Top Conspiracy Theories

According to dictionary.com, a conspiracy theory is:

“1) A theory that explains an event as being the result of a plot by a covert group or organization; a belief that a particular unexplained event was caused by such a group.
2) The idea that many important political events or economic and social trends are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.

“Indeed, all of us have heard of such theories – some of us happily accept them, feeling a part of something bigger, while others immediately dis or debunk them.There have been many of these throughout history, in topics ranging from religion, through technology and weapons, and all the way to paranormal activity. The following are the conspiracy theories I currently like the most, in no particular order:

#5.  “Paul Is Dead”

The urban legend suggesting that Paul McCartney of the Beatles died, and was secretly replaced by someone who looks like him, started circulating in late 1969, three years after his supposed death in 1966.

It all began when American college students published articles claiming that clues to McCartney’s supposed death could be found among the lyrics and artwork of the Beatles’ recordings. The clue-searching went viral, and within a few weeks it became a worldwide phenomenon. Among the clues published in the article, you can find the famous explanation behind the Abbey Road album cover: All four Beatles members appear crossing the street, resembling a funeral procession: John dressed in white, like a clergyman; Ringo, the mourner, dressed in black; George with jeans, like a gravedigger; And Paul walking with them, wearing no shoes, indicating he was dead.

Also, there is the famous “Turn me on, dead man” message that could be heard if you play the song “Revolution 9” from The White Album backwards, and the “I buried Paul” sentence that could be heard at the end of “Strawberry Fields Forever”.

These have been refuted on several occasions, specifically in an interview with Lennon, in which he said the phrase was actually “Cranberry sauce” and that there aren’t any backward messages. The rumors have declined after an interview with McCartney in life magazine in November 1969, and the band members have issued a statement referring to the gossip as “a load of rubbish”. Nevertheless, the theory has made a strong cultural impact, and references are still being made to it, many years afterwards.