The world’s most controversial events, and the complex beliefs behind them. From Bigfoot sightings to bitcoin takeovers, alien landings to assassinations, who’s shaping the narrative — and why? Conspiracy Theories is a Spotify Podcast. New episodes Wednesdays.
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On October 21st, 1978, 20-year-old pilot Fred Valentich disappeared while flying across the Bass Strait, off the southeastern coast of Australia. Moments before vanishing, Fred described a bizarre encounter over the radio. He claimed an unidentified object seemed to be harassing him – moving at impossibly fast speeds, disappearing and then reappearing, and hovering above his Cessna. His final…
On September 20, 1973, tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in “The Battle of the Sexes,” notching a victory for feminism, women’s athletes, and societal equality. In America’s collective memory, the iconic sporting event was on the up and up. But what if Riggs, a man nicknamed “The Happy Hustler,” needed money so badly that he threw the match? Was the fix in? Check out the 2013 ESPN…
This July, we’re revisiting five classic topics in our Conspiracy Theories: Rewind series! This week: Every summer, members and guests of the exclusive and elusive Bohemian Club meet in a vast redwood grove in Monte Rio, California. Between the towering trees and the secretive nature of their summer retreat, one thing seems certain: Bohemian Grove is shady, Hundreds of influential and…
This July, we’re revisiting five classic topics in our Conspiracy Theories: Rewind series! Denver International Airport is said to be holding more than planes and luggage. It’s home to apocalyptic artwork, Freemason imagery, and even a literal murderous 32-foot-tall horse. And beneath all of this is a vast tunnel system that many believe houses an alien race that enslaves human children. Is this…
This July, we’re revisiting five classic topics in our Conspiracy Theories: Rewind series! Its existence and location were not formally acknowledged by the government in 2013. But “Area 51” – so named for its map designation, as part of the Nevada Test Site – has been shrouded in secrecy since it was established in 1955. From black-budget spy planes, to moon landing conspiracies, to Bob Lazar’s…
This July, we’re revisiting five classic topics in our Conspiracy Theories: Rewind series! Marilyn Monroe has been a cultural icon since she dominated Hollywood in the 1950s. Yet, her life was filled with turmoil. She struggled with mental health, drug addiction, and heartache– particularly during her alleged affairs with both JFK and Bobby Kennedy. But what was it that led to her untimely death?…
This July, we’re revisiting five classic topics in our Conspiracy Theories: Rewind series! First up, one of our most-requested stories: The Titanic. The “unsinkable” ship was brought down by a 6-second brush with an iceberg in April 1912. Did somebody know the world’s largest ocean liner would sink that day? Help us reach 10k followers on Instagram! @theconspiracypod Play Unhinged, an new horror…
When the Allan Memorial Institute opened its doors in 1943, its founders believed it would revolutionize mental health care. Under the direction of Dr. Ewen Cameron, however, the hospital started down a dark path – barbaric treatments, patients begging to go home, and a dark place nobody wanted to enter known as “The Sleep Room.” It would take decades for the world to learn about Cameron’s…
Some believe that the government plants references to future global atrocities into popular media– subconsciously conditioning the public to never rise up. Their biggest brainwashing weapon? The Simpsons. The cartoon has been said to predict the future, but these “predictions” may really be clues to a bigger master plan by those that control the world. For more Simpsons lore, check out Stupid TV,…
On May 19, 1984, an ice cream truck driver from Ohio named Michael Larson wins more than $100,000 on the CBS daytime game show Press Your Luck. How he does it is a total mystery. Is he a scammer? Is he supernaturally lucky? Or has he made his own luck? Help us reach 10k followers on Instagram! @theconspiracypod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 1992, UFO researcher Bob Oeschler received a strange package in the mail. It contained documents, purportedly stolen from some top-secret Canadian project, alleging a vast alien cover-up. The envelope contained something else: a VHS tape. The sender – identified only as “Guardian” – claimed to have captured footage of a UFO landing in rural Ontario. Bob found the tape credible and spent years…
In 1986, two young British defense scientists died under mysterious circumstances, sparking theories of foul play. Not only because both specialized in underwater defense systems; they also worked for the same company, Marconi Electronic Systems. Which was one of several defense contractors working with Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, or Star Wars. As journalists sought out…
