Conspiracy Theories

Charles “Sonny” Liston was once the heavyweight boxing champion of the world: a human dreadnought built for fighting. But during a match with a newcomer in May 1965, Liston was sent to the mat by an unremarkable punch few spectators even noticed. How could the champion go down so easily? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If the world really is hollow, why have so many scientists covered up the evidence? Is it because the earth's interior holds the key to surviving an apocalypse? Or because it's home to an alien species. Or perhaps we've been living on the inside this whole time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For centuries, human cultures around the world have maintained the earth is hollow—home to spiritual beings or monsters. The idea persisted through Norse legends, Greek mythology, Hindu texts… and into the modern era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fluoridated water may be one of the most controversial federal programs of the past century. In the 1950s, watchdogs argued fluoride was part of a communist plot. More recently, it's been linked to big business interests and mind control programs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nearly three out of four U.S. communities add fluoride to their water. Officially, the compound strengthens teeth and helps prevent cavities—but recent studies have suggested it might increase cancer risks and lower IQ. Is fluoridated water a medical marvel, or a poison? And why is the U.S. government afraid to address the evidence against it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Investigating the blast and compiling evidence was a huge undertaking. And in the 25 years since the Oklahoma City bombing, McVeigh was turned into something of a folk hero, with his rhetoric inspiring copycats and seeping into mainstream politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On the morning of the attack, McVeigh parked a rental truck below the Murrah building’s daycare center. At 9am, he ignited the bomb’s two-minute fuse and fled. The explosion was catastrophic, and the day thereafter was filled with tragic deaths, miraculous survivals—and the hunt for the person at the center of it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After coming of age in the early ‘90s, Timothy McVeigh became increasingly radicalized against the U.S. government. Witnessing tragic events at Ruby Ridge and Waco motivated him to plan and execute the most devastating incident of domestic terrorism in American history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2020 marks the 25th anniversary of this devastating attack: On April 19, 1995, a U.S. Army veteran named Timothy McVeigh detonated a truck bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and injuring hundreds more. Join us on a four-part series examining the event. In this first episode, we look at the historic underpinnings of domestic terrorism in the U.S., and chronicle the events that triggered McVeigh’s revenge against the government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fifty years after Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance, no one knows how he died or where he was buried. Did the FBI push him out of a plane? Was he murdered by the notorious serial killer "The Iceman"? Or was it his best friend and mob associate, Frank "The Irishman" Sheeran? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices