The internet is full of conspiracy theories. While some might sound like complete nonsense, others actually turned out to be true. Whether more conspiracy theories will turn out to be true in the future is up for debate. For now, get to know the ones that did.
The Dalai Lama works for the CIA
According to declassified intelligence documents, the Dalai Lama earned US$180,000 in connection with the CIA’s funding of the Tibetan Resistance in the 1960s. The aim was to disrupt China.
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There was a “gay bomb”
The U.S. Air Force did consider using pheromones as a weapon. The “gay bomb” was supposed to infuse enemy troops with female pheromones, making them sexually attracted to each other and disrupting troops’ morale. However the weapon was never made.
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John Lennon was under surveillance
In 1971, the FBI and CIA put John Lennon under surveillance due to his anti-war songs.
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Water changes frogs’ sex
Radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones claimed that chemicals in water are turning frogs gay. While the chemicals won’t change a frog’s sexual orientation, a study shows that exposure to a certain pesticide can actually change frogs’ sex. Estrogen in suburban lakes can have the same effect.
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The Canadian government built a “gaydar” machine
In the 1950s, the Canadian government developed the “fruit machine” to test for homosexuality in federal employees. The testing was done by exposing subjects to same-sex erotic images and analyzing pupil dilatation response. Many employees lost their jobs.
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U.S. government investigating UFOs
The Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program investigated UFO sightings and other UFO-related events.
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Illuminati and the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA)
There is actually a link between the supposedly secret organization that rules the world and the NSA, albeit just a hyperlink. Just type Illuminati backwards (Itanimulli) into a web browser, and it will take you to the NSA website.
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The government spies on your internet use
In 2005 it was revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) had been intercepting phone calls and internet communications. Many companies and government agencies continue to do so today without your knowledge.
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The U.S. government used dead babies for radioactive testing
‘Project Sunshine‘ tested radioactive strontium-90 on body parts of newly deceased children. This was done without the parents’ knowledge or consent.
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Osama bin Laden was captured through a fake vaccination program
The CIA ran a fake vaccination program, and they had Bin Laden’s DNA on file thanks to his sister who lived in the U.S. A Pakistani doctor then identified his children’s DNA in the area where he was hiding, and this information led to his capture.
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Polio vaccine caused cancer
In 1960 it was revealed that some of the cells used to make the polio vaccine could cause cancer. Between 1955 and 1963, nearly 100 million children were given this vaccine.
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False testimony lead up to the Gulf War
A young girl, identified as Nayirah, falsely testified on Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in 1990. It turns out Nayirah was actually the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the U.S. and her testimony was part of a campaign called Citizens for a Free Kuwait, run by Hill & Knowlton, a PR firm.
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Sugar industry funded research underplaying risks of sugar consumption
Studies funded by the National Confectioner’s Association and Coca-Cola made shocking claims, such as children who ate candy generally weighed less than those who didn’t. A paper published in JAMA Internal Medicine revealed that they had been padding the studies since the 1960s.
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It’s not really Hitler’s skull
Tests performed in 2009 revealed that what was supposedly Hitler’s skull was actually that of a young woman.
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U.S. government planned to fabricate acts of terrorism and blame Cuba
Operation Northwoods was meant to commit acts of terrorism on U.S. soil to gain public support in the war against Cuba. Luckily then-President John F. Kennedy put a stop to the operation.
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World leaders gather yearly at a campground in California
Every year, some of the world’s richest and most powerful men gather for two weeks at Bohemian Grove.
Two future U.S. presidents, Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, are pictured with Harvey Hancock (standing) and others at Bohemian Grove in the summer of 1967. (Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.)
The U.S. government paid for patriotic displays
The U.S. Department of Defense spent millions of dollars to have sports organizations such as the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL, put on shows to display American pride.
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The government can manipulate the weather
Operation Popeye was a U.S. government weather modification program that used a technique called cloud seeding to increase precipitation over North Vietnam.
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The CIA controlled U.S. media
Operation Mockingbird spied on members of the Washington press corps and paid journalists to publish CIA propaganda. It also funded student and cultural organizations and magazines.
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The U.S. government’s mind control program
Project MKUltra was the name given to the CIA program that tested LSD on U.S. citizens without their knowledge. Unfortunately record have been destroyed.
The U.S. government poisoned alcohol during prohibition
The government added toxins to alcohol to stop people from drinking during prohibition in the 1920s. Around 10,000 people died as a result.
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The Gulf of Tonkin incident didn’t happen
According to the U.S. Naval Institute, the Gulf of Tonkin incident on August 2, 1964, was faked in order to gain American support for the Vietnam War.
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The U.S. Government employed Nazi scientists
Operation Paperclip sent 1,600 Nazi scientists to work in the U.S. after World War II.
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The First Lady acted as U.S. President
In 1919, U.S. First Lady Edith Wilson began making decisions on behalf of President Woodrow Wilson after he suffered a stroke.
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E.T. buried in New Mexico, US
The Atari video game ‘E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial’ was such a failure that the company buried unsold cartridges in a New Mexico landfill.
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Smoking kills
It wasn’t until the late 1990s that Philip Morris admitted that smoking could be deadly. In 2006 a judge found tobacco companies liable.
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Playing football can cause brain damage
A study found there was a link between brain damage and playing football.
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