Whether you find them intriguing, infuriating or infantile, you have to admit that conspiracy theories exist all around us. Here are a few that boggle our brains.
Hales Passino – The Moon Landing
Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins landed on the moon on July 21, 1969 — or so we think. Armstrong and Aldrin spent about two hours outside of their lunar module collecting samples and taking photographs. They even planted an American flag on the surface. An estimated 530 million people tuned in to watch with their own eyes, but some conspiracy theorists believe the event may have been staged in a studio. Despite evidence of lunar material from the mission, it’s been questioned whether NASA truly had the technology advanced enough at the time to transport these men to the moon and back. For over 50 years, it’s been an interesting debate on whether the historic event was one small step or one grand lie. What do you think?
Johanna Weeks – The Mandela Effect
The Mandela Effect is a conspiracy theory that was named after South African President, Nelson Mandela. This theory, also known as false memory, occurs when a group of people have an incorrect recollection of an event. It originated when Fiona Broome and others recalled international news coverage of Mandela’s death in the 1980s while the famous peace activist was in prison. Mandela did not in fact die while incarcerated, but in 2013 after serving as president between 1994 and 1999. More recent popular examples of the Mandela Effect include the spelling of “The Berenstain Bears” as “The Berenstein Bears.” There are a multitude of other misconceptions that have many people questioning their own sanity.
Jonas Ward – Sasquatch
My favorite conspiracy theory by far is the folklore of Sasquatch, better known as Bigfoot. Living in the North Country, you hear stories about people who have encountered unnatural things in the woods that leave them pondering. Some hunters, fisherman, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts alike may have experienced an encounter that horrified them for life. I truly believe that there are still many things we don’t know about the world we live in, and Sasquatch is one of them.
Nickie Hayes – Harry Potter
In the 2000s, a dark conspiracy theory surfaced about the Harry Potter novels. As fans were eager to analyze the stories, speculations came from fans about the entirety of the series. The theory surmised that Harry Potter hallucinated everything that had happened in the books. The fans schemed Harry Potter never actually left the cupboard under the stairs at his aunt and uncle’s home and hallucinated due to malnutrition and isolation caused by the Dursleys. J.K. Rowling in 2012 addressed this theory herself, but she never actually specified whether or not it was true, and she did not dismiss the idea. To this day, the theory is up to interpretation from the fans and if they want to believe the dismal conspiracy theory or not.
Aissatou Lo – Mattress Firms
Have you ever walked inside a mattress firm or seen people in there? Or have you seen at least 3 or more Mattress firm stores close by each other? Well, I’ve seen many mattress firm stores, and every time I’ve seen one I don’t see any customers inside. I seem to not be the only one who wonders why we haven’t seen people shopping at a Mattress firm or why many of these stores are so near each other. People online have started to get deep into why that is. Apparently, it is to be believed that these Mattress firm stores are a money-laundering business. Crazy, I know! People just find it suspicious that there are many of these stores that people go into and how close they are to each other. Someone has brought how they’ve seen “four mattress firms all on each corner of an intersection once, and there is no way there is such a demand for mattresses.” I mean it could be true but I guess we will never know.
Sydney Hakes – Disney’s Other “Frozen”
The longevity of the Disney franchise — making an annual growing rate of revenue ranging from between 6-17% since 2006 — is one thought to supersede lifetimes. However, the longevity of an intriguing rumor has been known to overshadow even the largest conglomerate’s reputation (think the rumor that rose in 2011 of Taco Bell using pet meat).
Soon after his death in 1966, due to complications with lung cancer, the conspiracy of Walt Disney cryogenically freezing his head emerged. While the origin of this rumor is unknown, the general story is known that after his death, his body was cryogenically frozen and stored in an underground chamber, thought to be underneath the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World. Speculators point to his interest in science fiction and technology to explain why Disney specifically would choose this.
In the following years, believers would delve into Disney films looking for crumbs of innuendos or imagery that could be construed as evidence of this conspiracy, like the lyrics of “Let It Go” from “Frozen,” or the concept of Disney on Ice. While Disney’s own daughter dispelled the rumors, writing in her book about her father and childhood, she didn’t think Walt even knew what cryogenics were.
It’s a conspiracy that stands alone in its bizarre subject matter, almost reminiscent of the fantasy tales Disney himself spun for decades. Who can blame a generation who grew up influenced by those stories for wanting to believe in a real one.
Serena Ganesan – The Ocean Floor
I believe the fact our oceans are 80% unexplored is a lie fabricated by Marine biologists because they found something dangerous and terrifying and stopped the research to not invoke whatever is deep down in the ocean floor.
APN 