Conspiracy Theories

It’s a mystery that’s endured for centuries: When the English first began colonizing America, they established a small settlement off the coast of present-day North Carolina. Within three years, it was gone, leaving few clues behind. What really happened to 100+ inhabitants of Roanoke Island? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a dozen major campaigns and thousands of planted bugs and wiretaps, COINTELPRO was finally exposed to the public. But the job of untangling its impact would take decades. Was J. Edgar Hoover’s belief that Communists instigated the civil rights movement true? And how far did the FBI go to sabotage the leaders of the movement? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A secret intelligence project led by the FBI used illegal methods to spy on organizations and people from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s. It claimed to be acting in the name of U.S. security — but was it really? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wrath, rivalry, or coverup? Despite over 2200 people dying in the Johnstown flood, no one has ever been held legally responsible for the neglected dam that caused it. Survivors were left to wonder: Was this an act of God, designed to punish them? Did a business rivalry between iron and steel magnates lead to this destruction? And did the dam’s owners know they were liable… and tried to cover it up? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After years of neglect, the decaying South Fork dam gave way in May 1889 — flooding a town of steelworkers, and killing thousands. In the aftermath, the surviving townspeople looked to the dam’s wealthy owners for answers. But they’d already fled. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An IRS agent uncovers embezzlement in an American soccer official’s transactions. FBI investigates bribery allegations in World Cup bidding. Massive corruption scandal explodes in the heart of soccer. Controversy surrounding Qatar's World Cup bid. Chuck Blaser becomes FBI informant in FIFA corruption investigation. Unethical practices and potential bribery in FIFA World Cup bidding process. Qatar's secret weapon Mohammed bin Hamam. FIFA's indictment, Qatar's alleged cheating, and schedule change.

Controversy surrounding Qatar's World Cup bid, FIFA's transformation into a global powerhouse, corruption and bribery scandal within FIFA, selection process for World Cup host nations, bidders for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, Qatar's challenges in hosting the World Cup, suspicions of corruption within FIFA

If NASA could hide an alliance with a government espionage office, what else could it be hiding? Today we examine the alleged evidence of a secret spacewalk, a martian city, and a remarkable sound from deep space.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

High-risk missions. International competition. And the keys to the cosmos. When you think of clandestine organizations, NASA might not top the list — and yet it has all the elements to be more shadowy than the dark side of the moon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a buzzy word meant to invoke a sense of immersion within a virtual world — where boundaries are obliterated, and possibilities are limitless. But what will the Metaverse actually feel like? From the holographic visions of tech companies, to the hardware required to make it happen, to the revolutionary potential of mind uploading and mixed reality, will a fully cyber society make life easier — or end life as we know it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices