Area 51 Explained

On July 20, a Facebook event was created to start a raid on Area 51, a top secret Air Force base located in the middle of the Nevada desert, about 150 miles from Las Vegas. Since the beginning of the Cold War in the 1950s, when the United States government developed a stealth aircraft, this place had been the center of conspiracy theories.

Since the Roswell UFO crash in 1947, which had sightings of unusual flying objects, people have believed that the US government studies extraterrestrial beings. Over two million people signed up for this Facebook event that is planned to take place this year on the 20th of September.

Matthew “Matty” Roberts, the man who created the Facebook post, started the event as a joke.

“If we Naruto run, we can move faster than their bullets - let’s see them aliens!”, written in the group description of the post. The “Naruto run” refers to the anime “Naruto”, in which the main character, Naruto, is seen sprinting with his arms stretched behind him. What Roberts started as an online prank turned into a serious matter. The US Air Force warned citizens not to join the raid, as they will use deadly force if they attempt to trespass the area.

Recently on August 3, Facebook took down the event as it was said to disrupt community standards. Matty attempted to stop people from raiding the base. He provided a solution by making another event which was a festival all about Area 51, which was a much safer alternative compared to trespassing. Although he has attempted to stop the raid from happening, who knows if people are still willing to “see them aliens. I mean, they can’t stop us all!” The event may be removed, but the memes still live on.