In 1973, author and activist Oscar Zeta Acosta told his son he was getting on a boat, and would see him soon. But Acosta was never seen again. Theories range from a drug deal gone wrong, to a faked death, to an FBI assassination. Keep up with us on Instagram @theconspiracypod! Have a story to share? Email us at conspiracystories@spotify.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In May 2000, 32-year-old Australian astrophysicist Rodney Marks died suddenly on an Antarctica base after falling ill just 36 hours earlier. The National Science Foundation (NSF) released a statement saying he most likely died of natural causes. But when the toxicology report came back, it revealed he had actually been poisoned by methanol. How did the methanol get in his system? And why did New Zealand authorities feel like the NSF wanted to stonewall their investigation? We spoke with reporter...
Teenager Jane Grey was never supposed to be Queen of England. But in 1553, a complex conspiracy put her on the throne. A year later, another conspiracy led to her death. Historians call Jane a pawn, but she may have been a conspirator herself. Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In 1976, a military coup led to an authoritarian regime in Argentina. The military and its new leader, Lieutenant General Jorge Rafaél Videla, then launched a campaign to eradicate political dissidents. Thousands of Argentine citizens were kidnapped, illegally detained, tortured, and killed. Journalist Miriam Lewin survived. All these years later, she thinks she maybe has an explanation why. Miriam’s story is the subject of the documentary audio series, Avenger. Directed by Fisher Stevens, execu...
In the mid-19th century, British-occupied Ireland lost roughly one-third of its population during a years-long catastrophe known as “The Great Hunger” or, “The Irish Potato Famine.” In the years that followed, some have wondered if the tragedy wasn’t the result of a natural disaster, but the intentional efforts of the British government to annihilate Irish people and their culture. The idea that the British pulled off a secret genocide has taken root in the Irish identity– but is it true? Keep u...
In early 2025, the FBI announced that they had found more than 2,000 new records related to John F. Kennedy’s assassination. What do they include? Why did it take so long to find them? How many will be made public? The world waits to find out. In late 2023, we sat down with journalist, author, and co-founder of the substack JFK Facts Jefferson Morley. We discussed revelations regarding the CIA’s knowledge of Lee Harvey Oswald before November 22nd, the lasting legacy of JFK’s approach to foreign ...
When youth minister, husband, and new father Wesley Barrett Cox goes missing in rural Texas in 1984, authorities and his family assume he’s the victim of foul play. But after more investigation, some law enforcement officials think Cox intended to disappear. His family doesn’t buy it. Each theory gets put to the test over sixteen years later…when Cox reappears with a new name and no memory of his family. Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypod! Follow us to keep up with the show an...
In the summer of 2022, an explosion destroyed the granite monument known as The Georgia Guidestones. Modeled after Stonehenge, the structure was built in 1980 and backed by a mysterious group of sponsors led by pseudonymous figure RC Christian. The purpose of the Guidestones – and the true identity of the man who built them – has been secret ever since. Were the Guidestones a pillar for Satanism, a guide to bring in the New World Order, or simply the work of an eccentric millionaire? Conspiracy ...
An alternative-history conspiracy theory has been taking root on YouTube and Reddit forums. It alleges that a long-enduring, advanced society called Tartaria built much of our perennial architecture worldwide. After a catastrophic mudslide took out most Tartarian citizens, the theory goes, their remaining buildings are now being systematically dismantled to suppress the truth about their origin. How much of this theory is true? And why is it gaining traction right now? Conspiracy Theories is on ...
In 1966, Bobby Fuller was a rising rockstar. His eponymous band and their song "I Fought the Law" was climbing the charts when he suddenly died. As is the case with many rockstars, theories about his death abound. Was his death really an accident or suicide, or could it have been a hit from the LA mob…or even Charles Manson? Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team. Learn more about your a...
In 1897, locals of Aurora, Texas reported a UFO had crashed in their town. They supposedly discovered the body of an extraterrestrial, buried it in the cemetery, and never spoke of it again. Decades later, an Aurora resident claims the whole thing was a hoax, which prompts several UFO investigations to set out to either dig up the body...or the truth Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the tea...
In 1969, the Manson Family disrupted the “Summer of Love” when they murdered multiple people across a two-night span in Los Angeles. After Charles Manson and his followers were caught later that year, one of the strangest and most highly-publicized trials in American history followed. This is the story most people know. But some believe the Manson Family may have at least one more victim…the man who was defending one of their own. Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypod! Follow us ...
On September 4, 1985, a British tabloid published a story attributing dozens of fires to a painting of a crying boy that had been mass produced in the 50s. After each fire, nothing survived but the painting, unscathed. Was the painting cursed by the spirit of the crying boy, or was it a hoax? Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team. Learn more about your ad choi...
