People want what they can't have, or so the old saying goes. This applies to what people cannot
see, as well. Secret places are fascinating, and make people wonder why those with privileged
access would want to keep them out. Let's look at what we know about some of them.
No list of secretive places would be complete without Area 51, so let's get it out of the
way first. This subsection of the Nellis Air Force Complex has hosted numerous experiments,
including but not limited to the U-2 spy program and the F-117 stealth fighter.
However, Area 51 is better known for a more esoteric reason — the
U.S. government supposedly hiding evidence of alien contact there.
In 2019, a campaign on Facebook appeared called "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All
of Us." This event, which may have been a joke, proposed a run on Area 51 using sheer numbers.
The military, however, didn't find it quite so funny. USAF spokeswoman Laura McAndrews issued an
ominous threat which suggested the U.S. government would respond with force to protect the base.
It was obvious they were serious, and it was feared that the event could potentially turn
into a humanitarian disaster. But it also raised the question: what exactly is there to protect?
Those who believe the truth is out there — or, more specifically, hidden behind
the fences and security of Area 51 — say the U.S. government is allegedly
hiding the Roswell wreckage and the bodies of the alien pilots.
"Is this the work of little green men?"
"Grey."
"Excuse me?"
"You said green men. A reticulent's skin tone is actually grey."
Although the event failed to materialize, it seems that Area 51 aficionados may have been vindicated.
On June 17, 2020, former Nevada senator Harry Reid, in an interview with ABC affiliate KNTV Las
Vegas, stated that the government had covered up "hundreds and hundreds" of UFO sightings, although
he did not comment on the alleged experiments on alien life that some claim occur in the base.
"Do we have all the answers? No, we don't have many answers at all. But we know they exist,
and we should continue to do all that we can to learn more about them.”
With this information, it definitely seems
like there is more to Area 51 than spy programs and nuclear testing.
Although… even if it's "just" that, that's still pretty cool.
Ethiopia boasts a rich Christian history going back to the fourth century A.D.,
when King Ezana of Aksum embraced this new religion. But Ethiopia was
also intricately linked with Judaism, which allegedly resulted in the greatest treasure
of the Judeo-Christian tradition making its way into East Africa.
According to the Biblical Book of Kings, it started when the Queen of Sheba visited King
Solomon to learn his wisdom. Ethiopian tradition claims that she left with a son named Menelik,
whom Solomon anointed as ruler of the Ethiopians. However, either out of nostalgia for their
homeland or due to the Jewish people's abandonment of God, some Israelites accompanied the Queen of
Sheba to Yemen and eventually Africa — and they took the Ark of the Covenant with them.
Over 3,000 years later, the Ark of the Covenant allegedly rests in the Church
of Our Lady of Mt. Zion in Aksum. It's said that only one virgin monk,
who may never leave the grounds, can see it. Everyone else is forbidden to be anywhere near it.
The story has its skeptics, most famously Professor Edward Ullendorff, who claimed
to have seen the Ark during World War II… and no, we're not talking about this guy.
"We have top men working on it right now."
"Who?"
"Top. Men."
Ullendorff claimed that what he saw was a medieval forgery or reproduction. However,
when pressed for proof, Ullendorff refused, not wanting to offend his Ethiopian friends.
Because of strong religious beliefs and the lethal consequences if the Ark is indeed in there,
the question remains a matter of faith.
In the Bay of Bengal, isolated until very recently from much of the world, are the Andaman Islands,
whose inhabitants are believed to be among the first people to settle South Asia. Today, the
islands are part of India, whose administration is present on the whole archipelago — almost.
The one exception is North Sentinel Island, which lies west of the main archipelago. The islanders
are among the last uncontacted peoples in the world. The Sentinelese refuse all contact with
the outside world, showering any intruders with hails of arrows and ensuring they're left alone.
