page_title: Storm Area 51
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Storm Area 51 / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Warning sign near secret Area 51 base in Nevada. The text on the smaller sign reads: WARNING Restricted Area It is unlawful to enter this area without permission of the Installation Commander. Sec. 21, Internal Security Act of 1950; 50 U.S.C.797 While on this Installation all personnel and the property under their control are subject to search. Use of deadly force authorized. Prescribed by AFI 31-101 Supersedes AFVA 207-1, 10 October 1986 Distribution: F AFVA 31-101 14 July 1995 U.S.Government Printing Office
context_page_description: "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us", commonly referred to as Raid Area 51, Storm Area 51, or Area 51 Raid, was an American Facebook event that took place on September 20, 2019, at Area 51, a United States Air Force facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range. The event, created by Matty Roberts on June 27, 2019, would involve raiding the site in a search for extraterrestrial life. More than 2 million people responded "going" and 1.5 million "interested" on the event's page, which subsequently attracted widespread media reaction and caused the event to become an Internet meme. Roberts later stated that the event had been purely comedic, and disavowed responsibility for any casualties if there had been any actual attempts to raid the military base.
  On the day of the event, only about 150 people were reported to have shown up at the entrance to Area 51, with none succeeding in entering the site. Two music festivals were planned to coincide with the event: Alienstock in Rachel, Nevada, and Storm Area 51 Basecamp in Hiko, Nevada. An estimated 1,500 people attended these festivals, according to state and local law enforcement.
context_section_description: Area 51 is a common name given to a United States Air Force (USAF) facility in the Nevada Test and Training Range. Opening in 1955, the facility functioned as an aircraft testing and development facility during the Cold War. The facility is kept highly classified, protected from unauthorized entry by warning signs, electronic surveillance and armed guards.
  Area 51's intense secrecy has caused it to become the subject of many conspiracy theories regarding the presence of aliens on the site. These began in the 1950s, when some individuals reported seeing UFOs at the location of the base. Conspiracy theorists believe aliens, UFOs, or information related to them are stored at Area 51. 
  The CIA declassified documents related to Area 51 and recognized its existence in 2013. In June 2019, The Pentagon provided a briefing on UFOs encountered by Navy pilots to members of Congress. U.S. President Donald Trump had also been briefed on UFOs.
caption: Warning sign near Area 51
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