Ned Doheny, the only heir to one of the world's richest oil baron was found shot to death next to his childhood friend and secretary Hugh Plunkett in 1929. Investigators at the time ruled it a murder-suicide. But to this day, the crime is a source of rumor and speculation. Was it a muder-suicide or just made to look that way? Or was it tied to a bigger scandal involving millions of dollars, government contracts and bribery of a cabinet member. Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypo...
In 1973, eight Americans attempted to summit Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the western and southern hemispheres. Only six returned. Sounds like the notoriously deadly mountain collected two more victims. Or maybe that’s just what the killer wants you to think. Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.co...
In 1901 Montreal, two members of the elite Redpath family were found dead from gunshot wounds in their luxurious mansion. The family’s intense secrecy around the deaths bordered on pathological. This bizarre behavior only intensified a curiosity that persists today about what has become a classic Victorian-era whodunnit. Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team L...
In Carter's second Best of 2024 pick, we're returning to explore the remarkable life of legendary magician Harry Houdini and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. We’ll be back with new episodes of Conspiracy Theories next week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Continuing our holiday break, we're bringing you some of Carter's favorite episodes from this year! His first Best of 2024 pick re-examines the question that's been debated by scientists and ufologists for decades: Are we alone in the universe? And if not... where are all the aliens? We’ll be back with new episodes of Conspiracy Theories on December 25! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
This is the second week of our four-week holiday break. Today we’re featuring another one of Carter’s favorite shows: Otherworld. In this episode of Otherworld, host Jack Wagner interviews Annalise about an unusual camping trip she took with her boyfriend, at a spot that had been in her family for decades. The location was very isolated, off the grid, and required a six-mile hike through dense forest to reach. As they trekked through the wilderness, they couldn't shake the eerie feeling of being...
This is the first week of our four-week holiday break. Today we’re featuring one of Carter’s favorite shows: Truthless. In this episode of Truthless, host Brian Phillips talks to The Kid Mero about the time he landed a job in the mail room at one of New York’s biggest investment banks, as a teenager. After deciding he was ready for a promotion, Mero talked his way into a new job in the IT department. The only problem? He knew nothing about computers. Truthless is out now on Spotify or wherever y...
In 1984, Boris Weisfeiler went on a backpacking trip in Chile and never returned. Chilean investigators insist he drowned, but his family and the U.S. Embassy don’t buy it. It takes decades for the truth to emerge, one bit of evidence at a time. With each new piece of the puzzle, a more and more outlandish picture emerges. Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates Learn more about your ad...
The Yonaguni Monument is a large underwater stone complex off the coast of a tiny Japanese island. After their discovery in 1987, divers and local academics thought the rock formations were human-constructed, indicating the presence of a yet-undiscovered ancient civilization. Could these structures unlock a new chapter of human history? Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates Learn more...
In the early 20th century, a Turkish historian discovered a map made in 1513 by famed cartographer Piri Reis. The map was incredibly detailed and even featured a perfectly accurate depiction of Antarctica — a continent not discovered for another 300 years. Conspiracy Theories is on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoic...
War veterans, wolf-hunters, and the king’s own men hunted the bloodthirsty beast for three years before it was caught. Some called the beast a “werewolf”. Others, a “serial killer in disguise”. But an autopsy of the monster points to a royal conspiracy… Keep up with us this spooky season on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the 18th century, an unidentifiable monster preyed on French villagers. The carnage was so bad, one bishop claimed the beast was a punishment from God. Monster or punishment, something or someone killed dozens of people… Keep up with us this spooky season on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Long before they graced our screens as mindless, brain-eating monsters, zombies were rooted in Haitian folklore. Rumors of a zombie potion made their way to 1980s Boston, where an ethnobotanist hoping to uncover the concoction found himself enmeshed in a secret society and face-to-face with a real zombie. Keep up with us this spooky season on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dubbed “The Last Vampire of New England,” Mercy Lena Brown allegedly feasted on her own family. But she wasn’t the first vampire, or the last. Stories like Lena’s evolved into modern day conspiracy theories, including a vaccine designed to turn you into a vampire, vampire hunting as a get-rich-quick scheme, and government agents who’ll steal your blood. Keep up with us this spooky season on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastcho...
Before becoming the world’s most famous mummy, King Tut was a teen pharaoh. When he suddenly died at age 19, it changed Egyptian history. But it wasn’t until the 1920s that a new theory came into play: King Tut was murdered in a political coup. And he might not have been the only victim. Keep up with us this spooky season on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Over the course of their decades-long investigation, the FBI interviewed thousands of potential D.B. Cooper suspects. All leads ran cold. But in 2011, citizen sleuth Tom Colbert started his own search—and he believes he may have finally found the real identity of the mysterious hijacker. Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team. Learn more about your ad choic...
In 1971, a man operating under the pseudonym "Dan Cooper" hijacked a plane, stole $200,000, strapped the money to his body, and then parachuted into the darkness below. Who was he? And what happened to the money? Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagram @theconspiracypod and TikTok @conspiracy.pod! Follow us to keep up with the show and get behind-the-scenes updates from Carter and the team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
