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Skeptoid Episode Guide - Conspiracy Theories

 

Martin Luther King Jr. Myths (Skeptoid #918) - We break down four popular myths about Martin Luther King Jr. that just won't go away.
January 9, 2024
 
How to Escape Nibiru (Skeptoid #911) - Some believe this speculative rogue planet is on a collision course with the Earth.
November 21, 2023
 
How to Change a Conspiracy Theorist's Mind (Skeptoid #891) - A roundup of the ways that work — and that don't work — to help a conspiracy theorist free himself from the rabbit hole.
July 4, 2023
 
What the Oil Companies Really Knew, Part 1 (Skeptoid #876) - Is it true that the oil companies knew how much harm they were doing as far back as the 1970s?
March 21, 2023
 
How Your Smartphone Is Listening to You (Skeptoid #851) - Is your smartphone eavesdropping on your conversation?
September 27, 2022
 
Who Really Killed the Electric Car (Skeptoid #849) - Pop culture tells us that a conspiracy is what killed GM's EV1 in 2002. But is an exotic explanation really needed?
September 13, 2022
 
False Flag Attack? The USS Liberty (Skeptoid #835) - Officially, Israel's 1967 attack on the USS Liberty was accidental friendly fire; but many claim it was a deliberate conspiracy.
June 7, 2022
 
The Mystical Death of Jack Parsons (Skeptoid #830) - The complicated life of JPL's co-founder meant that his death was almost certain to be cloaked in conspiracy theories.
May 3, 2022
 
Maury Island: The Government's Alien Artifacts (Skeptoid #820) - The origin story of some of the government's alleged alien wreckage is a little bit shaky.
February 22, 2022
 
The Avro Arrow Conspiracies (Skeptoid #809) - Conspiracy theories surround the cancellation of this advanced Canadian aircraft from the 1950s.
December 7, 2021
 
9/11 Truthers, 20 Years Later (Skeptoid #796) - 20 years after the worst terrorist attack on American soil, the conspiracy theories are still thriving -- just as we should expect.
September 7, 2021
 
Your Turn Yet Again (Skeptoid #793) - Skeptoid gives our take on some spooky experiences sent in by listeners.
August 17, 2021
 
The 2019 USS Kidd Incident (Skeptoid #777) - Popular reports claim that a group of US Navy destroyers were buzzed by advanced drones in 2019.
April 27, 2021
 
The Engineered Moon Conspiracy (Skeptoid #776) - Science refutes the claim made by some that the Moon is a hollow spaceship engineered by aliens.
April 20, 2021
 
Percy Schmeiser vs Monsanto (Skeptoid #759) - The most famous case in the history of Monsanto vs. small farmers might not be what you think.
December 22, 2020
 
The Montauk Project (Skeptoid #757) - Some believe the government opened up time portals underneath Long Island, New York.
December 8, 2020
 
How to Extract Adrenochrome from Children (Skeptoid #750) - Conspiracy theorists believe that Hollywood elitists torture children and extract drugs from their bodies.
October 20, 2020
 
Australia Doesn't Exist, and Other Geographic Conspiracy Theories (Skeptoid #745) - The belief that Australia doesn't exist may not be as unique as you think.
September 15, 2020
 
The QAnon Conspiracy (Skeptoid #738) - This growing conspiracy theory posits that a global cabal of pedophiles secretly controls the US government.
July 28, 2020
 
Bill Gates Conspiracy Theories (Skeptoid #735) - Why is the world's greatest public health philanthropist charged with crimes against humanity?
July 7, 2020
 
The LUCIFER Telescope Conspiracy (Skeptoid #729) - A popular conspiracy theory claims the Vatican uses a telescope named LUCIFER to find an alien savior.
May 26, 2020
 
Draining the Holy Grail (Skeptoid #723) - The true history of the Holy Grail, the most precious of all artifacts.
April 14, 2020
 
