Top 20 MORE Conspiracies That Turned Out To Be Real
#20: The US Government Investigated UFOs
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For as long as aliens have been in human pop culture, so has the idea that they actually exist, and the US government has been studying them secretly for decades. And, honestly, it’s not completely false. One of the earliest programs was Project Sign, which began in 1948 and examined UFOs. By 1952, Project Blue Book started. It was one of the largest investigations in history when it finished in 1969. And it’s not like this only happened years ago. From 2007 to 2012, the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program took place, which cost over $20 million. In 2022, the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office was established to continue the hunt for extraterrestrial life, and the Pentagon is pretty public about its UFO examinations.
#19: The Oak Ridge Experiments
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One of the most difficult aspects for a psychiatric patient is getting anyone to believe you when you speak about the atrocities happening in a hospital. Oak Ridge in Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada, was a maximum-security psychiatric facility. By the 60s, the authorities drastically changed the way they treated patients. Instead, they initiated various experiments. Led by Dr. Elliot Barker, such “treatments” included giving patients LSD, putting them in an “artificial womb,” and placing them in a small room. But more concerning, some patients were given authority to “treat” other patients. By 1983, the government forced Oak Ridge to close, and it was later demolished. In 2023, 27 former patients were awarded $9 million in damages for the horror they experienced.
#18: The Iran-Contra Affair
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In 1985, US President Ronald Reagan had a dilemma. Iran had approached the States to buy weapons from them. However, the country was backing Hezbollah, which had American Hostages in Lebanon. Plus, the US had an arms embargo on Iran due to the Hostage Crisis that began in 1979. But the lure of using the proceeds of the weapon sale to fund the rebel group Contras against the Socialist-led government of Nicaragua and get the hostages released was too much for the Reagan administration to ignore. Reagan initially denied the allegations when they leaked, only to reverse that soon after. Oliver North, who helped move the money to the Contras, came forward to confirm the rumors.
#17: Canadian Gaydar
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Starting in the 1950s, Canada was obsessed with finding out who in the civil service was gay. Once identified, they could be fired and prosecuted, at least until 1969, when same-sex relationships were legalized. But to make the process quicker and more accurate, they decided to fund the creation of a “gaydar.” Known by the slur the Fruit machine, the device was developed by Professor Frank Robert Wake in the 60s and cost the government thousands. This sci-fi-esque contraption that looked like a dentist's chair measured the diameter of the person’s pupils, how much they sweat, breathing rate, and heart rate when introduced to erotic imagery. Due to this grim purge, thousands of people lost their jobs.
#16: The Dalai Lama Works for the CIA
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While the 14th Dalai Lama is a controversial figure due to recent, unpleasant actions, there have long been theories that he’s actually a CIA spy. And there’s some truth there. Mostly taking place in the 1960s, the CIA was helping to fund Tibetan operations against China. At the time, they were doing their best to disrupt world Communist governments as much as possible. Governmental documents showed the spy agency was handing Tibetan forces $1.7 million a year. With inflation, that’s $17.4 million in 2023. From this figure, the Dalai Lama was personally getting an annual fee of $180,000 from the CIA. That’s the equivalent of $1.8 million in 2023.
#15: The FBI Watched Ernest Hemingway
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Near the latter half of his life, legendary author Ernest Hemingway was treated several times in hospitals for his mental health. He believed the FBI was watching him, cataloging his every move. Most people wrote it off as paranoid delusions. Many friends believe this belief of constant surveillance led to Hemingway’s untimely passing in 1961. However, in the 1980s, the Freedom of Information Act showed the Feds had done just that. They reportedly had a file on him detailing the writer’s trips to places such as Cuba, where he had created an amateur spy network against fascism during World War II. It also showed FBI director J. Edgar Hoover was distrustful of Hemingway and the information he passed on in Cuba.