On June 16th, 2009, a dead body washes ashore on Rosses Point beach, Ireland. The Irish police force learns the deceased’s name is Peter Bergmann. Or is it? Because everything “Peter” did while alive seemed shrouded in secrecy. He gave his hotel a fake name, a fake address, and he even knew how to dodge CCTV cameras around the city. Was Peter just a private, secretive man – or was he a spy? Help…
In 1988, a covert team operating within the Defense Intelligence Agency sought out the legendary Ark of the Covenant. Only, their search didn’t take them out in the field, Indiana Jones-style. Project Sun Streak sought out the lost relic using Remote Viewing – the reported ability to transmit one’s consciousness elsewhere. According to declassified documents… it seems like they may have located…
The injustice and hysteria that defined the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 is so shocking, historians have spent centuries looking for an explanation. In reality, it was a perfect storm of tensions that led to the deaths of at least 24 innocent people. But in all of that confusion, who was really pulling the strings? And why didn’t elected leaders step in sooner? Help us reach 10k followers on…
In the 1950s, Adventures of Superman dominated TV screens thanks to its star George Reeves. However, while the world loved him as Superman, George reportedly felt trapped in the role. According to the Hollywood rumor mill, the resulting depression drove him to die by suicide. But is this what really happened, or an apocryphal tale that covers up the truth – that Superman was murdered? Help us…
A man stumbles out of the Colorado wilderness in 1873. After his traveling party ran out of food in the dead of winter, he’s the only survivor. Except he looks surprisingly well-fed. Alfred Packer’s story of what became of his companions changes not once, but twice. In the end, we know that he ate them in order to survive. The question is, did he kill them first? Help us reach 10k followers on…
Does nature or nurture shape who we are? Does our personality come from our genes, or the environment we live in? Countless scientific studies on the subject have been published. But one such study – a collaboration between a psychoanalyst and a New York adoption agency – was instead hidden away for decades. Could it be because the study was founded on lies? Because it was unethical? Or might…
James Angleton ran counterintelligence for the CIA for 20 years. His job was to find Soviet spies hiding inside Western intelligence. He was brilliant, obsessive, and almost certainly right that the threat of a mole was real. But the hunt he launched tore the CIA apart from the inside, and the greatest deception of his career was one he never saw coming.Help us reach 10k followers on Instagram!…
In 1915, a German U-boat torpedoed the Lusitania, sinking it off the Irish coast, and killing over 1000 people. The attack devastated the American public, and justified America’s entry into World War I. But rumors of a top-secret British navy operation, the ship’s hidden second manifest, and a decades-long cover-up all led people to ask: Was the sinking an inside job? Help us reach 10k followers…
Betty Cash, Vickie Landrum, and Vickie’s grandson Colby claimed they encountered a diamond-shaped UFO that spit fire on their way home from B-I-N-G-O. They later suffered symptoms consistent with radiation exposure and filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government. Keep up with Conspiracy Theories! Instagram: @theconspiracypod TikTok: @conspiracy.pod Start screening for colon cancer with a…
John F. Kennedy, Jr. was born into the spotlight and remained a public fixture until his untimely death at the age of 38. The NTSB concluded that John crashed his private plane – with his wife, Carolyn, and sister-in-law Lauren on board – due to pilot error, bad weather, and spatial disorientation. But some still suspect foul play. Could John’s future plans… or the secrets he knew… have made him a…
They called them the "ghost girls" – young women who glowed in the dark after painting watches with radium. The company told them it was safe. They knew it wasn't. When the women started dying, the cover-up began: forged reports, fake doctors, lies on death certificates. The conspiracy nearly worked. But dying women make stubborn enemies. Keep up with Conspiracy Theories!Instagram:…
We’ve all heard the story of John Wilkes Booth firing a bullet in Ford’s Theater… but maybe you haven’t heard the theory he was a puppet, with his strings pulled by a much bigger organization. In the 1800s, a massively popular story circulated that the Jesuit Order orchestrated the Lincoln assassination. And the theory’s biggest promoter? He claimed to be Lincoln’s close friend. Keep up with…
In 1958, movie star Lana Turner was trapped in an abusive relationship with mafia bodyguard Johnny Stompanato. Until her teenage daughter Cheryl Crane ended the couple’s last argument by fatally stabbing Johnny. But many wondered: how did a teenager overpower a gangster? Or was Cheryl taking the fall for her famous mother? Keep up with Conspiracy Theories!Instagram: @theconspiracypodTikTok:…
