8.U2
The reason behind the construction of Area 51 was the U2 ultra-high altitude reconnaissance aircraft. Designed to fly at altitudes considered impossible at the time (70,000 feet), U2 was delivered to Area 51 onboard C-124 cargo plane in July 1955. The tests were successful and the plane made its first flight over Soviet territory in 1956. Among other things U2 has accomplished, it was the dispelling of a “bomber gap” myth that is considered its finest achievement. However, some believe that U2 was crucial in developing the climate of mistrust in the US-Soviet relationship that led to the Cuban missile crises that brought the world to the brink of nuclear devastation.