The Sentinelese live a hunter-gatherer existence and speak a language not mutually intelligible
with other Andaman tongues. In January 1991, an Indian team was able to make cordial contact with
them by floating coconuts, but this wasn't enough to learn their language or lifestyles in depth.
As it stands now, it is unlikely the Sentinelese will give up their secrets anytime soon.
Contact is rife with ethical ramifications. The islanders lack immunity to everyday diseases of
the developed world, due to their millennia of isolation. Any contact would likely kill
off most of the islanders, so, for now, the island will remain a secret paradise.
In the Indian Ocean's Chagos Archipelago lies the remote island of Diego Garcia. According to
the BBC, the inhabitants of this beautiful island, along with the rest of the archipelago, suffered
eviction from 1967 to 1973. Recent attempts for resettlement were denied for financial reasons,
but the real reason is more likely the presence of a top-secret American base on Diego Garcia.
In many ways, it’s just a typical American naval base, but with a big ole twist.
Only naval personnel and civilian contractors directly involved in the daily operations of the
base are permitted there. Spouses and all other outsiders are not allowed on the island. Period.
The key to Diego Garcia's secrecy is likely its alleged CIA black ops and role
as a so-called "extraordinary rendition" site. Bush administration official Lawrence Wilkerson
told Vice that the CIA had flown terror suspects to the island for interrogations,
which likely included torture. Hence, the island is part of a
network of secret CIA prisons, which would explain the secrecy around it.
This redwood grove in Sonoma County, California, is notorious in conspiracy circles.
It is accessible only by invitation and is managed by the Bohemian Club of San Francisco.
Rumors about this place are anything but positive,
including that it is guarded by snipers and that the grove serves as a place to conduct
satanic rituals before a giant owl statue. But what is known for sure about this place?
All that can be said with absolute certainty about the Grove is that it serves as a
midsummer retreat for the global elite. U.S. presidents including Nixon, Reagan, Clinton,
and both Bushes have visited the retreat alongside politicians from around the world,
bankers, financiers, royalty, Ivy League academics, and industrialists.
According to The Washington Post, it is a place where the world's wealthy go to get drunk,
blow off steam, and generally misbehave. Those few people who have managed to infiltrate the
grove claim they've seen bizarre scenes, like the Grove's members dressing up in
pagan costumes for the so-called "Cremation of the Care" ceremony.
So is it a secret society or a summer camp? No one outside the elite membership circle is sure.
Due to the sensitive nature of the place and the presence of so many important powerful people,
it is unlikely that anyone outside will be finding out much more.
But who doesn't like a good conspiracy theory?
The Papal Libraries are restricted but not necessarily secret,
at least not in the same way that the Bohemian Grove or Area 51 are secret.
The name is a mistranslation of the Latin, and means it's inaccessible to non-owners. It comes
from the archive's status as the pope's personal archive, and remained super-secret until 1881,
when scholars were granted access under Pope Leo XIII. Nevertheless, its secrecy has spawned
theories that the Church is hiding aliens, Jesus' true bloodline, and even a time machine.
As awesome as that would be, it's unlikely. Sorry. But,
that's not to say there's not a ton of awesome stuff in there. In reality,
the library contains a treasure trove of fascinating documents,
such as Martin Luther's bull of excommunication, the papal bull absolving the Templars, and Henry
VIII's request for an annulment. But because it is only open to scholars whom the Vatican vets,
the Holy See has been accused of hiding damaging material from the 20th century.
Cardinals' personal documents from 1922 onward are restricted,
as are documents pertaining to papacies after 1939. However, the Vatican has taken steps towards
greater transparency by digitizing the documents to make them accessible to the greater public.
The latest collection concerns Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust,
as the Church aims to dispel accusations of papal complicity in the bloody 20th-century genocide.
The 2004 U.S. presidential election pitted George Bush against John Kerry.
Although the two were political rivals, they ultimately came from very similar backgrounds,
and both were members of Yale's most exclusive secret society, Skull and Bones.
