Conspiracy Theories

We now know that sugar plays a large role in the risk of developing heart disease. But this wasn’t always the case. Did the government know that sugar was the culprit all along? Or did the sugar industry finance specious studies to blame heart disease on saturated fat?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1980, the federal government’s Dietary Guidelines recommended Americans restrict their saturated fat intake to reduce their risk of heart disease. Since then, America’s obesity rate - a risk factor for heart disease - has sky-rocketed. Did the government get it wrong about fat?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who are the Men in Black? Are they are part of a shadow government designed to conceal alien activity on earth? Or are they part of the alien race, living among us on earth to learn our secrets. Or are they something else entirely?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Men in Black are a secret organization that are believed to cover up UFO sightings and alien encounters. The government denies its existence, yet many citizens claimed to have encounter them. Are these people lonely souls looking for attention? Or is the government keeping a tight lid on one of the biggest conspiracies in U.S. history?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.co...

After World War II, the U.S. and Soviet Union raced to capture top German scientists in order to utilize the advanced technology the Nazis had used during the war. The U.S. called this Operation Paperclip. But was Operation Paperclip really organized by the U.S. government? Or was it organized by a larger, international group planning something more ominous?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

Following WWII, a secret CIA mission was put in place to recruit Germany’s top scientific minds in an effort to help America’s space and defense program stay ahead of the Soviets during the Cold War. What is the legacy of these Nazis in America? Did the U.S. overlook war crimes for the sake of technological advancement?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did the CIA create the crack epidemic by planting the drug in the inner cities? Was the War on Drugs actually a pretense to attack and weaken black communities? Why does the U.S. have the highest incarceration rate in the developed world? And are government-led conspiracies behind it all?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Over the past two decades, private prisons have increased exponentially to accommodate the rising incarceration rate. But many people wonder: Were the number of private prisons built as a response to the rising incarceration rate…or were they the cause of it?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The body of Chandra Levy was found over a year after her disappearance. After numerous missteps by investigators during the homicide investigation, it remains unsolved. Were the investigators covering for somebody? What could this D.C. intern have learned that would lead to her untimely demise?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chandra Levy was a graduate student from the University of Southern California working at an internship in Washington D.C., when her life was tragically cut short in 2001. After details of Levy’s affair with California congressman Gary Condit surfaced, the press began asking questions about the mysterious details surrounding Levy’s disappearance and the flawed investigation that followed. Learn mo...

With more than 900 people dead, the Jonestown Massacre has sparked many theories over the past 40 years. Did the government have a hand in these deaths? Could the cult have been connected to the mysterious MK-Ultra program? And was Jim Jones murdered, or did he fake his own death?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the command of Jim Jones, more than 900 followers of The Peoples Temple drank a beverage laced with cyanide in an act that Jones labeled “revolutionary suicide”. Jones himself was found dead from a shot to the head. But the details of this mass suicide doesn't quite line up. Was this truly a mass suicide, or was it a mass murder? And did Jim Jones fake his own death?  Learn more about your ad c...

Kurt Cobain, the famed musician who influenced grunge music and voiced the emotions of thousands of people, was found dead at only 27 years old. Officially, he lost his battle with depression and drug addiction. But with several suspicious events surrounding his death, many have wondered for years if he was murdered… by his own wife.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adch...

Kurt Cobain’s fame as the lead singer and guitarist of Nirvana, and his tumultuous marriage to Courtney Love, thrust him into the spotlight. But Kurt felt misunderstood by the media, and his drug addiction brought trouble for the young musician. When he was found dead in his home on April 8, 1994, it looked like suicide. But do the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death point to murder?  L...

Reefer Madness and the war on drugs swept the United States in the 1930s but was this war truly started to protect the public? Or did a few powerful men have more personal reasons to ignite this battle?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At the turn of the 20th century, pharmacies sold medicines containing cannabis regularly. There was no stigma surrounding it. But in the 1930s, a few powerful men stirred up fear about marijuana. The official story: in 1937 the government passed the Marijuana Tax, essentially prohibiting weed because it presented a danger to the public in the form of Reefer Madness. ...But is this the truth? Or ar...

The root of hundreds of conspiracy theories, the modern Illuminati is shrouded in mystery and secrecy. And at the top of the rumored group are the most illuminated ones, 12 ruling bloodlines that control every major event. We dive deep into the Illuminati, investigating the theories that surround this secret society, including their apparent current plan for global domination and possible members...

Please note that today’s episode is going to sound a little different than a typical episode of Conspiracy Theories. We felt it was important for us to share the founding and history of the Illuminati before diving into the conspiracy theories. The Illuminati has stirred up fear and controversy for well over 200 years. This secret society began as a small group, born from the Freemasons, and ended...

In 1997, a viral email spread across the internet claiming chemicals were being released from planes. No one questioned the news — it was accepted as fact, and has grown since then to become one of the most popular conspiracy theories of our time. We examine theories about chemtrails: what they are, who controls them… and why.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’ve all seen it: the long trailing cloud as a plane flies across the sky. These clouds, called aircraft contrails, are officially said to pose no threat to our health or environment. Contrails are reported to be water vapor from the aircraft’s engine…but is this the truth? Or are they actually dangerous chemtrails being released by the government to control everything from the weather, to our mi...

For years, Area 51—and the conspiracy theories surrounding it—has inspired many movies, books and internet debates. Is the government developing incredibly advanced technology? Are they hiding evidence of extraterrestrial life? Did they fake the moon landing, and use Area 51 to film it? We explore these theories and more as we search for the truth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch...

From its founding in 1955 until 2013, Area 51 was completely top-secret. The CIA did everything to keep it this way, from denying its existence to trying to wipe images of the base off of every map. But how was Area 51 founded… and why?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two years after Princess Diana died in a car crash, the French authorities concluded the death was accidental. But people around the world weren’t so sure this is what really happened, and many believed she was killed. We investigate the theories about MI6, medical sabotage, and the mysterious death of a photojournalist.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1997, Princess Diana of Wales died in a car accident in Paris. The news shocked the world, and many people weren’t so sure this was an accident. In the first episode of two on Princess Diana, we explore her life...and perhaps her not-so-accidental death.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The truth is rarely the only story. Every Wednesday, we take a skeptical look at history's most controversial events and cover-ups… What's really at Area 51? How did Princess Diana die? Are the Illuminati controlling everything? Conspiracy Theories premieres Wednesday January 31st. Here is a sneak peek. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices