What is Area 51 and how did 'Storm Area 51' go viral? Details from the latest Trainwreck entry, explored 

The latest entry in Netflix's docuseries Trainwreck uncovered the mystery behind 'Storm Area 51', a Facebook event that went viral in 2019.

Certainly one of the biggest headlines in the last decade, Trainwreck Episode 6 uncovers the truth behind one of the highly classified US Air Force facilities in rural Nevada.

Matty Roberts, a mall employee from California, created a Facebook event “Storm Area 51” for September. 20, 2019, at 3 a.m., with the tagline “They can’t stop all of us.”

While Roberts created the event as a joke and did not expect any response, it blew up on the Internet, and millions of conspiracy theorists RSVP-ed to gather at the protected base, convinced that the Government is doing top-secret UFO research there.

The secrecy around the area and its connection with alleged UFO and alien research further fueled the event. While many people did show up at the promised time, there were no casualties.

More on this in our story.

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Decoding the mystery behind Area 51: The latest entry in Netflix's Trainwreck

Trainwreck's recent episode investigates the silly online joke that turned into a media frenzy and gave birth to millions of alien memes and posts in 2019. But what is Area 51, and how did it go viral?

The area is a highly classified United States Air Force (USAF) facility and was built in 1955. It lies within the Test and Training Range in southern Nevada and north-northwest of Las Vegas. While the areas surrounding this facility are mainly deserted, the nearby town of Rachel (in Nevada) is the closest to it.

Since the US Government used the base for Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information research, the existence of Area 51 was kept under wraps during the Cold War. However, in 2013, then US President Barack Obama was the first to publicly acknowledge its existence in a speech at the Kennedy Center. The CIA publicly acknowledged its existence through a Freedom of Information Act request filed in 2005.

The secrecy around Area 51 led to many conspiracy theories, especially when the base was involved in the testing of two U-2 reconnaissance planes. While the planes were being developed to spy on the Soviet Union, civilians mistook them for UFOs, fueling alien conspiracy theories.

Also Read: Was the Balloon Boy a hoax? Details from Netflix’s Trainwreck, explored

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How did Storm Area 51 go viral on social media?

While the classified area is the target of many conspiracy theories and speculations, it went viral in 2019 when a bored mall employee from California included it in his Facebook prank.

While Roberts was suspicious of the highly classified base, he was unaware that his 'Storm Area 51' event would have a million RSVPs in one night. Unaware of the wave he created on social media, Roberts said in Trainwreck:

“It just seemed like a hilarious idea to me. I didn’t think it’d go anywhere. I felt like I was standing on the doorstep of fame, and all you really had to do was ring the doorbell.''

Banking on this fame, Roberts even took the help of a promoter known as Disco Donnie and created this event into a festival in Rachel, which was dubbed Alienstock. However, as the day neared, Roberts got cold feet, and the event was shifted to Las Vegas.

While a million people showed up to party in Las Vegas, a small bunch of curious YouTubers marched towards Area 51 in September. 20, 2019. While the military was ready to protect the base with their strongest defense, the crowd was not violent, but excited and curious.

Social media influencers and YouTubers clicked pictures in front of the base, and the event was live-streamed on YouTube. The secret Area 51 became a party hub for 15 minutes, with people dancing in their 's*xy alien outfits', and the location became an iconic pop culture moment in history.

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