This society, like the Bohemian Grove retreat, has attracted mostly negative
attention for a host of accusations, which range from the theft of Geronimo's Skull
(by none other than Prescott Bush) to crippling America's education system.
There is no doubt that Skull and Bones is a highly influential society.
It boasts three Presidents (Taft and both Bushes) and numerous members of industry,
finance, and politics. Yale juniors are tapped and initiated into the society,
but no one knows exactly what happens in their meeting house, which is known as "the Tomb."
In 2001, the Yale Daily News reported that several Yale students caught aerial footage of a Skull and
Bones initiation in the courtyard of the tomb in which "neophytes" were acting out murder.
Former Bonesmen claimed that this was definitely not in the tradition of the society,
but there is no actually way for anyone to confirm that - because no one outside
the society is allowed in to see what is happening. As President George W. Bush said,
what goes on there is so secret that it cannot be discussed.
Poveglia island forms part of the Venetian archipelago, but it's not on any package tour.
It's unclear why the Italian government forbids travel to the island, but because Poveglia is
abandoned, there are numerous legends that speak of an island haunted by its grisly history.
Poveglia was a quarantine site for the sick when it was part of the Republic of Venice.
Undoubtedly, numerous people perished here from plague and isolation. Under Napoleon, it
was a weapons depot, and later an insane asylum. With such a history, it is no surprise that the
island has its share of gruesome ghost stories, a reputation augmented by the ban on all visitors.
Among the legends of Poveglia, one stands out. According to Venetian locals,
a doctor at the asylum performed lobotomies and other experiments on the inmates, killing many.
Eventually, he met his end by either jumping off the bell tower, or being thrown from it.
The bells are said to still ring on dark nights to this day, even though the bell
was removed decades ago after the center closed in 1975. Because of its horrific reputation as
a mass graveyard of society's most vulnerable, the island is known as the world's most haunted place.
Russia is famous for closed cities and secret underground constructions that make the country
legendary in the conspiracy world. Russian activities have drawn attention to a particular
military base near Okolnaya Bay, where Russia is believed to possess a deadly weapon.
"Following total atomic annihilation,
the rebuilding of this great nation of ours may fall to you."
Russia has staged a massive military buildup in Okolnaya Bay, with missile launchers,
a submarine harbor, and bunkers. A triple layer of barbed wire suggests
that the facility is top secret. But why is Okolnaya Bay so important?
Apart from a potential flashpoint for conflict with NATO in the Arctic, The Barents Observer has
suggested a second reason: In 2018, a Pentagon report released through Newsweek claimed that
Russia had developed unmanned underwater drones that could carry nukes virtually undetected, even
to the U.S. East Coast. It's been proposed that Okolnaya Bay was the base for Russia's nuclear
submarines capable of launching these automated torpedoes, referred to as "Poseidon" drones.
That's… the sort of thing that makes for a terrifying vision of the future.
"Radiation poisoning may have enlarged your favorite meals.
This means more healthful nutrition for you."
Not all secret places have dark, horrible histories that involve torture, the plague,
mysterious deaths, and the potential end of the
world, so let's wrap with something that will serve as a sort of mental cleanser.
Like these puppies. You're welcome.
The Coca-Cola Company is headquartered in Atlanta and even offers tours of the facility for soda
history aficionados everywhere. However, there is one part that is off limits to virtually everyone.
Originally, the Coca-Cola recipe was passed down orally - that is until a group of investors
insisted to founder John Pemberton that it be written down. First kept in a high-security
vault in a bank, the company decided to turn the recipe into its central marketing gig,
moving it to a heavily secured vault at company headquarters that tourists can pass and see but
cannot enter. The tour, complete with sound effects and attractive visuals,
takes tourists so tantalizingly close to one of the beverage world's greatest secrets.
It's a great promotional tactic, and it seems to have worked,
as Coke has been around for over 125 years. All that can be said about the Coca-Cola recipe,
is that hopefully, it does not contain cocaine anymore.
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