#14: The CIA Experimented on Cats
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If you’ve ever had cats, getting them to listen to commands can be very difficult. But that didn’t stop the CIA from attempting to turn them into mini furry James Bonds. In the 1960s, the agency proceeded to insert a microphone in a cat’s ear, a transmitter in its skull, and antennae laced through its fur. Even the cat’s hunger was apparently “addressed” in another operation, which sounds really dark. Known as Acoustic Kitty, this project cost up to $20 million! Scientists involved in the project have detailed the cat’s first and only mission. Sent to eavesdrop on a conversation, the feline was instead fatally run over by a taxi.
#13: The US Government Poisoned Booze
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When the US prohibition came about in 1920, that was bad enough. But then, people making and drinking bootleg alcohol were perishing suspiciously. While some believed it was just the risk that came with creating or downing unregulated booze, others thought something more nefarious was going on. And the latter was correct. Hoping to put people off buying from bootleggers and organized criminals through fear, the government began adding toxins to booze-making products, such as industrial alcohol, making the illegal beverages unfit for consumption. Some of the additives included poisonous methanol. It’s believed this caused thousands of people to die from tainted booze.
#12: Beaming Messages
If we told you the US government has looked at beaming messages directly into our brains, you’d probably be concerned about us. However, this is a real thing, weirdly. Uncovered due to the Freedom of Information Act, the report known as the “Bioeffects Of Selected Nonlethal Weapons” became public knowledge. Within, the details of various technologies the government had been working on were disclosed, including the concept of microwave hearing. The information details a frequency that could be produced, akin to a microwave firearm, that could direct discreet messages at a person, such as a hostage. Frighteningly, the report hypothesizes the tech could be used to make someone think they have voices in their head. Thankfully, tin foil hats block it.
#11: Soldiers Passed Off Civilians as Rebels
As part of the Colombian conflict, where governmental forces fought against guerrilla groups for power, the government rewarded their soldiers whenever they showcased they had slain a rebel. They were given time off, promotions, or financial boosts for doing so. However, folk became suspicious of the high casualties and the questionable identities of certain guerrilla members. Family members especially. Known as the False Positive scandal in Colombia, it’s believed that between 2002 to 2008, over 6,400 non-guerrilla participants were killed and dressed to look like rebels. In reality, the victims were often poor farmers abducted by soldiers to boost their dark quotas. Several soldiers and officers have been sentenced for their crimes, but there are calls to do far more.
#10: Bayer Sold Medication That Transmitted AIDS
Since pharmaceutical companies have existed, conspiracies that they’re maliciously causing illnesses for money have existed. And the idea isn’t completely unfounded. In 1982, stories of hemophiliacs becoming ill from blood-clotting agents made by Cutter Biological, a division of the German firm Bayer, started to come out. It turned out the agents were infected with an HIV protein. In 1984, in response to the grim facts, the company created a new untainted version of the agent and began releasing it in the West. However, they continued selling the infected version in Latin and Asian countries to avoid being stuck with large batches of stock. Over 20,000 people are believed to have contracted HIV and AIDs from the infected agent.
#9: The US Military Planned to Kill Civilians & Blame Cuba
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In the 1960s, some figures really wanted the United States to go to war with Cuba… so much so that in 1962, among less lethal ideas, they planned to use the CIA to attack military sites, boats, airplanes, and cities and make it look as though Cuba was responsible. Known as Operation Northwoods, this false flag project theorized the possibility of slaying citizens and its own soldiers just to escalate the situation. All the Joint Chiefs of Staff gave the go-ahead for this possible destruction and handed it to the office of President John F. Kennedy. However, thankfully, it was rejected.
#8: Americans Tried to Weaponize the Weather
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The thought that a country could turn the weather into a weapon against its enemies seems like something that a science-fiction book would come up with. But there have been attempts at doing that. From 1967 to 1972, as part of the Vietnam War, the US developed Operation Popeye. Whimsical name aside, the plan was for planes to seed clouds in the country, causing the monsoon season to continue. The heavy rain would then, in theory, damage roads, destroy river crossings, and cause landslides, thus wrecking the supply lines for Vietnamese troops. Various officials protested the plan and the potential devastation it could do to the ecosystem. But still, the US went ahead with it, and it's debatable whether it was successful.
