Conspiracy Theories - Atlas Obscura
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Conspiracy Theories

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The truth is out there—somewhere.
atom bombs

The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)

What’s the real story behind America’s most infamous Air Force base?
The Podcast Team July 1, 2025
U.S. Air Force Capt. Samuel “RaZZ” Larson, F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team commander, passes over the flight line at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, July 9, 2024
politics

Who Swarmed Langley Air Force Base With Drones?

For 17 nights in 2024, unidentified drones circled the historic Air Force base. To this day, no official explanation has been given.
The Podcast Team June 19, 2025
An 1870 painting by Jean-Paul Laurens depicts the infamous "Cadaver Synod," when a papal corpse was put on trial.
conspiracy theories

Atlas Obscura’s Juiciest Pope Drama

Lost body parts, dirty paintings, and an ill-fated elephant.
Andrew Coletti January 30, 2025
The Global Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway, photographed at dusk.
conspiracy theories

Svalbard's Global Seed Vault Banks Biodiversity and Sprouts Controversy

The Arctic facility is the world's largest safeguard for seeds—and fertile ground for critics and conspiracy theories.
Adriana Craciun December 2, 2024
A 17th-century engraving depicts a star fort coming under siege.
architecture

Star Forts Are Military History, and the Base of Some Strange Conspiracy Theories

Examining why these ubiquitous, obsolete fortifications carry an air of mystery.
Colin Dickey April 15, 2024
Singapore

Marsiling Tunnels

These secretive tunnels were once the site of a Royal Air Force fuel reserve depot.
Conspiracy theorists believe X marks the spot over Carbondale.
doomsday cults

Why Doomsayers Think the Eclipse Will Bring Disaster to Illinois

The town of Carbondale sits in the middle of an astronomical crossroads.
Leah Hudson March 26, 2024
conspiracy theories

Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 2

The mysterious tragedy of the Dyatlov Pass Incident gets an explanation—but not necessarily one everyone accepts.
The Podcast Team November 22, 2023
conspiracy theories

Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 1

The tragedy and mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident has captured imaginations for decades.
The Podcast Team November 21, 2023
aliens

Area 51, Aliens, and the Truth (It's Out There)

A national security historian explains what's really going on at the infamous Nevada site.
Christopher Nichols October 23, 2023
A <em>bouquiniste</em>, or traditional seller of vintage and antique books, on the bank of the Seine in Paris in August 2023.
islands

Wonder Is Everywhere: The Island of Cows, a Parisian Bookseller Revolt, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
April White September 1, 2023
The Cincinnati home of Quaker and abolitionist Levi Coffin, seen here around 1905, was a stop on the Underground Railroad.
subterranean

The Underground Railroad Was the Ultimate Conspiracy to Southern Enslavers

And justified the most extreme responses.
Colin Dickey July 11, 2023
Guy Fawkes is the most notorious member of England’s 1605 Gunpowder Plot, a Catholic conspiracy to blow up Westminster Palace and assassinate Protestant King James I.
murder

How a Threadbare 'Bag of Secrets' Led to Guy Fawkes's Gruesome Execution

The documents that convicted the infamous traitor were all kept in this unassuming leather pouch.
Kavitha Rao May 19, 2023
The lantern of Guy Fawkes
Oxford, England

The Lantern of Guy Fawkes

The lantern carried by the infamous Guy Fawkes when he was arrested while attempting to blow the houses of Parliament and the King of England to smithereens
William "Dangerous Dan" Fairbairn's "pistol house" was a new type of training for Americans preparing for a new kind of war.
islands

A Year in Wacky History, from Renaissance “Hell Banquets” to Georgia’s Muddy Spring Rites

Our favorite history stories inspire your sense of wonder.
Sarah Durn December 30, 2021
The flood swept through town, killing several people and destroying buildings and bridges.
Devon, England

Lynmouth Flood Memorial Hall

A massive flood devastated this seaside town, causing many to speculate about whether the government had figured out how to influence the weather.
A still from a recently declassified Navy video from 2015 depicting ... well, no one is quite sure.
science

Explaining Our Obsession With the Unexplained

Fringe beliefs, conspiracy theories, and the disenchanting of the world.
Colin Dickey August 13, 2020
A closer look at the "Helicopter" Hieroglyphs.
Markaz Al Belina, Egypt

'Helicopter' Hieroglyphs

Some believe that this ancient mural depicts technology far ahead of its time, but in reality it's nothing quite out of place.