List of conspiracy theories

[5] Psychologists sometimes attribute proclivities toward conspiracy theories to a number of psychopathological conditions such as paranoia, schizotypy, narcissism, and insecure attachment,[6] or to a form of cognitive bias called "illusory pattern perception".

[7][8] However, the current scientific consensus holds that most conspiracy theorists are not pathological, but merely exaggerate certain cognitive tendencies that are universal in the human brain and probably have deep evolutionary origins, such as natural inclinations towards anxiety and agent detection.

By the 2000s, the term "black helicopters" became a shorthand for anti-government conspiracy theories that "stretch the bounds of credulity",[12] such as those espoused by militia groups and a number of guests of talk show host Glenn Beck.

[30][31] The countless individuals and organizations that have been accused of involvement in the Kennedy assassination include the CIA, the Mafia, sitting Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro, the KGB, or even some combination thereof.

[35] The deaths of prominent figures of all types attract conspiracy theorists, sometimes elaborating on historically verified conspiracies such as the assassination of US President Abraham Lincoln,[36] as well as the deaths of Martin Luther King Jr.,[37] Mustafa Kemal Atatürk,[38] Eric V of Denmark, Dmitry Ivanovich, Sheikh Rahman, Yitzhak Rabin,[39] Zachary Taylor,[40] George S. Patton,[41][42] Diana, Princess of Wales,[43] Dag Hammarskjöld,[44] Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, Tupac Shakur,[45] Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,[46] John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, the Notorious B.I.G.,[45] Pope John Paul I, Jill Dando, Olof Palme,[47] Linkin Park member Chester Bennington,[48] Paul Walker, biological warfare authority David Kelly,[49] Haitian president Jovenel Moïse,[50] Indian freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose,[51][52][53] and Bollywood star Sushant Singh Rajput.

Theories of a cover-up surrounding the 1974 disappearance of Lord Lucan following the murder of his family's nanny include, for example, allegations of a suicide plot whereby his body was fed to tigers at Howletts Zoo.

[82] Many theorists allege that the contents of fictional media, in a process called "predictive programming", are manipulated to reference planned false flags, technological innovations, social changes, and other future events.

Such ideas have been promoted by Viktor Orbán, Donald Trump,[86] Rudy Giuliani,[87] Joseph diGenova,[88] Bill O'Reilly, Roy Moore, Alex Jones, Paul Gosar, and Ben Garrison.

[94][95][93] Erdoğan as well as the Daily Sabah newspaper have on multiple occasions alleged that very different non-state actors—like the Salafi jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the libertarian socialist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and supporters of Fethullah Gülen—were attacking Turkey at the same time in a well-coordinated campaign.

Matters of interest to theorists include a series of shark attacks in Egypt in 2010, Hezbollah's accusations of the use of "spying" eagles,[99] and the 2011 capture of a griffon vulture carrying an Israeli-labeled satellite tracking device.

[100] Numerous persons, including former MI5 officer Peter Wright and Soviet defector Anatoliy Golitsyn, have alleged that British Prime Minister Harold Wilson was secretly a KGB spy.

[114][115] Holocaust deniers include Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad,[116] the chemist with a conviction for inciting racial hatred Germar Rudolf[117] and the discredited author David Irving.

[191] Larries are a group of shipping conspiracy theorist fans, centered around the idea that two members of the boy band One Direction, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, are secretly a couple.

BlueAnon is a set of loosely related left-wing conspiracy theories that suggest Donald Trump is engaged in elaborate plots to capture or maintain control of the United States Government.

Conspiracy theories concerning the Illuminati, a short-lived 18th-century Enlightenment-era secret society, appear to have originated in the late 19th century, when some Catholic conservatives in Europe came to believe that the group had been responsible for the French Revolution of 1789–1799.

A 2012 fatal mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, prompted numerous conspiracy theories, among them the claim that it was a staged to promote gun control.

[218][219] The 2019 death of Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier billionaire and convicted sex offender with ties to Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and other members of the elite, has become the subject of conspiracy theories.

The United States's Federal Emergency Management Agency is the subject of many theories, including that the organization has been building concentration camps in the US to prepare for imposing martial law and genocide.

In 2014, Deputy Minister of Defence Kebby Maphatsoe joined others in accusing without evidence Public Protector Thuli Madonsela of being a US agent working to create a puppet government in South Africa.

The conspiracy theory holds both that Ukraine (rather than Russia) had interfered in the 2016 United States elections, and that then-Vice President Joe Biden had intervened to protect a company in which his son Hunter was involved.

These include theories that Agenda 21, a non-binding action plan of the United Nations, is a plot, disguised as an environmental movement, to end individual freedom and establish a one-world government[285][286] to cut the world population by 85%,[285] and/or to introduce surveillance by the 5G network.

[289] The urban planning concept of 15-minute cities envisages that all of life's necessities (e.g. work, shops, schools, medical centres) should be within a short walk or bike ride from people's homes.

A more recent theory, emergent following the activities of hacker Gary McKinnon,[336] suggests that a secret program of crewed space fleets exists, supposedly acting under the United Nations.

[345][346] Many conspiracy theories have drawn inspiration from the writings of ancient astronaut proponent Zecharia Sitchin,[347] who declared that the Anunnaki from Sumerian mythology were actually a race of extraterrestrial beings who came to Earth around 500,000 years ago in order to mine gold.

These include the phantom time hypothesis of German conspiracy theorist[378] Heribert Illig, who in 1991 published an allegation that 297 years had been added to the calendar by establishment figures such as Pope Sylvester II in order to position themselves at the millennium.

[380] Another claim is that world governments have hidden evidence for an advanced worldwide civilization with access to free energy and partially populated by giants called Tartaria, which was destroyed in the 1800s by a great "mud flood" cataclysm, causing its remains to be buried.

Rival driver Cale Yarborough's premature retirement to the pit road has prompted conspiracy theorists to allege that organizers fixed the race in order to receive good publicity for the event.

[400] Ronaldo was initially removed from the starting lineup 72 minutes before the match, with the teamsheet released to a stunned world media, before he was reinstated by Brazil coach Mário Zagallo shortly before kick off.

[402] The nature of the incident set off a trail of questions and allegations that persisted for years, with Alex Bellos writing in The Guardian, "When Ronaldo's health scare was revealed after the match, the situation's unique circumstances lent itself to fabulous conspiracy theories.

[404] During their AFC Championship 24–20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, several conspiracy theories spread stating that the referees helped the Patriots advance to Super Bowl LII where they were eventually defeated by the champion Philadelphia Eagles.