These 10 90s Conspiracy Theories Turned Out To Be True...

Top 90s Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out to Be True

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at true conspiracies that emanated from the '90s, as well as those that were confirmed to be accurate during the decade.

#10: The Government Lied About UFOs

For decades, many have insisted that the government knows more about extraterrestrials than they’re letting on. While alien life has yet to be confirmed, a 1997 study exposed the government’s less-than-honest track record. Historian Gerald K. Haines revealed that during the Cold War, the CIA and Air Force cooked up numerous false explanations for UFO sightings. While this was partially to ease UFO paranoia, it was mainly to conceal the existence of the government’s secret spy planes. Haines found that manned reconnaissance flights accounted for more than half of UFO sightings in the U.S. throughout the 50s and 60s. Whether or not the remaining UFOs were visitors, this report gave conspiracy theorists growing up on “The X-Files” fuel to keep watching the stars.

#9: Study 329

Between 1994 and 98, a clinical trial was conducted for the antidepressant paroxetine, also known as Paxil and Seroxat. Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline deemed the drug safe for youths, citing Study 329. Paroxetine wasn’t officially approved, however. That didn’t stop GSK from illegally promoting the drug to doctors between 1998 and 2003. Many patients were prescribed the drug, although in numerous cases, it was found to have the opposite effect, leading to self-harm. In 2001, a medical journal revealed that Study 329 had been ghostwritten by a PR firm that the drug company hired, misleading consumers about paroxetine’s effects and underplaying side effects. Pleading guilty, GSK would pay a record $3 billion with Paxil being just one of their products that violated the False Claims Act.

#8: The “Gay Bomb”

In the history of “gay panic,” the 90s remain one of the most bizarre decades to look back on. Society reached the pinnacle of facepalming in 1994 when the U.S. Air Force sought to weaponize gayness. How? With a quote-unquote “gay bomb.” It sounds like something from “South Park” or “Family Guy,” but the Sunshine Project uncovered documents revealing Ohio’s Wright Laboratory proposed a non-lethal chemical weapon that could create a shared attraction among enemy soldiers. This would supposedly cause confusion, giving America the upper hand. Even into the early 2000s, there was still a push to produce such a weapon with a proposed $7.5 million budget. Are you surprised this came from the same decade that gave us “don’t ask, don’t tell?”

#7: Stephen Glass’ Tall Tales

Joining The New Republic in 1995, Stephen Glass gained a reputation for his colorful stories that left readers saying, “Wow, you can’t make this stuff up!” Adam Penenberg of Forbes thought otherwise, questioning a 1998 story in which Glass claimed that a 15-year-old landed a job at the very Silicon Valley company he had hacked. Doing some digging, Penenberg found no evidence of the company or hacker’s existence. New Republic editor Charles Lane soon found other holes in Glass’ story, which was ultimately deemed to be fabricated. It was just one of at least 27 New Republic articles written by Glass that were grounded in falsehoods. As the conspiracy came to light, Glass lost his job and journalistic integrity, pursuing a paralegal career.

#6: Bob Packwood’s Diaries

After nearly thirty years in politics, Bob Packwood’s reputation started to deteriorate in late 1992. The Washington Post published an article in which ten women alleged that the Oregon senator had made unwanted advances toward them. Although Packwood had recently been reelected, this marked the beginning of the end with another 19 women eventually speaking out against him. Packwood’s diaries were seen as a potential smoking gun, but when he turned the material over, it appeared that numerous details had been edited. Despite his best efforts to cover his tracks, many of Packwood’s comments still came to light, painting a disturbing portrait that corroborated the reports of harassment. With his expulsion from the Senate imminent, Packwood chose to resign in 1995.

#5: CIA Drug Trafficking

Throughout the Nicaraguan civil war, it was speculated that the CIA aided the Contras in the trafficking of cocaine. This opened a gateway to the U.S. with cocaine becoming especially widespread among Los Angeles gangs. Although the matter had been investigated during the 80s, it didn’t make a ton of headlines until 1996 when journalist Gary Webb wrote a series of articles claiming that the CIA had contributed to the rise of cocaine distribution in the U.S. The government and several media outlets conducted investigations determining that the CIA didn’t conspire to sneak drugs into the country. However, it was confirmed that the CIA indeed knew about the smuggling, helping to keep the Contras off the DEA’s radar.

#4: Harding vs. Kerrigan

Of all the Olympic sports, figure skating is the last one that you might expect to turn violent. People saw just how cold the ice rink could turn in 1994 when skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked with a baton. The culprit? Shane Stant, who conspired with bodyguard Shawn Eckardt and Jeff Gillooly, the latter of whom had recently divorced fellow skater Tonya Harding. At first, Harding rejected claims that she had any involvement in the conspiracy. After Harding accepted a plea deal, however, her knowledge of the attack and coverup came to light. Although Kerrigan’s right thigh quickly recovered, her rival’s skating career never did. Harding was banned from U.S. Figure Skating while the others involved in the conspiracy received prison time.

#3: Royal Marriage Troubles

If there’s one thing that the Royal family has always excelled at, it’s maintaining a facade in the public eye. The illusion that was Charles and Diana’s happy marriage began to shatter after the Princess of Wales authorized a biography claiming that her husband had engaged in an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. “Diana: Her True Story” was among the most talked-about books to hit shelves in 1992, although it’d be another two years until Charles admitted to the affair in an interview with Jonathan Dimbleby. A year after that, Diana opened up about her affair with James Hewitt during a Panorama interview. With nothing left to hide, Charles and Diana officially divorced in 1996, one year before the People’s Princess’s tragic death.

#2: The Nayirah Testimony

In October 1990, a 15-year-old known to the public only as Nayirah testified about the horrors that she allegedly witnessed in Kuwait at the hands of Iraqi soldiers. Various politicians, including then-President George H.W. Bush, referenced Nayirah’s heartbreaking testimony while backing Kuwait during the Gulf War. Holes in Nayirah’s statements began to materialize in 1992 after she was identified as the daughter of Saud Al-Sabah, a Kuwaiti ambassador to the U.S. It was revealed that Al-Sabah made his daughter deliver false testimony. Al-Sabah had also conspired with Citizens for a Free Kuwait in an effort to promote America’s involvement in the war. Although the conspiracy was unraveled, the war had already ended with Iraq retreating from Kuwait following America’s intervention.

#1: The Clinton–Lewinsky Affair

The Clinton administration inspired an assortment of conspiracy theories. While a good chunk of them remain unfounded, one would rock Washington, D.C. with its legitimacy. 25 years after Richard Nixon’s “I’m not a crook” line, President Bill Clinton made an equally infamous statement that would come back to haunt him: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky.” Where Nixon resigned before he could be impeached, Cliton’s perjury charges placed his presidency in jeopardy. While Clinton was ultimately acquitted, he did confess to having an “improper physical relationship” with the former White House intern as more evidence surfaced. It was the scandal that rocked the 90s, arguably having a ripple effect that impacted politics into the 21st century.

Which conspiracy keeps you awake at night decades later? Share your theories in the comments.