HowStuffWorks_Conspiracy_Theories

We hear about this mysterious force all the time in fiction and film -- but what is it actually supposed to be? Is there any evidence that it might be real?

Learn more about how the Smith-Mundt act, designed to prevent domestic propaganda, became law -- and what happened to it afterward.

Over the past decades, the CIA has been accused of everything from selling guns to assassinating people. Yet that's not the craziest part: Some people believe the CIA is actually replacing its enemies. Tune in and learn more in this episode.

When US forces finally tracked down terrorist leader Osama bin Laden -- living in Pakistan, likely with support of the ISI -- he was killed and, according to the official story, buried at sea. So why doesn't everyone believe this is true?

Modern historians generally mark the beginning of the Armenian Genocide as 24 April, 1915 -- one hundred years ago this week. However, people and nations still can't seem to agree on whether it actually was a genocide. Why?

What is the 1001 Club, and why do some theorists think this group is out to do more than just save public parks?

As crazy as it sounds, it's true: The Nazi party really did condone occult rituals, as well as expeditions to discover mysterious artifacts. But what did they do, exactly? And what, if anything, did they find?

What do Iran-Contra, the October Surprise, surveillance software, super-spies and mysterious mafia hits all have in common? The answer might surprise you.

Located near North Yorkshire, the RAF Menwith Hill station provides intelligence for both the United Kingdom and United States. But who runs it, exactly? What are they looking for? Tune in to learn more.

In 2013 news of the NSA's surveillance program was leaked by Edward Snowden. As the public, pundits and the government scrambled to respond, questions arose: How much of this is true? What else does the NSA not want you to know?

In the 1940s Quaker Oats and MIT joined forces to study the absorption of vitamins and minerals. They recruited kids at the Fernald State School to join the “Science Club” and fed them radioactive iron and calcium without their knowledge.

Criminals, from cartels to thieves and more, have adopted the practice of praying to entities like Santa Muerte for forgiveness, protection and aid. But why?

You might not think about phosphorus all that often, but it's pretty important stuff, and crucial to food production. So what happens when we run out?

You've heard of MKULTRA in the US, Soviet psychotronics and so on, but the USSR had another program that might surprise you: For several years they searched Mongolia, Tibet and Eurasia for the fabled city of Shambhala. Learn what they found.

Through the practice of biological warfare, human beings have used disease as a weapon for centuries. Yet many conspiracists believe the practice continues into the modern age. Why? Tune in to learn more about the possibilities of man-made disease.

TV, film and fiction have given the public a set of stereotypes about serial killers -- one of the biggest being that they always get caught.

A few fringe professors have caused rumblings with their controversial claim that three hundred years of human history have been entirely made up. But why do they believe in phantom time, and how do they think it happened? Tune in to learn more.

What is the Pilgrims Society? This organization has been called a 'dinner club' by some and a back-door policy think tank by others. But what's the truth? Why do some conspiracy theorists believe the Society controls policy decisions in the U.K.?

Some experts believe that Haitian zombies are victims of tetrodotoxin poisoning -- sometimes they've been buried and revived, but they were never actually dead. So what are the odds of actually resurrecting a corpse? Tune in to learn more.

From the Mary Celester to missing pilots, history is chock full of stories about unexplained disappearances. Join Matt and Ben as they take a look at some of history's top unexplained disappearances - and solve a few others.

In the decades following the 1947 Roswell crash, researchers investigated rumors of classified government projects, UFOs and mysterious wreckage. Some scholars believe they've found an explanation: the top-secret program known as MOGUL.

It's been said that love is blind, and it is true that the brain isn't the most objective observer to begin with. But what happens when you are actually in love? Tune in to learn more about your deceptive brain on love.

In this episode, learn how Edward Bernays used his skills to assist US Presidents and global corporations as they waged war on Guatemala.

How interrelated is life on Earth? Could it be possible that the entire planet is a single superorganism? Tune in and learn more about the Gaia hypothesis.

Could there really be groups of people conducting Satanic rites -- not philosophical stances, but actual devil worship via ritual or even sacrifice?