Oh, conspiracy theories. Aren’t they entertaining? We’ve all heard about one or two conspiracies in life and, in this day in age, it’s getting harder and harder to decipher fact from fiction.
People just love conspiracy theories. We’ve all heard a few in our life and these days it’s hard to tell if they’re real or not.
But, sometimes – even the wildest conspiracy theories are actually true – and we found 20 of the craziest.
These seemingly totally insane conspiracy theories are much more real than we’d probably want to think. So, if you’ve ever thought the moon landing was faked, the government is reading your texts, or that Elvis is still alive – you’ll definitely want to keep reading.
1) Tobacco companies always knew about the risks
When tobacco companies first started advertising decades ago, they started donating millions and millions of dollars to help “prove” that there was a lack of harm in smoking. However, in 1998, they all had to buck up and own the truth. It turns out, all that research actually showed that smoking caused lung cancer and serious health issues, and Philip Morris had to finally admit it.
2) The CIA heavily studied UFOs in the 1950s
Not long ago, US intelligence agencies released documents from the 1950s related to UFO studies. In these creepy documents, there is logged information about people who claimed to have seen UFOS – a total of 575 cases in 23 years. The eeriest bit of info is the “peak” of alien activity recorded in 1952 on July 29. For 6 hours in a row, dozens of Americans saw a strange glimmering in the sky – which science now says is temperature inversion. The point is, it was clear that the CIA did consider these flying objects study-worthy.
3) Major oil companies conspired to fix prices
Everyone hates paying for expensive gas for our cars. But, the major oil companies don’t feel any guilt whatsoever. In fact, it was found that during a scandal in 2008, journalists uncovered proof of a conspiracy theory that said they were fixing prices. Since the conspiracy started in 2002, the price of gas has grown all around the globe.
4) A Soviet spy was actually in Congress
Straight out of a movie plot, here’s a crazy conspiracy theory that turned out to be true. “During the Cold War between the US and the USSR, both countries made up stories and legends about possible spies. One theory was actually proven. Samuel Dickstein, a Democrat from New York State opened a commission on investigating anti-American activity that was supposed to track down Communists. And at the same time, he secretly worked for the Soviet Union, transmitting classified information about the military budget of the US. Samuel Dickstein was never charged with espionage and he worked as a judge in New York up until the day he died,” says Brightside.
5) Coca-Cola hides the dangers of sugar
It’s all about the money, isn’t it? If you’re a major corporation like Coca-Cola, heck yes it is! Back in 1967, they paid 3 Harvard scientists $50,000 (which was a lot of money back then!) to make them write a paper “proving” that there was no connection between sugar and a person’s heart.
6) The only person that sang in The Pussycat Dolls was Nicole Scherzinger
Nicole Scherzinger is known for being in The Pussycat Dolls as well as a judge on the popular reality talent show The X Factor. And as is turns out, during her stint with her girl group, the other girls were there just for looks. Many people thought that all the voices sounded a lot like Nicole and they were right – Nicole actually sang 95% of the vocals.
7) Britney Spears didn’t sing on one of her albums
Britney Spears divorced Kevin Federline in 2007 and soon entered treatment into a psychiatric facility. Somehow though, she was able to release the very successful Blackout and fans were confused. Everyone began to think that it wasn’t actually Britney singing and they were right. The dad of backup singer Myah Marie said that almost the entire album was sung by his daughter and Britney was just on the cover.
8) The FBI was keeping an eye on John Lennon
With millions and millions of people hanging onto every word that John Lennon says or sings, that gives a lot of power to one person to have a major influence on them. The FBI was a little scared of that an needed to keep tabs on the Beatle. However, it turns out their surveillance was useless. They never found one ounce of anti-American behavior.
9) Pharmaceutical companies make up new diseases
“According to Georgetown Professor Adriane Adriane Fugh-Berman, today, the sequence of appearances of diseases and the treatment for them may be reversed. Marketing for a drug can start 7 to 10 years before they go on the market. Pharmaceutical companies convince doctors and patients that it’s necessary to solve a problem that doesn’t even exist.As an example, take osteopenia, a bone-thinning condition. This is the mid-point between healthy bones and osteoporosis. So, if you have this, the only thing you can do is try to prevent the development of osteoporosis. And osteopenia is often presented as a disease that requires very expensive treatment,” says Brightside.
10) The NSA listens in on phone conversations
In 2016, we finally got the proof we had suspected for years. Edward Snowden, an ex-member of US Intelligence, declassified information in 2013 about the NSA listening to phone conversations of millions of people. His testimony started a giant scandal and internet companies started encrypting data.
