Area 51
Area 51 is a highly classified US Airforce base located in Nevada. The secrecy and mystery surrounding Area 51 has helped it become the focus of many conspiracy theories about what happens there, including claims of:
- the storage and reverse engineering of crashed alien spacecraft
- alien autopsies
- meetings with aliens
- development of aircraft based on extraterrestrial technology
- time travel and teleportation technology development
- weather control technology development
- exotic energy weapons development
Creation of HIV/AIDS
Most scientists agree that the HIV/AIDS virus jumped species from monkeys to humans in the 1930s.
However, some consipracy theorists claim that the virus was created by the CIA to wipe out African Americans and homosexuals. They accuse the government of infecting gay men and African Americans with the virus during 1970s hepatitis experiments.
Alien Reptiles
According to conspiracy theorist David Icke, a former BBC sports reporter, we are ruled by shape shifting alien reptiles who need human blood to keep up their human appearance. He claims these reptilian humanoids include Bill and Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, and members of the British Royal Family, including Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth.
Moon Landing
Conspiracy theorists say that the 1969 moon landing was elaborately faked by NASA and the US government, who were desperate to win the space race by beating the Russians to the moon. They allege that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin merely acted out the Apollo mission, and point out that the flag was waving as if in wind, which theoretically would not be possible in space.
JFK Assassination
According to conspiracy theorists, President John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination in Dallas was not just carried out by Lee Harvey Oswald alone, but was part of a much broader plot. Some of the many alleged suspects include:
- the CIA
- the KGB
- organized crime bosses
- FBI director J Edgar Hoover
- sitting Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson
- Cuban President Fidel Castro
- a jealous husband
Princess Diana's Death
Since the 1997 deaths of Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed in a Paris car crash, which involved a drunk driver and pursuing paparazzi, conspiracy theorists have claimed that her death was the result of an assassination plot. Conspiracists, notably Mohamed Al Fayed, Dodi's father, point fingers at the British intelligence service and even at the Royal Family.
9/11
Despite extensive television coverage of the tragic events of 9/11 and al-Qaeda admitting responsibility, conspiracy theorists continue to claim that there are major inconsistencies in the story and allege that it could have been an inside job. Conspiracy theories include:
- Claims that the US government was warned of the attacks but didn't do enough to prevent them
- Accusations of explosions below the aircraft impact zones and before the attacks
- Allegations that the US Air Force was deliberately prevented from intervening
Paul McCartney is Dead
Despite his subsequent solo career, three marriages, and five children, conspiracy theorists claim that Paul McCartney died in a car crash in 1966 after storming out of a fight with other members of the Beatles. They say that the Beatles covered up Paul's death by hiring a lookalike replacement (Billy Shears) who also sounded like him.
It's claimed that the imposter had major plastic surgery to make him look more like Paul McCartney, which gave him a scar over his lip and a new eyebrow shape. According to the theory, the band had to stop touring, so fans wouldn't notice.
According to Paul is Dead believers, some of the supposed clues to Paul McCartney's death that the Beatles hid in their music include:
- the lyrics "advice for those who die" in the song "Taxman"
- the lyrics "he blew his mind out in a car" in the song "A Day in the Life"
- the words "I buried Paul" at the end of "Strawberry Fields Forever" (John Lennon later said the words were actually "cranberry sauce")
- the 'Abbey Road' album cover, which allegedly represents a funeral procession, with a barefoot Paul, John Lennon as the priest, Ringo Starr as the undertaker, and George Harrison as the grave digger
Secret Societies
According to conspiracy theorists, members of secret societies, including the Illuminati and theFreemasons, are in control of the world, and are working towards establishing a so-called New World Order, which would involve a totalitarian one-world government.
Zombie Apocalypse
Proponents of zombie apocalypse conspiracy theories predict a widespread zombie outbreak, in which victims become zombies themselves, leading to the collapse of society.
Despite a spate of disturbing news stories involving cannibalistic attacks, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has told the Huffington Post that it "does not know of a virus or condition that would reanimate the dead (or one that would present zombie-like symptoms)." Nevertheless, the CDC website does contain a "Zombie Preparedness" section, complete with tongue in cheek zombie posters and a graphic novella.
