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Photos Declassified By The US Government

Photos Declassified By The US Government July 1, 2022Leave a comment

Every day, there are countless events that take place behind closed doors that the general public is not aware of. The government of the world is constantly involved in confidential schemes and operations that are purposefully hidden from the rest of the world.

But sometimes, the truth manages to come out. Let's take a look at a few pictures that once were classified by the US government. They are now public but be warned, some of these are quite impressive.

Operation Ivy

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Just after the WWII bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the US government conducted many nuclear weapon tests. The eighth test they did was called 'Operation Ivy'.

The government arranged that two bombs were dropped in Elugelab, in the Marshall Islands. In this picture, you can see the first of the explosions, this was also the first test of a hydrogen bomb detonation.

Chemical Weapons

AP Photo

In this picture, you can see two Soviet scientists in protective suits while in a safe house for chemical weapons. This picture was taken in the 1960s, in the middle of the Cold War.

So why didn't the government show this picture to the public? Because, during the Cold War, the general public was pretty scared of the risk that came with nuclear warfare between America and the USSR. This creepy picture would've only made people more scared and anxious.

FAST

Getty Images

In this picture, we can see the Five-Hundred-Meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, which is known as FAST, or Tianyan, which means “Heaven’s Eye” in Mandarin. 

This radio telescope was built in China and it is used to detect radio signals from all across the Milky Way. It is said that this telescope can detect signals from as far as a thousand light-years away. They started building it in 2011 and it was only declared fully active in 2020!

Fat Man

Wikimedia Commons / National Archives and Records Administration

What you see right here is known as "The Fat Man", the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, which was during the last few weeks of WWII. This was the second of the two atomic weapons that have ever been used in history.

The first one was dropped in Hiroshima and it was called "The Little Boy". These two bombs represented the definite end of WWII as well as a hallmark in the history of warfare.

UFO Sighting

Public Domain

The UFO craze took over the American media during the 1960s and right here, you can see an official FBI document recounting the sightings of a UFO which was seen over the Nevada desert in 1963.

Most of the details were intentionally erased and we can't help but wonder what the reason for this is and what exactly was the involvement of the US government in the UFO frenzy.

Flying Saucer

YouTube - Hiclikten Gelen

This looks strikingly similar to the flying saucers that we have associated with UFO sightings, and it might have something to do with the phenomenon.

This is actually an experimental aircraft that was created by the United States Air Force. It is believed that these things are responsible for the UFO sightings people saw in the Nevada desert, as it was coming in and out of Area 51.

Nuclear Test Dummies

Getty Images

In order to test nuclear weapons without using them in actual conflict, the US military would use test dummies like the ones seen in this photo.

They set these dummies up around the area where the bomb was to detonate in order to get a clearer picture of how the explosion would affect a real person. That's pretty eerie, isn't it?

The Last Picture Of The Titanic

Alamy Stock

We all know about the Titanic and how it sank in 1912, but we bet you haven't seen this picture. This is the last photo that was ever taken of the ship before the fatal and tragic accident.

Because of how cold the depths of the Atlantic Ocean are, the Titanic has remained perfectly preserved over the years. Apparently, it is almost intact. To this day, researchers are still exploring it.

Underground Base

YouTube - BBC

What you see here is supposed to be a picture of an underground military base. A few of these were constructed during the Cold War, but the government has revealed that they are no longer used today.

But there is a theory that these bases are used by both humans and aliens. One of them can be found underneath Archuleta Mesa near the town of Dulce, New Mexico.

Another Flying Saucer

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

It’s pretty obvious why the government would have wanted to keep this photograph secret until recently. We don’t know who’s the man in the picture, but it’s evident what’s the thing next to him: one of the flying saucers people used to report having seen during the 50s and 60s.

As said before, these were probably prototypes of some experimental aircraft devices. However, this one might not be American; it seems like it has been shot down, so it might have been a foreign reconnaissance aircraft.

A Jetpack

YouTube - NatGeoTV

Many of the files and photographs that the US government keeps secret are about experimental warfare devices or machines. This one looks strikingly similar to a jetpack.

Well, it’s more like a propelled chair. One can’t help but wonder how exactly a device like that could be used. This doesn’t seem like an easy question to answer, which might be why we haven’t seen any of these released to the public or used by the military.

A-12 Plane

YouTube - NatGeoTV

This right here is an upside-down A-12 plane getting set up for radar testing at Area 51. When you take a look at it, you understand why so many people mistook these devices for extraterrestrial objects. 

This plane was known for being almost invisible to radars; it almost looks like it could blend in with the clouds.

Nuclear Waste Disposal

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Yucca Mountain has been suggested as the site for Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository, which would be used to store dangerous radioactive waste used by the United States military for the next 10,000 years. 

In order to get there, you would have to ride a shuttle train into a five-mile-long tunnel that’s been dug straight into the mountain.

More UFO Sightings

Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Apparently, it wasn’t only conspiracy theorists who thought of UFOs as extraterrestrial ships. This drawing was made by a CIA agent who reported having seen a flying saucer.

One can’t help wondering what his bosses’ reactions were when he told them about it. Do you think they were as shocked as him, or did they warn him to be quiet?