Buzz
This compilation, which secured third place in the Mytour launch competition, explores 10 additional conspiracy theories that may or may not connect to topics previously discussed on Mytour. In response to popular demand, we present 10 fascinating examples of government secrets, looming global catastrophes, and inexplicable supernatural phenomena. Dive in if you dare, but stay alert—someone might be watching…
10. Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart’s tragic global journey is widely known. She aimed to become the first person to fly around the world at the equator, covering approximately 29,000 miles—the longest such route. After an unsuccessful first attempt, she set off from California to Miami with her close friend, Fred Noonan. Her final stop before crossing the Pacific was Lae, New Guinea, on June 29, 1937. Earhart and Noonan departed from there on July 2, heading for Howland Island, a remote speck 2,556 miles away. However, they never reached their destination. The only clues come from Earhart’s radio transmissions as she tried to locate Howland. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter, Itasca, heard her voice and attempted to respond but failed to establish contact. According to Itasca’s records, Earhart was near the island around 7:58 a.m. on July 3, stating, “We must be on you, but cannot see you—gas is running low. Unable to reach you by radio. Flying at 1,000 feet.” The inability of the Itasca to communicate with her remains a mystery.
No trace of Earhart or Noonan was ever found. Theories about their disappearance range from the most plausible—running out of fuel and crashing into the ocean—to the more speculative, such as crash-landing on a Japanese-controlled island, where they were either killed or Earhart was forced to become Tokyo Rose, a WWII propagandist. The most extreme theory suggests Earhart entered a temporal rift, a tear in space-time. While mathematics supports the possibility of such wormholes, their existence within Earth’s atmosphere remains unproven. The Bermuda Triangle is often cited as a hotspot for these alleged phenomena.
9. Project Phoenix
Project Phoenix is an independently funded initiative dedicated to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). It collaborates with various organizations, foundations, and individuals to determine whether humanity is alone in the universe. According to conspiracy theories, Project Phoenix secretly oversees all major efforts to detect alien signals. Based in Mountain View, CA, and operational since 1995, it utilizes the Parkes radio telescope in New South Wales, Australia—the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The project focuses on scanning approximately 800 star systems within 200 light-years of Earth. Despite claims of no detected signals, some believe the project is a front for covert communication with extraterrestrial beings. These aliens, now aware of Earth’s location, may pose a threat. Project Phoenix allegedly ensures the survival of its elite members by compromising military secrets, with public disclosure delayed until the aliens’ arrival to prevent widespread panic. This theory connects to #3.
8. The Death of Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is often regarded as one of the most naturally gifted geniuses in human history, excelling in any field he touched. His memory was unparalleled; at just 14, he famously transcribed Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere after hearing it once during a visit to Rome. After attending a second performance, he made minor corrections. His compositions remain as vibrant, lively, and captivating today as they were during his lifetime. However, even geniuses face rivals. The film Amadeus explores the theory that Antonio Salieri, consumed by envy, poisoned Mozart to eliminate his superior talent. Historical records, including surviving letters, reveal that Mozart fell ill suddenly while premiering La clemenza di Tito in Prague on September 6, 1791. He passed away on December 5 of the same year at the age of 35, in the peak of his career. This has fueled speculation of poisoning, with Salieri, who openly disliked Mozart’s personality but admired his music, as a prime suspect. Other theories about his death include overwork, cirrhosis, alcohol poisoning, trichinosis, and rheumatic fever. Officially, his death was attributed to “severe miliary fever,” a vague diagnosis that leaves much to interpretation.
7. Apricot Pits Cure Cancer
Apricot pits contain cyanogenic glycosides, compounds similar to cyanide that can be lethal in large amounts. However, these pits also contain laetrile, a chemical theorized to not only prevent cancer but also target and destroy cancerous cells aggressively. Despite these claims, the American Cancer Association does not recognize laetrile as a viable treatment. Current methods like chemotherapy and radiation therapy, while widely used, are often criticized for their inefficiency and severe side effects, which can sometimes prove fatal.
