From mysterious deaths to secret identities, history is filled with fascinating theories that challenge what we know about famous figures. Join us as we explore some of the most intriguing conspiracy theories that have captivated minds for generations. Which of these controversial claims do you find most compelling?
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00:00He claims he found a coffin containing a skeleton of the girl born Princess Elizabeth.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most fascinating and
00:10far-fetched claims that suggest there's more to some of history's most famous people than meets
00:15the eye. Etta's cryptological research has led him to believe that the works of William Shakespeare
00:21were actually produced by this man.
00:24Number 20. Paul McCartney is Dead
00:28In 1969, the Paul is Dead conspiracy theory emerged, alleging that the famed Beatle had
00:34died in a 1966 car accident and was secretly replaced by a lookalike.
00:39So this started some rumor that because he was barefooted, he's dead.
00:44Proponents pointed to supposed clues in the Beatle's work. The Abbey Road album cover depicted
00:49a funeral procession with McCartney barefoot and out of step. The license plate,
00:5428IF, suggested he would have been 28 if alive.
00:58The myth suggests the Beatles planted clues to Paul's death in their songs and album art
01:02to break the news gently.
01:04Strawberry Fields Forever was also cited, as some listeners claimed to hear John Lennon
01:09confessing to having, quote-unquote, buried Paul. McCartney humorously addressed these rumors,
01:15stating, quote,
01:15If I were dead, I'd be the last to know. He later parodied the theory with his 1993 live album
01:21titled, Paul is Live.
01:23Your people did start looking at me, love.
01:26Number 19. Meriwether Lewis' Death
01:29In 1809, the famed co-leader of the Lewis and Clark expedition died from gunshot wounds
01:35at Grindr's Stand along Natchez Trace in Tennessee.
01:39Unfortunately, that glory would be short-lived for Meriwether Lewis. Several years later,
01:44he would be found dead at a roadside inn in Tennessee.
01:47No one actually saw what happened, and while many believe Lewis had taken his own life,
01:51others suspected foul play. As the isolated location was notorious for bandits,
01:57some believe that Lewis was killed during a robbery.
01:59If someone was trying to pull off a professional hit, the Natchez Trace seems like the perfect place.
02:05Other theories implicate political adversaries, such as General James Wilkinson and Aaron Burr,
02:10suggesting Lewis was assassinated. Although a coroner's jury ruled Lewis had died by his own hand,
02:16debates continue due to conflicting testimonies and lack of definitive evidence.
02:20These results, we have just rewritten the entire legacy of Meriwether Lewis.
02:25Number 18. Enoch Lincoln's Missing Body
02:28The famed politician who was Maine's sixth governor and a distant relative of Abraham Lincoln
02:33died in 1829 and was interned in a mausoleum in Augusta's Capitol Park. However, during an
02:40inspection roughly 150 years after Lincoln's death, workers discovered that his body and casket were
02:46missing, with no official explanation available. Numerous explanations have been proposed. Some
02:52suggest the remains were removed for cleaning and never returned, while others propose he was never
02:56buried there at all. The fate of Lincoln's body ranks among Maine's most enduring mysteries,
03:02not unlike something out of a Stephen King novel.
03:04Number 17. Oliver Cromwell was never dug up
03:08After this English statesman's death in 1658, he was buried in an extravagant funeral at Westminster
03:14Abbey. Following the restoration in 1660, a vengeful King Charles II ordered Cromwell's body
03:21exhumed for a posthumous execution. The body was reportedly hanged and then beheaded, with the
03:27head displayed on a spike above Westminster Hall.
03:29It was an ignominious end for a man who'd wanted to create God's kingdom on Earth.
03:35Yet, some historians question whether the body exhumed was truly Cromwell's. Rumors suggest his
03:41remains were secretly reburied elsewhere or even submerged in the Thames to prevent desecration.
03:46The authenticity of the head displayed has also been debated, with some believing it was not
03:51Cromwell's. The true fate of Cromwell's body remains a subject of historical intrigue.
03:56What this proud, God-fearing man would have made of this can only be guessed at.
