5 Greatest Conspiracy Theories
Ready to be amazed, entertained and shocked by these 5 Greatest Conspiracy Theories
he continued vitality (and possible growth) of conspiracy theories, here understood as secret plots by actors intent on political domination, is an intellectual practice popular among both elites and masses. Conspiracy theories are promoted by Trump and his supporters condemning 'the deep state', by contemporary social movements of the left and right, and by on-line communities intent on 'unmasking' secret plots or explaining disasters by assembling evidence and 'connecting the dots'. Seen anthropologically, conspiracy theories are alternative paths to knowledge whose actors see themselves as 'truth-tellers' in a milieu which may be ignorant or hostile to their message. In the mainstream culture, most conspiracy theories have remained marginal or at best entertaining, but this has only made the truth-tellers more determined. This combination of vitality and marginality, of outlandish reason, truth-searching and political critique, lends itself to an anthropological inquiry into conspiratorial discourse and practice.
5. The Dead Cosmonaut
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The Russian satellite Sputnik I gets some finishing touches before its launch in the fall of 1957. Image courtesy NASA
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During the 1960s, the Soviet Union and United States raced to become the world leader in space exploration. The winner would be able to claim technological superiority over the other. The Soviet Union had the early edge: In 1957, it launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. In 1961, the Soviet Union dealt the American space program another blow when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. But, according to the Judica-Cordiglia brothers from Italy, Gagarin wasn't the first.
The brothers set up a listening station in Italy to intercept communication transmissions between ground operations and spacecraft for both American and Soviet missions. Weeks before Gagarin's successful flight, the brothers claimed to have detected and recorded radio transmissions of a cosmonaut slowly dying while adrift in space. The Soviet Union denied the brothers' claim. Supporters of the theory believe the Soviet government hid the cosmonaut's death to preserve the country's reputation as a leader in space exploration. The truth remains a mystery, though the recordings are available online, if you're curious to hear for yourself.
4. The assassination of John F Kennedy
The 35th President of the United States was shot on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas at 12.30pm . He was fatally wounded by gunshots while riding with his wife - Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy - in a motorcade. The ten-month investigation of the Warren Commission of 1963 to 1964, the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) of 1976 to 1979, and other government investigations concluded that the President had been assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald - who was himself shot dead by Jack Ruby while in police custody.
But doubts about the official explanation and the conclusion that Oswald was the lone gunman firing from the Texas Book Depository overlooking Dealey Plaza where Kennedy was hit surfaced soon after the commission report. Footage of the motorcade taken by Abraham Zapruder on 8mm film supported the growing belief that at least four shots were fired - not the three that the Warren Commission claimed. The moments of impact recorded on the film also suggested that at least one of the shots came from a completely different direction to those supposedly fired by Oswald - evidence backed up by testimony of several eye witnesses. Many believed that several shots were fired by gunmen hiding behind a picket fence on a grassy knoll overlooking the plaza.
The assassination is still the subject of widespread speculation and has spawned numerous conspiracy theories, though none of these has been proven. In 1979, the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) found both the original FBI investigation and the Warren Commission Report to be seriously flawed. The HSCA also concluded that there were at least four shots fired and that it was probable that a conspiracy existed. However, later studies, including one by the National Academy of Sciences, have called into question the accuracy of the evidence used by the HSCA to support its finding of four shots.
3. President Obama Wasn’t Born in the U.S. and May Be a Secret Muslim
this untrue proposition was famously championed on Twitter and elsewhere by the current President Donald Trump. The theory that Barack Obama was actually born in Kenya and is not a natural-born citizen (and thus ineligible for U.S. Presidency) was used to delegitimize President Obama.
Despite Obama producing a long-form birth certificate to placate the doubters, showing that he was born in Hawaii to a Kenyan father and an American mother, 72% of Republicans in a 2016 NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll still expressed skepticism about the President’s place of birth.
President Obama's long-form birth certificate.
Another aspect of this conspiracy alleges that Obama is actually a Muslim, although he is a very well-documented Christian. This idea is fueled by Obama living with his Muslim father as a baby and speaks to the anti-Muslim fears stoked by politicians and talkshow hosts.
2. The Attacks on 9/11 Were an Inside Job -
a community of “truthers” has emerged around the idea that the terrorist attacks on 9/11 were actually orchestrated by the U.S. government, stemming from the White House itself. They believe the Bush administration had advanced knowledge of the attacks and allowed them to happen so they could invade Iraq and advance their agenda.
The “truthers” claim that jet fuel from the planes was not enough to melt the steel beams of the World Trade Center towers, which were actually brought down by a controlled demolition.
This theory was, of course, widely debunked but continues to live on. One reason for the idea’s longevity is that historical facts did prove that the war in Iraq was justified using incorrect information about the supposed existence of weapons of mass destruction.
1. The Moon Landing Was Faked
- one of the most significant scientific and political achievements of
the last century, landing on the moon, often comes under attack.
Photo: Astronaut
Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin poses next to the U.S. flag July 20, 1969 on the
moon during the Apollo 11 mission. (Photo by NASA/Liaison)
Some
people believe that the landing did not happen and its appearance was
orchestrated by NASA/American government as part of the Cold War, to
raise national pride and one up the arch-rival Soviet Union.
Supporters
of the idea point to such things as the flag appearing to move in
photos from the moon, something that should not happen as there is no
wind in space. This was disproved by pointing out that the flag only
appears to move during the moment of unfurling, something which would
happen even without wind.
A variation of this
theory even goes so far as to say that the famous film director Stanley
Kubrick was the creative mastermind of the fake footage of the landing.