The theory suggests that laetrile, found in apricot pits, is the long-sought cure for cancer, suppressed by the American Cancer Association (ACA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) to protect the lucrative cancer industry. Historical records show that apricot pits were used in Europe during the 1950s to shrink tumors effectively. Despite this, medical professionals allegedly prioritize prolonged treatment over cures, driven by financial incentives. The AMA and ACA have publicly denounced apricot pits as dangerous, claiming the extraction of laetrile without harmful cyanide is impossible and ineffective against cancer—claims that are demonstrably false.
6. The Man in the Iron Mask
During the reign of Louis XIV, a mysterious prisoner named Eustache Dauger was arrested in 1669 and moved across various French prisons for 34 years. Authorities seemed uncertain how to handle him. He was held in the Fortress of Pignerol and later the Bastille, often wearing a steel mask with openings for his eyes, nose, and mouth. For most of his imprisonment, he wore a black velvet mask. Correspondence from the Marquis de Louvois, a royal secretary, instructed prison wardens to keep Dauger in a soundproof cell with multiple iron doors. He was warned that speaking anything beyond requests for food or water would result in immediate execution.
The extreme measures taken to silence and isolate this prisoner for over three decades have fueled numerous theories about his identity. He died in the Bastille on November 19, 1703, and was buried under the name “Marchioly.” Many believe he was of royal blood, possibly Louis XIV’s twin or illegitimate half-brother, explaining why he wasn’t executed despite his imprisonment. Other theories suggest he was General Vivien du Bulonde, who angered the king during the siege of Cuneo, or even the son of Charles II of England. The mystery of his identity inspired Alexandre Dumas’ famous novel and subsequent films. The image above shows the actual cell of the Man in the Iron Mask. [Image source]
5. Barcodes
One of the most unsettling passages in the Book of Revelation, attributed to Saint John the Divine, is Apocalypse 13:16-18. It states, “He will cause everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or forehead. No one may buy or sell except those who have the mark, the name of the beast, or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom. Let the person with insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and that number is 666.”
Written long before global communication became a reality, this prophecy now terrifies Christian fundamentalists and Apocalypse believers more than ever. They fear a future where commercial implants, such as barcodes on the forehead or hand, could control buying and selling. While such implants don’t yet exist, the theory suggests that UPC codes on products will soon be replaced by individual barcodes scanned directly from a person’s body, with no option to opt out.
The theory further claims that barcodes on packaging, credit cards, debit cards, and even personal checks secretly embed the number 666. This idea is loosely supported by the fact that barcodes were invented in 1948, the same year Israel was established. According to the theory, Bernard Silver, who created barcodes after hearing a grocery chain president’s request for a product information system, was unknowingly influenced by supernatural forces. The grocery chain president, the theory alleges, was actually Satan in disguise.
4. The NSA
The National Security Agency (NSA) is a real entity, headquartered in Fort Meade, Maryland, just 15 miles southwest of Baltimore. Its massive parking lot accommodates 18,000 vehicles, most of which are occupied during working hours. Interstate-295 South even has a dedicated exit labeled “NSA Employees Only.” While the NSA collaborates with the CIA and FBI, its operations are so classified that only a select few high-ranking officials within the agency know its full scope. Officially, the NSA is tasked with gathering and analyzing foreign communications and signals intelligence, including cryptanalysis.
The term “crypt” often signals intriguing conspiracy theories. What many don’t realize, not even the President, is that the NSA allegedly holds the truth behind every conspiracy theory ever proposed. With unparalleled access to global information and control over the internet, the NSA is said to manipulate data more effectively than Stalin controlled the Soviet Union. Conspiracy theories accuse the NSA of either orchestrating or concealing information about events like the 9/11 attacks, UFO sightings at Roswell and Rendlesham, the location of the Ark of the Covenant, the identity of the antichrist, the Kennedy assassinations, the protection of high-ranking Nazis post-WWII, the Philadelphia Experiment, the Montauk Project, the Mayan apocalypse prediction, and even the location of an impending asteroid impact. This theory’s strength lies in its ability to connect the NSA to virtually any conspiracy.
The NSA’s origins add to its mystique. Established by Harry Truman in 1952, five years after the CIA, Truman—a 33rd-degree Master Freemason—reportedly imbued the NSA with Masonic traditions, including a secret handshake. Unlike the CIA, which is explicitly barred from domestic law enforcement and certain covert operations, the NSA operates without such restrictions. Its activities are so secretive that even its name is speculated to be a cover, with some believing it operates under the title “National Security Council” to give the illusion of presidential oversight. Conspiracy theorists often refer to it as “No Such Agency.”
