We have been talking a lot about Conspiracy theories in class. Specifically, the JFK assassination conspiracy has some good points, but I'm sure that most of you are still thoroughly unconvinced, as are most of the people in the United States. It will most likely never be proven as true or false. However, there are some big conspiracy theories that started out with just a few people wondering what was really going on, that turned out to be true. Here are some conspiracy theories that were actually proven true, and today, we don't even realize that they were conspiracy theories.
1. The Mafia
Up until the 1960's, the Mafia was virtually unknown in the United States despite it being one of the biggest crime societies. Hard facts were yet to come up to prove the existence of this until a member Joe Valachi revealed the secret society to government officials. There was some knowledge that existed of this, but what Valachi exposed was connections and control in the CIA and some of the biggest businesses in the world.
2. The Manhattan Project
As all of you know, the Manhattan was the code name for the project during WWII to construct the atomic bomb. It resulted in the creation of multiple production and research sites that operated in secret. To this day, it is one of the biggest conspiracy theories ever. Entire towns were built and filled with people to cover up the project. For 25 years, the government never admitted to it, the media never reported on it, and people had no idea. It was finally revealed when Truman dropped the bomb on Hiroshima in 1945.
3. Watergate
Another big conspiracy theory revolved around the Nixon Administration and his part in the spying on democrats at the Watergate hotel. Conspiracy theories only hinted that there were some underhand dealings going on with the break-in, but nothing was proven until 1974 when the White House tape recordings were released linking him to the break-in and forcing him to resign.
Thanks for the fascinating post, Ryan! I have a favorite conspiracy-that-turned-out-to-be-true: the Illuminati. Best known by the symbol of a pyramid with an eye in the middle, the Illuminati are a society of freethinkers founded during the Enlightenment era and persecuted by the European ruling class because of its radical Enlightenment ideals such as anti-clericalism and anti-monarchism. Some speculate that the Illuminati orchestrated the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. Others believe that the group survived its dismantlement by the Bavarian government in the late 1700s and are still part of a conspiracy to initiate a global revolution that would lead to a new world order controlling all governments and religions. Pretty crazy stuff, huh?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fascinating post, Ryan! I have a favorite conspiracy-that-turned-out-to-be-true: the Illuminati. Best known by the symbol of a pyramid with an eye in the middle, the Illuminati are a society of freethinkers founded during the Enlightenment era and persecuted by the European ruling class because of its radical Enlightenment ideals such as anti-clericalism and anti-monarchism. Some speculate that the Illuminati orchestrated the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. Others believe that the group survived its dismantlement by the Bavarian government in the late 1700s and are still part of a conspiracy to initiate a global revolution that would lead to a new world order controlling all governments and religions. Pretty crazy stuff, huh?
ReplyDeleteGreat Post Ryan!! Another conspiracy theory was the theory that all the Apollo moon landings were all staged in a hollywood studio or other studio. They did this either to hide aspects of the landing or that the landing actually never happened.
ReplyDeleteAnother theory relating to that says the Apollo astronauts actually found a human skeleton on the moon. This might be why conspiracy theorists say that they staged the moon landing for the people to watch.
Great Post Ryan!! Another conspiracy theory was the theory that all the Apollo moon landings were all staged in a hollywood studio or other studio. They did this either to hide aspects of the landing or that the landing actually never happened.
ReplyDeleteAnother theory relating to that says the Apollo astronauts actually found a human skeleton on the moon. This might be why conspiracy theorists say that they staged the moon landing for the people to watch.
thanks for the cool post Ryan! One of the more outlandish conspiracy theories surrounds the terrorist attacks on 9/11. The most popular theory is that the collapse of the twin towers was done by a controlled explosion, rather than by the impact of the airplane. This popular theory sparked an investigation to see if the impact may not have been able to damage the structural integrity of the twin towers, coining the phrase "Jet fuel can't melt steel beams".
ReplyDelete