Chapters

There’s no doubt that such a place exists, but great disagreement persists about what happened there more than 50 years ago. Some say Roswell was the site of an alien crash and that witnesses and evidence exist to prove it. The government dismisses talk of flying saucers and little green men as so much nonsense. If there’s nothing to it all, some argue, why is the government so secretive about a patch of worthless desert property?

The Death of Princess Diana

While many in the world mourned the loss of this beloved iconic princess, others overcame their grief by trying to figure out whether she really died in an “accident.” Was the Royal family simply tired of the “Diana problem.” Did the paparazzi cause the accident— or were they just convenient witnesses? Did Diana herself have cause to fear for her life in the week’s before her death? A fairy tale with a tragic ending.

TWA Flight 800

On a clear night over the waters off New York City, the unthinkable happens. A plane explodes, and no one knows why. Well, some think they know—but you won’t hear it from the government. Did friendly fire bring down the fateful flight? If not, what were all those missile sightings that were reported? From the first reports of the tragedy, some things just didn’t make sense. To many, they still don’t.

AIDS

As if things weren’t bad enough for victims of this disease, some would add to their distress by suggesting AIDS was created in a government biological laboratory and purposefully released into certain communities. The theories about where AIDS originated and how it spread through the gay community, as well as the continent of Africa, have stubbornly held on for the past two decades, and involve everyone from Russian Communists to the CIA.

Shakespeare Authorship Question

Take an undereducated country boy from the hinterlands of London, deny him the culture and breeding of the University crowd, have him marry a woman eight years his senior, and then escape that fate by fleeing to London, where he gets a walk-on job as an unknown, untrained two-but actor and surely you’ll end up with...the greatest dramatic literature ever? That just doesn’t make sense to many scholars of the Renaissance, who find much better fits for the writer “William Shakespeare” than the rustic rube who rode into London without pen, paper, or education.

The Order of Skull and Bones

A secret hidden chamber, bizarre initiation rituals, promises of a lifetime income, oaths of secrecy and access to the most powerful leaders in government and business. And you thought people attended Yale for an education. This truly secret society offers conspiracy theorists a touch of cloak and dagger to complement its supposed A-list movers and shakers. Sure, it’s nice to have powerful friends—but what’s that business of lying naked in a coffin?

The Jesus Controversy

Could the “Greatest Story Ever Told” be just that—a story? Reaching back to the days of the Bible, some researchers are looking anew at the New Testament and coming away with a very different version of events. The Da Vinci Code was based on this idea—but the theorizing didn’t end when the credits rolled. Is it sacrilege to suggest that Jesus wasn’t divine? Or could there be something to this millennial mystery?

The Moon Landing

The U.S. was desperate to get to the Moon before the decade’s end and establish superiority in space during the height of the Cold War. Only thing is, we might not have gotten further than a sound stage in Nevada. Were we so star struck by Neil Armstrong that we neglected to see the evidence of a “staged” landing? Flags waving in the vacuum of space? And no stars visible in the pictures sent back from space? See for yourself.

The Death of Marilyn Monroe

Arresting beauty, yes. Timeless appeal, of course. Suicide? No way. The Monroe mystique continues to enchant, decades after her death. So do the questions surrounding her demise. Throw in a couple of brothers with the last name Kennedy, a vengeful FBI director named Hoover, and some eavesdropping equipment and a cheap hotel room and you’ve got all the makings for a great conspiracy theory.

Protocols of the Elders of Zion

Though almost no one accepts this document as authentic, it does still speak to those who are looking to blame the Jews for a variety of social ills. This collection of writings supposedly details plans for world Jewish domination. Whether you believe or not has more to do with your cultural and political ideology than this so-called “manifesto.” Still, the theory is out there, make of it what you will.

Pearl Harbor

We’ve all seen the movies: U.S. soldiers surprised at dawn by squadrons of Japanese bombardiers. The surprise attack became the trigger for the U.S.’s involvement in World War II. Did we say “surprise attack?” Don’t be so sure, some researchers charge. The U.S. might have known the attack was coming. But could the government really sit on such sensitive and critical intelligence? Some conspiracy theorists have their own bombs.

The Trilateral Commission

Hey, somebody’s got to rule the world...why not a cabal comprised of the world’s most powerful individuals? Conspiracy theorists have this much going for them: there really is a Trilateral Commission, though its members (which have included three U.S. presidents) claim the group aims only to increase international cooperation and reaffirm defense pacts. But who knows what really happens when the commission meets? Some conspiracy theorists say they know.

The Hindenburg

When Germany’s world-famous airship exploded at a naval base in New Jersey, the world was shocked. “Official” explanation? The buildup of an electrostatic charge caused by a passing storm. Nonsense, say some researchers. Look for a saboteur and you’ll find the explosion’s cause, they say. After all these decades, the debate still smolders.

The Philadelphia Experiment

A conspiracy theory for the Sci-Fi crowd. Could the Navy have really conducted experiment on invisibility? Was a WWII ship and its crew—the USS Eldridge—really “cloaked,” seeming to disappear and reappear later at a location hundreds of miles away? Did the members of the crew suffer an unusual number of physical and psychological illnesses as a result? The Navy says no. How’s that for proof?

Freemasonry

If you like your conspiracy theories shrouded in symbols, this is the one for you. There’s sunbursts and pyramids, complex handshakes and a whole visual vocabulary—but only if you can keep a secret. What do Freemasons know? A lot, some theorists say, from the hiding places of vast wealth and treasure to taboo knowledge such as the lineage of Jesus Christ. It’s all within the walls of the Temple and the Lodge.

The JFK Assassination

Mention the “single bullet theory” to some people and you’ll risk a derisive reply, suggesting deep-seated doubt about the most famous assassination in history. Did Oswald act alone? What about the motives of the CIA, the Mafia, or even Lyndon Johnson? Why have so many questions been left unanswered? If the Warren Commission got it wrong, who’s got it right? There’s no shortage of suspects.

September 11, 2001

One of the most explosive events in modern history has led to equally explosive charges of complicity and coverup. Could the U.S. government really be behind the 9/11 attacks? A tireless corps of “truth activists” has raised dozens of questions about that fateful day. The answers they provide are shocking—and videotaped. On the trail of truth, from Shanksville, PA, to the Pentagon and the WTC: a story with too many gaping holes.

Bodies of Evidence

Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping

Lucky Lindy was flying high as an internationally famous aerial ace when his 20-month-old son was kidnapped. After the arrest of a German immigrant for the crime—and his subsequent trial and execution—lots of questions began to emerge. Over the decades, those questions have led dozens of researchers to some startling conclusions. Was it an inside job? From New York to Paris, theories abound.

The Lincoln Assassination

John Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln’s assassin, was a troubled man, to be sure. But was he really acting alone when he pulled the trigger at the Ford Theater? Like many powerful politicians, Lincoln had his share of enemies. Some historians and conspiracy theorists consider Lincoln’s death to be—after all these years—an open case.

The Disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa

The only thing people can agree on about Hoffa is that he really is dead. But where is he buried? How did he die? Who killed him? This Teamster leader has become, in death, almost legendary. The search for his remains—and his killer—have generated a few legends too. Regardless, you’ll never view the end zone of Giants Stadium the same way.

The Death of Jim Morrison

The Lizard King Lives! (at least in the minds of some of his fans). The 60s rocker and poet is often labeled a visionary. Could that vision have also included a scheme to fake his own death? There’s a grave site in Paris that’s become a popular shrine to The Doors’ former leader. Those in on the conspiracy warn fans not to go there. It’s as empty as the evidence for Morrison’s death.