#7: Planned Obsolescence
We’ve all heard older generations lament that products today don’t last as long as they did back in their days. And while we often dismissed that, it turns out they were onto something. Electronic companies have been known to slow-down technology the older it’s gotten. Known as Planned Obsolescence, this is achieved either through introducing features that cut away at the product’s life or designing it from day one to crash eventually. Once this happens, that leaves buyers with little choice but to splash out on a new machine. Until that breaks just as a new version is released. On top of the financial implications for consumers, having to throw away bricked phones and other devices has vastly increased e-waste.
#6: The Sugar Industry Bribed Scientists
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Some people will do anything to make cash, even if it means putting people’s health at risk. In 2016, it was discovered that in 1967, the Sugar Authority had manipulated the results of a study, splashed out the modern equivalent of tens of thousands of dollars, to make the sweet substance look better. The study pointed the health problem finger at fat as the leading cause of heart problems. This, in turn, caused the sugar industry’s profits to rise as people believed there was no damage from the product. On top of this, the sugar authorities knew their product caused tooth decay since the 1950s. Instead of warning people, they pushed investment in methods to fix damaged teeth rather than sorting out the cause.
#5: The CIA Tried to Control Major Media Outlets
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As the Cold War began, so did the CIA’s plan to manipulate the masses. Known as Operation Mockingbird, the group allegedly bribed or blackmailed newspaper journalists to create specific content or shutdown stories. On top of doing this in the States, the CIA did the same abroad. They infiltrated foreign media to gain information that they found vital. In 1975, files within The Church Committee showed that the CIA had been involved in this conspiracy. In 1977, investigative reporter Carl Bernstein claimed that the operation had resulted in over 400 journalists and media figures working for the agency at one point.
#4: The Phones Are Listening
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Have you ever spoken about a topic, only to then find an advertisement on your phone that specifically mentions it, even if you’ve never searched for it online? It’s a pretty wacky coincidence. Or is it? Some studies have found that apps have been known to turn up a phone’s microphone. Which is pretty terrifying. A NordVPN-funded study found that cross-device tracking is prominent, which follows a person's habits across multiple systems. Part of this involves ultrasonic beacons. Using a frequency that’s too high for human ears, information can be sent from one device to another, hence seeing the same commercial on different platforms. According to the company, reviewing app permissions can help minimize this.
#3: Project SUNSHINE
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With a name like this, images of happiness or some form of green energy initiation spring to mind. But in reality, it’s incredibly dark. Headed by the United States Atomic Energy Commission in 1955, Project SUNSHINE was created to see the effects of nuclear radiation on the human body. However, the group went morbid with it. In the 50s, around 1,500 bodies were taken across Europe and Australia, often without the permission of the next of kin. Most of those stolen were children or younger. To hide the body snatching, one British mother was refused access by authorities to dress her daughter in a Christening gown in 1957 in case she discovered what the doctors had done.
#2: The CIA Was Involved in Cocaine Trafficking
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For decades, there were rumors that the CIA was responsible for turning US areas and places abroad rife with illegal substances. In 1996, the press accused the agency of involvement with cocaine in Nicaragua during the civil war. According to a report by former Inspector General of the CIA, Frederick Hitz, the agency had known that the Contras, who the CIA backed, were involved in drug smuggling to fund their campaign. The group had reportedly brought in cocaine from Miami for use in the Central American region. However, the agency did nothing to stop this. When the Drug Enforcement Administration heard about the Contras smuggling drugs, the CIA worked to put them off the scent.
#1: The CIA was Developing a Heart Attack Gun
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An untraceable firearm that can cause a fatal heart attack sounds like an idea Q from James Bond came up with after a fever dream. Instead, it’s very much real. In 1975, during the Church Committee, CIA Director William Colby brought the unique gun along. Created as part of the infamous Project MKUltra, it was a modified Colt M1911 pistol that silently fired a frozen dart that would melt on impact and contained shellfish toxin. The only trace of the deed was a tiny puncture mark on the victim. KGB defector Bohdan Stashynsky had famously used a similar but less advanced version during two high-profile assassinations in the 50s. After being showcased, the CIA’s heart attack gun vanished into obscurity.