Pandemic Conspiracies and Politics (Skeptoid #722) - How the conspiracy theories around today's pandemic compare to those of the past.
April 7, 2020
 
On the Trail of Red Mercury (Skeptoid #713) - The most elusive substance in pop culture also purports to be one of the most destructive.
February 4, 2020
 
Reactionless Space Drives (Skeptoid #697) - Conspiracy theorists and alternate science believers continue to claim triumph over the laws of nature.
October 15, 2019
 
Starlite, the Magical Mystery Material (Skeptoid #684) - The real reasons for the disappearance of this amateur material said to be able to withstand even a nuclear blast.
July 16, 2019
 
Yamashita's Gold (Skeptoid #673) - The facts behind the urban legend that billions in Japanese gold lie buried in the Philippines.
April 30, 2019
 
Killing Castro (Skeptoid #659) - It's proven the CIA tried to assassinate Castro, but the number of claimed attempts differs wildly.
January 22, 2019
 
Illuminating the Illuminati (Skeptoid #657) - The surprisingly humble beginnings and even more surprising modern rebirth of the Illuminati.
January 8, 2019
 
The Electric Universe Theory (Skeptoid #651) - Some believe that everything we know about the universe is wrong — and it's all electric.
November 27, 2018
 
George Soros Conspiracy Theories (Skeptoid #649) - George Soros remains the focus of many anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
November 13, 2018
 
Parts Unknown: Foreign Conspiracy Theories (Skeptoid #644) - A roundup of conspiracy theories from various countries all around the world.
October 9, 2018
 
Titanic Myths (Skeptoid #615) - Three of the most popular conspiracy theories surrounding the sinking of the Titanic.
March 20, 2018
 
Net Neutrality Reexamined (Skeptoid #604) - A skeptic's guide for organizing the issues raised by Net Neutrality.
January 2, 2018
 
Sonic Weapons in Cuba (Skeptoid #603) - There is a much better explanation than sonic weapons for reported attacks against US diplomats in Cuba.
December 26, 2017
 
Chasing Malaysian Airlines MH370 (Skeptoid #595) - A roundup of the conspiracy theories and the probable true fate of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370.
October 31, 2017
 
The Big Pharma Conspiracy (Skeptoid #589) - Popular claims of a Big Pharma Conspiracy don't stand up to any rational scrutiny.
September 19, 2017
 
There Is No Finland: Birth of a Conspiracy Theory (Skeptoid #573) - A study of how a conspiracy theory as absurd as "There is no Finland" can even exist.
May 30, 2017
 
Hitler's Antarctic Fortress Unmasked (Skeptoid #559) - Deconstructing a wild tale about a Nazi military base deep inside Antarctica.
February 21, 2017
 
Debunking the Moon Truthers, Part 3 (Skeptoid #537) - The hard, testable, scientific proof that we actually did land humans on the moon.
September 20, 2016
 
Debunking the Moon Truthers, Part 2 (Skeptoid #536) - The science behind many of the specific claims made by Apollo moon landing hoax conspiracy theorists.
September 13, 2016
 
Debunking the Moon Truthers, Part 1 (Skeptoid #535) - The history of the Apollo moon landing hoax conspiracy theory, and those who believe in it.
September 6, 2016
 
Autopsy: The Clinton Body Count (Skeptoid #525) - The surprising origins of the claim that the Clintons kill any who get in their way.
June 28, 2016
 
The New Flat Earthers (Skeptoid #521) - The reinvented Flat Earth fad is less about geophysics and more about conspiracy mongering.
May 31, 2016
 
Firestorm in Waco (Skeptoid #511) - The FBI did not deliberately murder the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas.
March 22, 2016
 
Updated: Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Web Sites (Skeptoid #495) - The worst offending sites on the Internet for promoting bad misinformation.
December 1, 2015
 
Holocaust Denial (Skeptoid #485) - Why some people think the Holocaust never happened, and what to do about it.
September 22, 2015
 
Jade Helm 15 (Skeptoid #469) - Conspiracy theory that a military training exercise is going to lead to martial law.
June 2, 2015
 
Agenda 21 (Skeptoid #465) - A look at the conspiratorial hysteria and sensationalism surrounding the United Nations' Agenda 21.
May 5, 2015
 
Satanic Ritual Abuse (Skeptoid #462) - The history of claims that secret Satanic cults are abusing children.
April 14, 2015
 
Myths of Alcatraz (Skeptoid #444) - Alcatraz Island is veiled in the fog of myth.
December 9, 2014
 
5 Conspiracy Theories that Turned Out to Be True... Maybe? (Skeptoid #416) - Skeptoid listeners are always asking for conspiracy theories that turned out to be true. Here are the best I found.
May 27, 2014
 
Killing Princess Diana (Skeptoid #414) - Some say the death of Princess Diana in 1997 was actually a murder plotted by her government.
May 13, 2014
 
The Death of Mad King Ludwig (Skeptoid #407) - What we do and do not know about the mysterious death of Bavaria's Mad King who built castles like Neuschwanstein.
March 25, 2014
 
Hemp, Hearst, and Prohibition (Skeptoid #401) - A popular urban legend claims that William Randolph Hearst conspired to make cannabis illegal in the United States.
February 11, 2014
 
8 Secret Bases: Real or Fictional? (Skeptoid #391) - Guess which of these secret military bases around the world are real.
December 3, 2013
 
The JFK Assassination (Skeptoid #389) - After so many decades, the number of incompatible conspiracy theories about the death of JFK continues to grow.
November 19, 2013
 
The Secrets of MKULTRA (Skeptoid #373) - The urban legend that the CIA conducted unethical mind control experiments has a grain of truth.
July 30, 2013
 
Listener Feedback: Conspiracies (Skeptoid #364) - Skeptoid answers questions sent in by listeners pertaining to conspiracy theories.
May 28, 2013
 
Polybius: Video Game of Death (Skeptoid #362) - The infamous arcade game Polybius, said to drive players to suicide or madness, was never more than an urban legend.
May 14, 2013
 
The Airplane That Wasn't There (Skeptoid #355) - A B-25 bomber ditched in a Pennsylvania river in broad daylight 1956 and, seemingly impossibly, was never found.
March 26, 2013
 
The Pentagon and the Missile (Skeptoid #354) - Some say that it wasn't an airliner that struck the Pentagon on 9/11, but a missile.
March 19, 2013
 
Pope Joan (Skeptoid #353) - This apocryphal Middle Ages pope said to be a woman in disguise probably never existed.
March 12, 2013
 
Men in Black (Skeptoid #351) - A look at the mysterious government agents said to intimidate those who witness flying saucers.
February 26, 2013
 
Trinity: Interview with Dr. Oz, Alex Jones, and Deepak Chopra (Skeptoid #350) - Skeptoid interviews three of the most popular and controversial figures in modern pseudoscience.
February 19, 2013
 
The Cult of Nikola Tesla (Skeptoid #345) - The name of Nikola Tesla is associated with crazy conspiracy claims that have nothing to do with his real work.
January 15, 2013
 
The Hollow Earth Theory (Skeptoid #343) - Throughout history there have been a number of different beliefs that the Earth might be hollow.
January 1, 2013
 
Free Energy Machines (Skeptoid #341) - Someone somewhere is always claiming to have cracked the secret of free energy forever, no fuel needed.
December 18, 2012
 
Listener Feedback: A Cacophony of Conspiracies (Skeptoid #340) - How you can convince your friends that their conspiracy theories are nonsensical.
December 11, 2012
 
The Flat Earth Theory (Skeptoid #338) - The Flat Earth Theory has its origins not in alt-science but in Christian Fundamentalism.
November 27, 2012
 
The Phantom Time Hypothesis (Skeptoid #332) - A number of theories claim that several centuries never actually happened, and were faked by the Church.
October 16, 2012
 