When Juan Borgia died in 1497, his father, Pope Alexander VI, swore he’d find the killer. But just two weeks later, the Pope suddenly closed the case – without naming or punishing the murderer. The Pope might have covered up the killer’s identity for political reasons… or because it was one of his other children. Keep up with Conspiracy Theories!Instagram: @theconspiracypodTikTok:…
By the time she was 25, Mary, Queen of Scots had lost her thrones in two countries, France and Scotland. And officially, she was executed for conspiring to take a third throne: England’s. But was Mary naive enough to get caught committing treason? Or was she a shrewd politician who was framed by her lifelong enemy? Keep up with Conspiracy Theories!Instagram: @theconspiracypodTikTok:…
Superstar Musician Pedro Infante’s death sent shockwaves throughout Mexico. However, many fans believe he faked his death to escape the government or drug cartels. These were just rumors of course… until a new singer hit Mexico’s music scene: Antonio Pedro. He resembled and sounded so much like Infante that people thought he returned. But were they actually the same man? Keep up with Conspiracy…
After starring in the French New Wave classic Breathless and the American blockbuster Airport, Jean Seberg had the world’s eyes on her. But in the late 1960s, one organization watched her even more closely: the FBI. Seeing Jean’s political affiliations, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover gave the order to “neutralize” Jean. When Jean mysteriously died in 1979, people wondered exactly how far…
President John F. Kennedy saw his mistress Mary Pinchot Meyer as an equal during their lives. But there was one thing neither realized they’d have in common: their suspicious deaths. Police said Mary was murdered in a robbery gone awry. But some believe her death was an orchestrated hit: a move in the War on Drugs, or a way to hide her evidence that the CIA killed JFK. Keep up with Conspiracy…
25,000 square miles. 2000 missing people and planes. Failures from the largest search and rescue missions in history. The arid region between Las Vegas, Reno, and Fresno sees roughly 3 disappearances a month. It’s called The Nevada Triangle, and Bermuda’s got nothing on this. Keep up with Conspiracy Theories!Instagram: @theconspiracypodTikTok: @conspiracy.pod Learn more about your ad choices.…
In 1926, Aimee Semple McPherson vanished into the Pacific Ocean. It made national news; “Sister Aimee” was the founder of the Foursquare Church, with hundreds of thousands of members. After six weeks, Aimee returned, claiming she’d been kidnapped. But Los Angeles officials weren't so sure. Was it a miracle? Or a hoax? Keep up with Conspiracy Theories!Instagram: @theconspiracypodTikTok:…
Happy Holidays! This week, we're sharing an episode of one of our other favorite podcasts, The Tape Library. This episode is a chilling exploration of the Arctic’s most haunting legends — from phantom trappers to the doomed Franklin Expedition — as we uncover the truth behind the frozen north’s darkest mysteries. Keep up with Conspiracy Theories! YouTube: @ConspiracyTheoriesPodcast Instagram:…
Happy Holidays! This week, we're sharing an episode of one of our other favorite podcasts, Otherworld. In this episode, a woman checks into a hotel while visiting her family for Christmas only to find that she may be sharing her room with a shadowy presence. Keep up with Conspiracy Theories! YouTube: @ConspiracyTheoriesPodcast Instagram: @theconspiracypod TikTok: @conspiracy.pod Learn…
Every December we step back and reflect on some favorite episodes from the year…today we're declassifying our best of 2025 picks. This summer we traveled to every continent… and through time. For our second pick, we’re revisiting Time-Slipping Through Europe.Our team is already digging deep into stories we want to tell in 2026, so drop us a suggestion in the Spotify comments or on social. We…
Every December we step back and reflect on some favorite episodes from the year…today we're declassifying our best of 2025 picks. This episode actually happened because of listener requests, so please keep dropping suggestions in the Spotify comments and on social! We’ll be back in January with brand-new episodes. Thanks again for an incredible 2025! Keep up with Conspiracy Theories! YouTube:…
They say Roman Emperor Nero played his fiddle while watching his own empire burn. He neglected all leadership duties, and killed his own family. Then, he died by suicide. But some historians believe this is all the product of a two-thousand-year-old smear campaign, invented to cover up the fact that Nero was actually murdered. Keep up with Conspiracy Theories! YouTube:…
