There really was a secret society called the Illuminati that aimed to create a New World Order. This is true story of the Illuminati and how they were transformed into the world's first conspiracy theory by the French revolution.

Maddy Pelling and Anthony Delaney are joined by Michael Taylor whose new book is called Impossible Monsters: Dinosaurs, Darwin, and the War between Science and Religion and who is working on a full length history of the Illuminati.

Edited by Tomos Delargy, Produced by Freddy Chick, Senior Producer is Charlotte Long.

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After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast