Conspiracy Theory Hoaxes

Jean Hardouin was a respected seventeenth-century scholar who became convinced that virtually all classical texts, and most ancient works of art, coins and inscriptions, had been forged by a group of thirteenth-century monks. Other scholars initially tried to argue his theory with him, but as he persisted in his views, he came to be seen as a crackpot. Although Hardouin was definitely an eccentric, his theory nevertheless did indicate the growing awareness amongst scholars of the number of errors, exaggerations, and inventions in the historical record. More…

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, first published in Russia in 1903, was said to be the text of a speech given by a Zionist leader outlining a secret Jewish plan to achieve world power by controlling international finance and subverting the power of the Christian church. The manuscript was used to justify hate campaigns against the Jewish people throughout the twentieth century. However, the Protocols are a complete hoax. The text was adapted from an 1864 work, Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu, that didn't mention the Jewish people at all. More…

As the war in Vietnam was escalating and race riots were breaking out in U.S. cities, a book was published titled Report From Iron Mountain: on the Possibility and Desirability of Peace. It purported to contain the text of a secret report compiled by a U.S. government Special Study Group which had arrived at the shocking conclusion that peace was not in the best interest of a stable society. War, the group had decided, played a crucial role in the world economy. Therefore, it was necessary for America to continue in a state of war indefinitely. More…

A rumor swept around the world alleging that Paul McCartney, singer and bassist for the Beatles, was dead. In fact, that he had died three years ago on November 9, 1966 in a fiery car crash while heading home from the EMI recording studios. Supposedly the surviving band members, fearful of the effect his death might have on their careers, secretly replaced him with a double named William Campbell (an orphan who had won a Paul McCartney lookalike contest in Edinburgh). However, they also planted clues in their later albums to let fans know the truth, that Paul was dead. More…

On June 20, 1977, a documentary titled Alternative 3 aired in England, on ITV. It revealed to viewers the existence of a secret plan by the governments of the world to create a Noah's Ark colony of humans on Mars in anticipation of a looming environmental catastrophe that would soon make the Earth uninhabitable. The earnestness of the show's delivery convinced many that it was real. However, it was intended as a mock documentary, originally intended to be aired on April Fool's Day. More…