Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 - Did people really storm the US base?
What really happened on that day?
Netflix's Trainwreck catalogue has dived into some truly bizarre incidents, including that of Balloon Boy, The Real Project X and PI Moms and now, it's telling the story of "the greatest s***post ever made".
Concluding its series, Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 is a brand new documentary documentary exploring the ludicrous event that sparked worldwide attention back in 2019.
"I had no idea what I'd started," the creator of the event says in the trailer. "It just seemed like a hilarious idea to me."
But what began as a light-hearted suggestion became rather out of control. So, did people really storm Area 51? Scroll down to find out.
What is Area 51?
Area 51 is a highly classified United States Air Force facility in Nevada that has been the subject of conspiracy theories and speculation to do with UFOs and alien technology.
The base was established in 1955 to support the development of the Lockheed U-2 aircraft and has since served as a "development and testing ground for some of the most advanced and secretive aircraft in US history", according to Space.com.
Did people really 'storm' Area 51?
In 2019, a Facebook event titled Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us was set up by then-20-year-old Matty Roberts, asking people to raid the the base in search of extraterrestrial life.
Over two million people responded that they were going, which later gained international attention, as Facebook users were encouraged to "naruto run" toward the facility.
"They can't stop all of us," the event description read.
"The U.S. Air Force is aware of the Facebook event encouraging people to Storm Area 51," an Air Force spokesperson told NPR at the time.
"The Nevada Test and Training Range provides flexible, realistic and multidimensional battlespace to test and develop tactics as well as conduct advanced training in support of U.S. national interest. Any attempt to illegally access the area is highly discouraged."
In the end, only 150 were reported to have shown up with no one actually managing to enter the base.
Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 is available to watch now on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Add Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Katelyn Mensah is the Senior Entertainment Writer for Radio Times, covering all major entertainment programmes, reality TV shows and the latest hard-hitting documentaries. She previously worked at The Tab, with a focus on reality TV and showbiz news and has obtained a BA (Hons) in Journalism.
