Area 51
[Feb 20, 1995] Much to the chagrin of the United States military establishment, their "secret" test facility on the Nellis Air Force Range northwest of Las Vegas has become one of the best known military bases on the entire planet. In fact, continuing to call the base "secret" can really only be done with tongue in cheek. It is probably more accurate to call the facility "unacknowledged" -- at least from the military's perspective.

As close as anyone can come to an official name for this remote outpost -- which doesn't even appear on FAA pilots' charts or U.S. Geological Survey maps -- is "Area 51," as it was identified on old government maps. Over the years, numerous monikers have been hung on the base, located at Groom Dry Lake, such as Groom Lake, Dreamland, The Pig Farm, The Ranch and Watertown Strip

While the government continues to deny the existence of Area 51, it is widely believed that the facility has long played a key role in the test and development of this country's super-secret aircraft. It was Area 51's runways -- the longest in the world -- that gave flight to the likes of the U-2, the SR-71 Blackbird and the F-117A Stealth fighter. Clear photos of Area 51, made by Russian spy satellites and U.S. photographers, have circulated for several years.

Crop Circles
Crop Circles are unexplained designs that are imprinted over the span of usually one night in fields of mostly wheat and corn, but have also occurred in barley, oats, rape (canola), grass, trees, and even snow. In other words, any organic material in which a distinguishable impression can be made. For the thousands reported every year, the vast majority go completely undetected. Most of the complex formations occur in the United Kingdom and they are also more likely to be detected because of the country's smaller land mass , therefore a large majority of researchers head to England every summer to conduct their independent research. But worldwide there are individuals in various countries, including the United States, that are recording the appearances of crop formations in their respective country in an attempt to learn more about their mysterious nature.

The earliest known formation was in 1647 in England, from which a carving (see below left) of the current day theory on how it was created can be seen. Yet, they began to appear in significant numbers in the early 70's as individual circles that swirled either clockwise, or counter-clockwise. A major transformation occurred in 1990 when the circles became complex pictograms composed of straight lines, angles and spiral rings (see Barbury Castle formation below right).

There are many various theories of how these images are formed, but the mystery is far from being solved. Many people attribute them off handedly to hoaxers without being aware of the complexities that are characteristic of genuine formations. And those who associate them with UFOs often believe that their reality is as debatable as those little green men, but as you will see here... they are very real. The best way to verify this is to physically stand in a crop circle yourself.