Top 10 Historical Events That Inspired the Craziest Conspiracy Theories

The start of 2020 was a very scary time, with COVID-19 sending the world into panic and confusion. Unfortunately, we didn’t know much about the virus or how it operated, resulting in a slew of ridiculous conspiracy theories. Bill Gates was accused of using the pandemic as a pretext to implant tracking microchips in people through vaccines, fueling anti-vaccine sentiment. Even more believed that 5G cellular networks were either spreading the virus or weakening people’s immune systems, resulting in the vandalism and burning of 5G towers. And some didn’t even believe in the virus itself, arguing that the pandemic was a complete fabrication designed to control populations and introduce martial law! We don’t know how they explained all the sick and dying people…

Conspiracy theories aren’t a new phenomenon. They’ve been around for a very long time, as evidenced by the ones that cropped up after the death of Nero. The Roman Emperor died at the age of 30 in 68 AD, having taken his own life after fleeing Rome. As there were only a handful of witnesses to his alleged death, many people suspected that he had faked it and would one day return to Rome to violently reclaim his throne. Prophecies and omens were interpreted as signs of his imminent return, and multiple impostors claimed to be Nero throughout the years. Some even believed that he was dead, but that through divine intervention he would return from the grave and reclaim power as a vengeful spirit!

On the morning of April 15, 1912, the Titanic went under the Atlantic, taking roughly 1,500 people with her. We know that the ship hit an iceberg, but as she was deemed “unsinkable,” her tragic demise has birthed many conspiracy theories. One of the most famous is that American financier J.P. Morgan orchestrated the sinking to kill off some business rivals who were traveling on the ship. This theory is entirely baseless, not to mention extremely libelous. Another popular theory posits that the White Star Line swapped the brand new Titanic with her damaged sister ship Olympic in an elaborate insurance scam. And of course there are the wacky ones, like a cursed mummy being secretly stowed onboard and taking the ship down.

Adolf Hitler took his own life on April 30, 1945 upon the imminent defeat of Nazi Germany. But his body was burned and an official death certificate wasn’t issued for another decade. And without a body or official proof that he was dead, many people believed that Hitler was still out there. The most famous conspiracy theory posits that Hitler and Eva Braun faked their deaths and fled to Argentina to live under assumed identities. Some even take this theory one step further, claiming that he fled to Antarctica and lived in a secret Nazi base. And some even believe that the Allies had secretly captured Hitler and were using him for intelligence purposes as part of Operation Paperclip.

One of the most enduring conspiracy theories of our time concerns the death of Princess Diana. The world was left stunned on August 31, 1997, when a car carrying Diana crashed inside Paris’s Pont de l’Alma tunnel. The Princess died following a brief struggle with some horrific injuries. A slew of conspiracy theories were born from the event, the most famous of which is that the Royal Family had her killed and that MI6 had secretly orchestrated the crash. This theory has endured in popular culture for decades, and it has resulted in a significant stain on the public reputation of the Royal Family. However, numerous reports and investigations have discredited the theory, putting most of the blame on the intoxicated driver, Henri Paul.

For some reason, we just can’t accept that ancient civilizations were smart. We can’t seem to fathom that the Egyptians built the magnificent pyramids, so we’ve resorted to ridiculous conspiracy theories in an attempt to explain how they came to be. Many supernatural explanations have been put forth, arguing that the pyramids were constructed by divine beings - or, at least constructed with the help of divine intervention. Gods, aliens, it doesn’t really matter. Point is, the Egyptians had help, and that help was not of this world. Similarly, many people think that the pyramids were built using insane technology that has conveniently been lost to time, like advanced cutting tools and even some type of anti-gravity device. How else did they get those stones up there!?

September 11 is a topic of endless interest, as it can be studied from a number of different angles and perspectives. But there is one angle that some people are adamant about - the idea that 9/11 is a massive cover-up. The most famous and widely-circulated conspiracy theory claims that the attack was an inside job and that the towers were brought down by controlled demolitions rather than the planes and resulting fires. But that’s certainly not all. From insurance fraud to occult symbolism to secret energy weapons, 9/11 seemingly covers all the conspiracy bases. In fact, there’s an entire “truth movement” out there consisting of staunch adherents to the general theory that 9/11 was not a terrorist attack.

Conflicting evidence, significant secrecy, and various inconsistencies have all contributed to the perception that the JFK assassination is hiding a much deeper story. Of course, everyone knows all the major theories, like the idea of multiple gunmen or that the CIA orchestrated the assassination. But there are crazier theories. Was Kennedy killed by the Illuminati for challenging their control over global affairs? Did the mafia secretly order a hit on the President in retaliation for Robert F. Kennedy’s crackdown on organized crime? Did Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson have Kennedy murdered so he could take power? Ask the conspiracy theorists and the answer is a resounding yes.

In the summer of 1947, a top secret balloon designed to detect Soviet nuclear tests crashed near Roswell, New Mexico. The U.S. military initially reported that a “flying disc” had been recovered. However, this was quickly retracted, and the military stated that the debris was from a weather balloon. It’s likely that the American government did not wish to reveal the existence of their classified technology, hence the story that convinced absolutely no one. And owing to the intense secrecy surrounding the crash, combined with the curious change in story, caused the general public to believe in a cover-up. The result was the UFO phenomenon of the 1940s and ‘50s - a phenomenon that has endured in the news and pop culture ever since.

Humanity accomplished what is arguably its greatest technological achievement on July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon. It was such a monumental accomplishment that it is literally unbelievable to some. Enter the countless moon landing conspiracy theories, which all amount to the general idea that we never landed on the celestial sphere. These theories have been around for decades, with many positing that the footage was filmed on a studio set - and was maybe even directed by Stanley Kubrick! Countless pieces of evidence prove that we did in fact land on the moon, but these do not stop the ardent supporters of the crazy theory. Which, according to some polls, may account for up to 20% of the American population.

Do you believe in any of these theories? Let us know in the comments below!