Attack of the Nanobots! (Skeptoid #317) - A look at the belief that nanotechnology may result in an army of self-replicating machines that consume society.
July 3, 2012
 
Deconstructing the Rothschild Conspiracy (Skeptoid #311) - Some believe that world governments and economies are secretly controlled by the Rothschild banking family.
May 22, 2012
 
Finding Amelia Earhart (Skeptoid #295) - The disappearance of Amelia Earhart is one of the worst examples of television promoting pseudohistory.
January 31, 2012
 
Wunderwaffen: Nazi Wonder Weapons (Skeptoid #293) - The true history behind the claimed Nazi "wonder weapons" like anti-gravity flying saucers.
January 17, 2012
 
Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites (Skeptoid #283) - My list of the worst offenders on the web in the promotion of scientific and factual misinformation.
November 8, 2011
 
Finding Shakespeare (Skeptoid #280) - The claim that someone else wrote Shakespeare's works is popular, but virtually indefensible.
October 18, 2011
 
The Zionist Conspiracy (Skeptoid #271) - There is no plausible reason to think a conspiracy of Jews plans to take over the world's banks and governments.
August 16, 2011
 
Conspiracy Theorists Aren't Crazy (Skeptoid #264) - We usually dismiss conspiracy theorists as crazy people; but that doesn't tell the whole story.
June 28, 2011
 
Military Dolphins: James Bonds of the Sea (Skeptoid #260) - The facts behind the stories of military dolphins trained to attack divers and plant mines on ships.
May 31, 2011
 
The Secret of Plum Island (Skeptoid #257) - This secret government lab was said to create genetic mutants. Here's what they actually did.
May 10, 2011
 
Finding the POW/MIAs (Skeptoid #254) - American POW/MIAs are probably not still being held captive inside Vietnam.
April 19, 2011
 
The Port Arthur Massacre (Skeptoid #253) - The 1996 mass murder in Tasmania was not secretly a plot by the government to get firearms banned.
April 12, 2011
 
The History of Knowledge (Skeptoid #250) - A trip through the centuries to see how human knowledge is reflected through music.
March 22, 2011
 
Beware the Bilderberg Group! (Skeptoid #225) - The annual meeting of the Bilderberg Group is not to plan global domination.
September 28, 2010
 
Stalin's Human-Ape Hybrids (Skeptoid #219) - Josef Stalin did not order the creation of an army of half-ape, half-human hybrids.
August 17, 2010
 
The Astronauts and the Aliens (Skeptoid #218) - A close look at some of the stories of UFOs said to have been reported by NASA astronauts.
August 10, 2010
 
Attack on Pearl Harbor (Skeptoid #211) - The American government did not have advance knowledge of the Pearl Harbor attack, and did not allow it to happen.
June 22, 2010
 
The North American Union (Skeptoid #210) - The United States, Canada, and Mexico are not planning to merge into a single huge police state.
June 15, 2010
 
The Westall '66 UFO (Skeptoid #208) - 200 students watched a strange craft fly near their school in Australia in 1966 -- or so the story goes.
June 1, 2010
 
Morgellons Disease (Skeptoid #206) - In this newly described condition, some patients report strange plastic fibers growing from their skin.
May 18, 2010
 
The Georgia Guidestones (Skeptoid #198) - Dubbed "America's Stonehenge", this granite monument in Georgia appeals to all sorts of conspiracy theorists.
March 23, 2010
 
Zeitgeist: The Movie, Myths, and Motivations (Skeptoid #196) - The Internet movie Zeitgeist uses dishonesty to make an ideological point that could have easily been made ethically.
March 9, 2010
 
The Denver Airport Conspiracy (Skeptoid #194) - Is the Denver International Airport a headquarters for the New World Order? (Hint: no)
February 23, 2010
 
The Bell Island Boom (Skeptoid #190) - This shattering boom in Newfoundland was more likely a natural phenomenon than a superweapon test.
January 26, 2010
 