11) “Gaydar”
Here’s a strange little tidbit about Canada history. In the 1960s, Carleton University professor Frank Robert Wake was hired by the Canadian government to create a machine that could supposedly detect gay men. But the reason it was made was to try and get all gay men out of the country’s government. More than 400 people lost their jobs and 9,000 other people were kept on a list of “suspects.” The device claimed to work by gauging how much a person’s pupils dilated after being forced to look at same-sex erotic images.
12) The CIA secretly gave people LSD
Like something out of a horror flick, back in the 1950s, the CIA secretly dosed people with LSD to study the potential effects of mind control. Sounds fake, right? The practice continued for about two decades and left some of their subjects with permanent disabilities after being given massive doses of the drug as well as electroshock therapy. They had been seeking help for “minor psychiatric complaints.”
13) There’s a secret gathering of the elite
Is there a secret organization of the wealthiest and most powerful people that rule the world? Well, there’s at least a retreat they all attend every year. The Washington Post reported on Bohemian Grove which is a place where the rich and powerful go to “misbehave.” The owners of the property host this two-week retreat in California and it is attended by some of the most influential people in America. Both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan have attended. What exactly goes on? I guess us peasant folk will never know.
14) The CIA funded the Dalai Lama
“During the 1960s, the CIA allegedly funneled millions of dollars to the Tibetan Resistance, including what some claim was a six-figure annual “salary” that went directly to the Dalai Lama himself (which he denied). This wasn’t some remnant from the agency’s flirtation with LSD. Rather, it was a pretty obvious attempt to undermine the Chinese government, something the Chinese have complained about for decades. In declassified State Department memos, the organization says: “The purpose of the program … is to keep the political concept of an autonomous Tibet alive within Tibet and among foreign nations, principally India, and to build a capability for resistance against possible political developments inside Communist China,” says Good.
15) There were 10 people in on Lincoln’s assassination
Many people know that John Wilkes Booth killed President Lincoln, which is true – along with no less than 9 other people. It turns out, Booth collaborated with Mary Surratt, who ended up being the first woman executed by the U.S. government. Also, David Herold who helped Booth escape from the theater, then, George Azterodt, who unsuccessfully assassinated Vice President Andrew Johnson. Even though he never actually tried killing Mr. Johnson, Azterodt was still executed for plotting against the president. Read more about the rest of this crazy story here.
16) The government poisoned alcohol during the prohibition
In 1920, the prohibition was introduced to control the U.S.’ alcohol consumption. However, it resulted in a lot of bootlegging and speakeasies which is illegal production and selling of alcohol. So, the government took drastic measures and poisoned the known illegal liquor supply. It’s estimated that nearly 10,000 people died, although the government says it was not their intention and they only meant to deter people from drinking.
17) A 1st Lady acted as president of the United States
President Woodrow Wilson suffered a massive stroke in 1919, so, his wife Edith decided to start taking control of major decisions on his behalf. She did not let the condition of her husband’s health get out to the public. Historians believe that she essentially led the U.S. for around a year and five months.
18) The U.S. government used body parts from newly deceased children for radioactive testing
“In the 1950s, the United States Atomic Energy Commission started testing tissue samples from newly-deceased children and babies to test radioactive strontium-90, the most severe threat to humans in the event of nuclear fallout. Throughout “Project Sunshine,” they gathered more than 1,500 samples throughout Europe and Australia—often without the parents’ knowledge or consent—to test the hazardous effects on young human tissue.Years later, a British woman named Jean Prichard reported that she hadn’t been allowed to dress her stillborn daughter’s body for the funeral in 1975, because (as she later found out) her baby’s legs had been removed by British doctors and shipped to the U.S. government. “No one asked me about doing things like that, taking bits and pieces from her,” she said,” reports Best Life.
19) Nazi scientists worked for the U.S. government
In 1942, it was exposed that the government had hired nearly 1,600 Nazi scientists to work in the U.S. Some were involved in Project MKUltra, others worked for the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, and others worked on the moon landing and satellite launches. It was called “Operation Paperclip.”
20) The CIA has a secret weapon that causes heart attacks
Once again, another piece of a thriller movie has come to life. The CIA admits that they have a secret weapon that causes fatal heart attacks. A small poison dart is shot into the victim, it penetrates clothing and leaves nothing but a red dot on the skin. The dart disintegrates on impact and the target only feels a small prick. This way, assassinations can be carried out without being tracked back to the CIA. It’s believed that they still use this weapon today.
Pretty crazy, right? If you’re one of those people that is always told you’re making up conspiracy theories, well – maybe you’re right! Do you know of any other crazy theories out there that have been proven to be true?