3. Tom Ogle
Tom Ogle, a relatively unknown inventor, created a revolutionary vapor-fuel intake system in 1977 that could be installed on any car engine. His invention allowed vehicles to travel 100 miles on just one gallon of gasoline, with emissions so clean that the exhaust could theoretically dry your hair. The automotive industry was stunned by his breakthrough. In 1978, a Shell Oil representative reportedly offered him $20 million on the spot for his patent and plans. Ogle declined, convinced that Shell would bury the invention to protect their interests.
Tom Ogle was discovered dead on August 19, 1981, from an apparent overdose of Darvon and alcohol poisoning. While he was known to drink, the level of intoxication and the presence of Darvon, an opioid painkiller he had no history of using, raised suspicions. The theory suggests he was assassinated by a Shell-hired operative to silence him, with his death staged as a suicide. Ogle had successfully patented his fuel system on December 11, 1979 (Patent No. 4,177,179). Earlier in 1981, he was shot outside an El Paso bar and claimed his life was in danger due to his invention. Three months after his death, his original schematics vanished from the U.S. Patent Office. While some of his designs have appeared online, they are incomplete, making it impossible to reconstruct his device.
2. Earth Is Hollow
This item holds a special place in the lister's heart. For ages, the belief that Earth is hollow at its core has persisted, suggesting it isn't a molten mantle surrounding a solid iron core but rather a hollow sphere with a crust resembling a gumball. The thickness of this crust is debated, but the theory focuses on what lies beneath. Edmond Halley, famous for Halley's Comet, proposed in 1692 that Earth is a 500-mile-thick shell with inner concentric rings. These rings encase a solid core, separated by layers of glowing gases. When these gases leak at the poles, they produce the northern and southern lights.
By the 1900s, this idea had gained popularity, faced scientific criticism, and even intrigued Adolf Hitler. He dispatched an expedition to the South Pole to locate the entrance he believed existed, leading to an underground realm inhabited by 12-foot-tall, highly intelligent beings. Hitler hoped to recruit them to fight for Nazi Germany or acquire advanced technology. Whether the mission occurred is debated, but if it did, it never returned, possibly due to the subterranean race or the harsh Antarctic environment.
Hitler's obsession with occult theories drove him to send expeditions to Tibet in search of Shambhala and even attempt to find the Ark of the Covenant. Admiral Karl Donitz claimed the Fuhrer could be safeguarded by the Kriegsmarine with an 'invisible fortification anywhere in the world,' later specifying it was 'in the midst of eternal ice.' Nazi occultism fueled this theory, turning it into a global conspiracy. It was said to explain UFO sightings, serve as a post-war hideout for high-ranking Nazis like Hitler, Himmler (whose death was faked), and Josef Mengele, and even grant eternal life, suggesting Hitler might still be alive and planning a return.
1. Star Wars
No, this isn’t about the movie, but rather the Strategic Defense Initiative. Conceived by the late Ronald Reagan, this ambitious plan aimed to outpace the Soviets by deploying advanced technologies like particle beam weapons (inspired by Tesla’s Death Ray), electromagnetic railguns (similar to those in Schwarzenegger’s *Eraser*), and X-ray lasers designed to intercept nuclear ICBMs. Despite widespread skepticism and the eventual abandonment of the project due to the impracticality of managing satellite orbits, communications, and computing systems, Reagan remained steadfast in his vision. Even after scientists declared it unfeasible, he clung to his dream. Once his presidency ended, the SDI faded into obscurity. But why was Reagan so fixated on it? While its primary goal was to counter a Soviet nuclear threat, Gorbachev’s 1986 proposal to eliminate all nuclear weapons within 15 years—a potential crowning achievement for Reagan—was rejected. The theory suggests Reagan anticipated an extraterrestrial invasion, akin to H. G. Wells’ depictions, and sought to prepare Earth in secret. Evidence includes George W. Bush’s efforts to revive the SDI, dubbed 'Son of Star Wars' and 'The Empire Strikes Back,' and Reagan’s cryptic remark to Steven Spielberg during a 1982 White House screening of *E.T.*: 'You have no idea how damned close to reality this is.'