Vaccine Ingredients (Skeptoid #180) - The claims made about the dangerous chemicals in vaccines are all either false or misrepresented.
November 17, 2009
 
Screwed! (Skeptoid #150) - A secret recording of an actual meeting of the Illuminati.
April 21, 2009
 
FEMA Prison Camps (Skeptoid #145) - A skeptical look at the claim that FEMA maintains a network of prison camps in readiness.
March 17, 2009
 
The Lucifer Project (Skeptoid #143) - Some believe that NASA is trying to turn Saturn or Jupiter into a small sun.
March 3, 2009
 
The Rendlesham Forest UFO (Skeptoid #135) - Hard to believe, but it wasn't space aliens that caused blinking lights in Rendlesham Forest in 1980.
January 6, 2009
 
The Bohemian Club Conspiracy (Skeptoid #131) - Wealthy and powerful men gather annually at the mysterious Bohemian Grove -- but not to plot global domination.
December 9, 2008
 
The Truth about Aspartame (Skeptoid #127) - The artificial sweetener aspartame is falsely accused of being the cause of nearly every disease.
November 11, 2008
 
Ten Most Wanted: Celebrities Who Promote Harmful Pseudoscience (Skeptoid #125) - A critical look at the pseudoscientific antics of some of today's celebrities.
October 28, 2008
 
HAARP Myths (Skeptoid #122) - A close look at HAARP, the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, and the claim that it's a superweapon.
October 7, 2008
 
Search for the Missing Cosmonauts (Skeptoid #115) - A pair of young Italian brothers probably didn't uncover evidence of Soviet cosmonauts dying in space.
August 19, 2008
 
Spy Radio: Numbers Stations (Skeptoid #107) - A look at mysterious shortwave "numbers stations" around the world.
July 1, 2008
 
When People Talk Backwards (Skeptoid #105) - Some people believe that your brain encodes its actual meaning in reverse within everything you say.
June 17, 2008
 
Reassembling TWA Flight 800 (Skeptoid #99) - TWA Flight 800 was not shot down by US friendly fire.
May 6, 2008
 
World Trade Center 7: The Lies Come Crashing Down (Skeptoid #85) - The collapse of 7 World Trade Center was not a controlled demolition.
January 29, 2008
 
Aliens in Roswell (Skeptoid #79) - Pop culture says it was an alien spaceship -- but history tells us what was really found in the New Mexico desert.
December 18, 2007
 
Irradiation: Is Your Food Toxic? (Skeptoid #61) - Food that has been sterilized with irradiation is not radioactive and will not hurt you.
August 14, 2007
 
All About Fluoridation (Skeptoid #58) - A few fringe activists claim that fluoridation of water carries more danger than benefit.
July 30, 2007
 
The Twin Towers: Fire Melting Steel (Skeptoid #54) - The Oakland freeway collapse was not a government ploy to prove that the Twin Towers collapsed from fire.
July 10, 2007
 
Support Your Local Reptoid (Skeptoid #46) - The conspiracy theory that reptilian beings control our governments has a fascinating history.
May 21, 2007
 
The Alien Invasion of Phoenix, Arizona (Skeptoid #41) - Despite what many UFOlogists want, the famous Phoenix Lights were not alien spacecraft.
April 26, 2007
 
Blood for Oil (Skeptoid #32) - The claim that the wars in the Middle East were about oil don't stand up to economic scrutiny.
March 12, 2007
 
Chemtrails: Real or Not? (Skeptoid #27) - Some believe that airplane contrails are really dangerous chemicals being sprayed by the government.
February 15, 2007
 
Skepticism and Flight 93 (Skeptoid #22) - Flight 93, which crashed in a field on September 11, was not shot down by the military.
January 19, 2007
 
The Real Philadelphia Experiment (Skeptoid #16) - The US Navy did not make a warship completely disappear in 1943.
December 24, 2006
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

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