Conspiracy Theories

In 2018, a study ranked it as “the most influential film of all time.” Rotten Tomatoes certifies it as 98% fresh. And yet, theories abound that the perennial classic might be hiding something. Today, Carter follows the yellow brick road to the dark side. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The only question bigger than “Who is the Isdal Woman?” is “Who’s keeping her identity secret?” Found in 1970, her body was burned beyond recognition. And what started as a murder case quickly led to a web of international crime rings, espionage, and conspiracy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1483, the rightful king of England and his heir apparent vanished. Popular opinion says they were murdered by their uncle, but could he have been framed by another relative? Or were the princes forced into exile, with descendants who could one day come forward to claim the throne?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To some, he was a hero of the Mexican Revolution. To others, a “bloody soul, born from evil.” In 1923, when he was gunned down in the streets of Parral, everyone wanted to know: Who killed Pancho Villa? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How does King Burr sound? While he’s most infamous for shooting a Founding Father in a duel, Aaron Burr’s crimes extend even further: The former Vice President was once tried for treason after allegedly plotting to invade Mexico and create his own country.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

July 26th was quite a day in Congress. The House subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs met to discuss...UFOs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In April 1988, a top Soviet scientist, Valery Legasov, died by suicide. Before his death, he recorded a series of chilling deathbed confessions concerning one of the world's deadliest disasters: the Chernobyl nuclear explosion. Over four hours, Legasov confessed terrifying truths and disturbing realities from the nuclear power-plant, revealing secrets that had been hidden for two years and lies wh...

In March 1938, a brilliant physicist boarded a ship from Palermo to Naples, Italy. When the ship docked, he wasn’t on it. What happened to Ettore Majorana? And did his research group’s work on nuclear reactions have anything to do with his sudden disappearance?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A top-secret military program changed the world in August 1945. Today we’re examining the Manhattan Project’s official story: its key figures, its developments, its spies… And breaking open the conspiracy theories it inspired around extraterrestrials, a fluoride cover-up, and a pagan cult. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Three years before the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a group of men including J. R. Oppenheimer and Ernest Lawrence held a secret meeting at Bohemian Grove—the meeting place of an invitation-only boys club made up of the rich and powerful. It’s said that the meeting marked the earliest stages of the Manhattan Project. This week we’re exploring what we know about the exclusiv...

Before Oppenheimer hits theaters this summer, explore the real-life events that inspired the film. We’ll be back in August with new episodes of Conspiracy Theories.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A prehistoric species discovered in England was once hailed as the “missing link” between humans and apes. Until it was exposed as a fake. The only question remaining: Who was in on the scam?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From doctoring scripts and censoring movies, to influencing programming for game shows, just how deep is the partnership between Hollywood and the military? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are crime dramas just good PR for cops? From Dragnet to Law & Order, American crime shows have been helping craft the public’s perception of police for decades. But how do crime shows compare to the real thing—and how much influence does law enforcement have over how they’re portrayed? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Jurassic Park film franchise brought dinosaurs to life using CGI and special effects. But, with advancing gene engineering technology, could dinosaurs actually be resurrected? If so, should they be? Would they even survive in 21st-century conditions? We may find out sooner than you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's been thirty years since the first Jurassic Park film dazzled global audiences. Since then, the movie franchise has reshaped our understanding of dinosaurs. But should it? Though the filmmakers got some things right, some inaccuracies remained for dramatic effect, leaving many questions unanswered. What do we really know about velociraptors? Were they as formidable as they are depicted in the...

To celebrate its 30th anniversary, we're digging deeper into a film that preyed on the world's fascination with dinosaurs and changed cinema as we know it: Jurassic Park. Based on the book by Michael Crichton and directed by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park tore through the box office to become the highest-grossing film ever upon its release — weaving innovative technology with groundbreaking pract...

Because of the government's classified files on UFOs, it's hard to know which US presidents knew about aliens. Some believe President Eisenhower helped mediate intergalactic peace. Others think President Kennedy was assassinated for wanting to share classified UFO research with the Soviets. While many believe that some files are so secure, even the president can't access them. Learn more about you...

When a flying saucer crashed in Roswell, New Mexico, President Harry Truman tried to downplay the incident to keep the public from panicking. But he wasn't the first US President to deal with a UFO encounter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A small commercial airplane, the Star Dust, disappeared over the Andes Mountains in 1947. Some think the flight was bombed as part of corporate sabotage. Others say extraterrestrials abducted the aircraft. But perhaps the greatest mystery surrounds the plane’s final transmission… a message in Morse code that simply read “STENDEC.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoice...

A Boeing 727 took off from Angola and vanished from the skies above Southern Africa in 2003. Many suspected the jet was hijacked by terrorists. Some government agencies think it was "stolen" so the owner could cash in on the insurance money. While others speculate that the mechanic in charge of restoring the plane hijacked it and sold it without the owner's permission. Learn more about your ad cho...

After the shipwreck, many rumors swirled about how the MS Estonia came to sink in the Baltic Sea. Some believe one of the captains, assumed dead, is still alive, trying to avoid accountability. Others think the cruise ferry was used to smuggle military equipment. But perhaps the biggest question surrounding this tragedy: Did the Accident Commission lie about what caused the vessel to sink? Learn m...

In September of 1994, the MS Estonia was en route from Tallinn, Estonia to Stockholm, Sweden when it hit rough seas and sank, claiming 852 lives. An official investigation blamed the accident on the vessel’s bow visor breaking off. But passengers who survived the tragedy tell a different story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the body of media mogul Robert Maxwell was pulled from the water, rumors began to swirl about the cause of death. It's entirely possible that it was only an accident. But some believe the crew killed him on his yacht. While others wonder if he may have been the target of Israeli assassins. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He was a controversial media mogul in Britain accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from his employees. Then in November 1991, Robert Maxwell mysteriously disappeared from his yacht while vacationing near the Canary Islands. His body was recovered later from the water, but the circumstances surrounding his death left many wondering what really happened that fateful night. Learn more...