying nature abhors a vacuum, right, when
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: there's no information, we fill it in ourselves. Yeah, and
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: that can lead to well more questions.
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: Than answers exactly. And with Area fifty one, those assumptions
• 7:52
  Speaker 2: they've taken on this almost mythic quality. It's like the
• 7:55
  Speaker 2: secrecy has turned it into this blank canvas and we
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: project all our fears, Hope's fascinations onto it.
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  Speaker 1: And a lot of those fascinations revolve around well aliens
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  Speaker 1: Thozar's claims storm Area fifty one. There's this persistent belief
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  Speaker 1: that the government's hidings on the huge e out of
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  Speaker 1: the desert.
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  Speaker 2: Right. It's such a powerful story, the idea that we're
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: not alone, that there are these super advanced civilizations out
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  Speaker 2: there with technology we can't even fathom. It speaks to
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: this very human desire to understand our place in the universe,
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  Speaker 2: to know if there's something else out there.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: Yeah, but even if we set aside the whole alien thing,
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: Area fifty one still represents something important, right. It's a
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: symbol of human ingenuity, this drive to push the boundaries
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  Speaker 1: of what's possible.
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: Absolutely. Think about the aircraft developed and tested there, the
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: U two, A twelve, SR seventy one, F one seventeen.
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  Speaker 2: Those are engineering marvels, proof that we're capable of incredible things,
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  Speaker 2: even if.
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  Speaker 1: Those things are sometimes well shrouded in secrecy and controversy.
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: Exactly, and it reminds us that there's still so much
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  Speaker 2: we don't know, so much left to discover, whether it's
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: about the universe or even our planet. There's always something
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: out there waiting to be explored.
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  Speaker 1: So as we wrap up our Area fifty one deep dive,
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  Speaker 1: I think the key takeaway is it's a place that
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  Speaker 1: really captures our imaginations, fuels our curiosity, reminds us that
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: the pursuit of knowledge is a journey, not a destination.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: I like that, And yeah, the full truth about Area
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  Speaker 2: fifty one might always remain a bit elusive, but that
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: search for answers, that's part of what makes it so fascinating.
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  Speaker 2: Who knows what we might discover in the future, what
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: secrets might be revealed.
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: That's the beauty of it all, right. There's always more
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: to learn, more to explore, and that's what we try
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: to do here on the Infographics bring you interesting insights,
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: thought provoking stories, a deeper understanding of the world around us.
• 9:40
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• 9:42
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• 9:45
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• 9:48
  Speaker 1: And be sure to check out our website and social
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: media for even more content. Until next time, keep exploring,
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: keep questioning, keep learning. Thanks for listening.