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Manhattan’s Knoedler Gallery made about $80 million selling art by Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, and other Abstract Expressionist icons. But in 2011, the truth came out: the paintings were forgeries. The buyers were scammed. Employees at the Knoedler claimed they, too, were victims. But were they actually in on the criminal conspiracy? Keep up…
Nikola Tesla patented over 300 inventions. When he died, the US government confiscated 80 trunks of his notes and blueprints… and only returned 60 to his heir. In his lifetime, Tesla tinkered with weather control machines, alien transmission readers, and a “death ray” that would revolutionize society. The missing trunks may be evidence that these inventions worked… and were covered up by the…
Several murders have been dubbed “the crime of the century," but the Lindbergh kidnapping case of 1932 might actually deserve the title. According to some, it shaped the culture of conspiracy theories in America. Was Bruno Richard Hauptmann really guilty, or was he framed? Did he have co-conspirators? Or was the crime perpetrated by the victim’s own father: the American icon with a dark side,…
November 5th, 2025 is the 50th anniversary of the events that inspired the 1993 film, Fire in the Sky. Seven lumberjacks saw a UFO… and one was pulled inside. Some say the men invented the story to dodge a work deadline. But the lumberjacks claim their chief debunker… is a government disinformation agent. We mention Operation Mockingbird in today's episode. If you want the full story, check out…
Supernaturally-high leaps. Glowing red eyes. Fire breath. This monster violently assaulted young women, and terrorized others across London. Was he a band of upper-class criminals? A ghost? Or a business plan? Historian Dr. Mike Dash joins us to uncover the truth. For more from Mike Dash, check out: www.mikedashhistory.com and his AskHistorians archive:…
In July 2025, researchers discovered an interstellar object entering our solar system. It’s only the third we’ve detected – ever – and it’s been dubbed Comet 3I/ATLAS. NASA says it does not pose a threat to us. But one Harvard scientist suggests 3I/ATLAS isn’t necessarily a comet – there are too many anomalies. He says, this object may not be natural…it might be alien technology. Keep up with…
Shakespeare’s First Folio is an incredible historical treasure. It also might be an encrypted treasure map. According to the theories, the First Folio’s secret code reveals the “real” Shakespeare author, a royal cover-up, a Freemason conspiracy, and of course, a map to priceless buried treasure. Treasure that may still be out there. Keep up with Conspiracy Theories! YouTube:…
Candy Jones had an impressive résumé: Miss Atlantic City, Model of the Year, highest-paid cover model of the 1940s, entrepreneur, radio personality, author…and an unwitting undercover CIA agent, brainwashed by the government. Or, so she claimed. To find out more, we’re digging into Candy’s story and speaking with author and historian John Lisle. Check out his new book, Project Mind Control: Sidney…
As Germany conquered Europe in 1940, the UK desperately needed foreign reinforcements. When the American people hesitated to help, MI6 conspired to secretly change their minds. But how far did the influence go? Conspiracy theories suggest the US President may have conspired in the psy-op on his own people… and together with MI6, may have concealed tips to prevent Pearl Harbor. Keep up with…
Most of what we know about Helena Blavatsky’s life seems improbable. In her 59 years on Earth, she was a young Russian aristocrat. A Parisian circus performer. A concert pianist in England. A clairvoyant. A medium. A telepath. An author. A missionary. A descendant of a Rosicrucian Freemason. And some would say: a chain-smoking degenerate liar…possibly even a serial killer. What’s the truth? That’s…
Driving through the remote Utah desert on the way back to his military base, 23-year-old Private Gerry Irwin witnessed what he thought was a plane crash. He pulled over and ran off into the darkness to help the survivors… and woke up in the hospital 24 hours later with no memory of what happened next. According to the sheriff, he had to be mistaken—there was no evidence of a plane crash. No one…
In 1973, Jack and Janet Smurl move into a modest duplex in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, hoping for a fresh start. What follows is more than a decade of escalating disturbances: strange smells, disembodied voices, levitations, physical assaults, and eventually, a demonic entity said to stalk the family even outside their home. With no help from the Catholic Church, the Smurls turn to controversial…
When Fidel Castro overthrew Cuba’s dictator in 1959, the Communist leader and provocateur quickly became a threat to the U.S. government. The CIA has been proven responsible for at least eight plots against Castro’s life. Despite the creativity of their attempts—including everything from an exploding cigar to a mafia hit—they were ultimately unsuccessful. But if there were reportedly over 600…