"the 727 (N467US) that was hijacked by DB Cooper in 1971 was later sold in 1984 and wound up being used for JANET flights from Las Vegas to Tonopah and Area 51 during the testing and production of the F117A Nighthawk program." - u/1984Orion

"there is a group of 737 aircraft operated by "Janet Airlines", a highly classified airline that shuttles military personnel and contractor employees to and from Area 51. The aircraft are generally unmarked, aside from a red cheatline along the windows of the aircraft." - u/shishaboob

"'Meow Wolf' (immersive art collective that built the 'House of Eternal Return' in Santa Fe, Las Vegas Area 51 center, etc.) got its name by having all the founders put two scraps of paper with a word on each one in a hat, and the first two scraps drawn became the name of the collective" - u/abaganoush

"the arcade shooter Area 51 saved Atari from the brink of bankruptcy and went on to become one of the most successful arcade games of all time" - u/MR_COOL_ICE_

"Area 51, aka Homey Airport or Groom Lake, was actually a testing facility for historical, technologically advanced military planes such as the Lockheed A-12. The US government's secrecy over the nature of these vehicles is what gave birth to myths about UFOs." - u/Thalassophoneus

"the movie "Independence Day" was originally meant to have support from the United States Armed Forces, but they backed out when the references to Area 51 were not removed from the script" - u/Ryan_Holman

"Area 51 wasn't confirmed to actually exist by the US Government until 2013." - u/Chengweiyingji

"a family with property overlooking Area 51 refused a $5.2 million offer from the government to buy their land. So a judge took their land away from them and gave it to the Air Force."

"1972 CIA project to wiretap enemy phone lines deep within North Vietnam. The helicopter used in the operation, developed at Area 51, was the quietest ever built. In the dead of night, its pilots flew 100-200 feet above North Vietnamese farmers and anti-aircraft guns without being detected." - u/stratohornet

"a brothel just south of the former Area 51 test site in Nevada caters specifically to customers with alien fantasies." - u/sisyphushaditsoeasy

"a parking garage in Derby, UK was once listed by BBC Focus as one of the 10 most secure locations in the world, along with Fort Knox, Air Force One, and Area 51." - u/DrScientist812

"during development of the SR-71 at Area 51, it would be moved into a hanger when Soviet satellites were overhead, but an infrared satellite obtained the profile of the plane as it left a shadow on the tarmac. The US found out about this, and started creating wildly shaped shadows to confuse them" - u/J50GT

"the Futurama episode "Roswell That Ends Well" is the 51st episode of the series. It takes place largely in Area 51."

"the USA developed at least 2 working nuclear thermal rocket engines that were twice as efficient as chemical rockets, tested them both in the open air at Jackass Flats near Area 51, and deemed them ready to power a manned spaceflight mission to Mars."

"Tony Stark owns Area 51 in the Marvel comics."