04:01Number 16. Princess Diana was murdered
04:03When word spread that the Princess of Wales had died in 1997, people around the world mourned her
04:09untimely demise. A short while ago, Buckingham Palace confirmed the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
04:15But some wondered if there was more at work here than just an unfortunate accident. Namely,
04:19the father of Diana's companion, Dodi Fayed, who was also killed in the crash, stated that the British
04:25royal family orchestrated the accident to prevent Diana from marrying his son.
04:30You believe there was a conspiracy to kill Dodi?
04:34They've been murdered.
04:35These allegations prompted Operation Paget, a comprehensive police inquiry, which concluded
04:41that there was no credible evidence of a conspiracy. Nevertheless, speculation about foul play
04:47continues to captivate public imagination. The letter alleged that a fellow special-op soldier
04:52told his wife their unit orchestrated the Princess's death and cover-up.
04:58Number 15. Grigory Rasputin's Demise
05:00This infamous Russian mystic is as well known for the eerie circumstances of his death
05:06as for his influence over the Romanovs.
05:08He's a superhuman force of evil at the heart of the monarchy.
05:13In December 1916, a group of nobles conspired to assassinate Rasputin. According to one account,
05:20he survived poisoning and multiple gunshots before finally succumbing to his injuries.
05:25At this point, Yusupov becomes impatient, goes to his office, collects a pistol, comes down again,
05:31shoots Rasputin twice.
05:32However, modern forensic evaluations suggest Rasputin died from a single gunshot wound to
05:37the head, with no evidence of poisoning or drowning. The bizarre nature of Rasputin's demise has left
05:43ample room for theories, including ideas that he faked his death or even possessed supernatural
05:48resilience. One thing's for sure, Rasputin remains one of history's most perplexing figures.
05:54Rasputin's body was later exhumed and burned by the revolutionaries, as a symbol of the complete
06:00annihilation of Russian imperial government.
06:03Number 14. Rudolf Diesel's Disappearance
06:06The inventor of the diesel engine met a mysterious death in 1913 while aboard a ship traveling from
06:12Belgium to England. Diesel vanished without a trace, and his body was later found floating in the sea.
06:17There were strange circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death, which encouraged conspiracy
06:23theories. While most believe Diesel took his own life, some wonder whether he may have been killed
06:29due to his controversial ideas about alternative energy sources, which threatened the oil industry.
06:34Others argue that he was involved in a larger international conspiracy involving the German government.
06:40But the true cause of Diesel's death remains unsolved, fueling intrigue over his untimely demise.
06:45There's little evidence, however, and the case remains unsolved.
06:49Number 13. Elvis Presley Faked His Death
06:53When you're as iconic as Elvis, it's no surprise that rumors of your demise would spark decades of
06:58speculation. It was August 16th, 1977, and the world was shocked by the news. Elvis Presley,
07:05the king of rock and roll, was dead. While official records confirm that Presley died in 1977 at his
07:12Graceland Estate, some believe the king staged his death to escape the pressures of fame.
07:17Sightings of Elvis have been reported across the U.S., including a particularly persistent claim that
07:22he was spotted at a Burger King in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
07:25Is Elvis Presley alive? Our third sighting took place in August of 1988, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
07:33Others point to supposed inconsistencies in his autopsy, and the misspelling of his middle name on his
07:39gravestone. Though various theories about Elvis' death have propped up over the years, we think
07:43it's pretty safe to say that he's left the building.
07:46To Presley's near and dear, there is a cruelness to all the credence lent to the stories of Elvis
07:52still being alive.
07:53Number 12. The Jimmy Hoffa Case
07:55When labor leader Jimmy Hoffa vanished in 1975, he left behind one of the biggest question marks in
08:02American history. He was often called the most powerful man in America, and his disappearance
08:07remains one of this century's greatest unsolved mysteries. The former Teamsters president was last
08:12seen outside the Moccas Red Fox restaurant in Michigan, reportedly waiting for a meeting with
08:18mob affiliates. Naturally, Hoffa's disappearance prompted extensive investigations, but no definitive
08:23answers were ever found. Hoffa is now sailing on a beautiful vessel off the Greek Isles, laughing at us
08:30all. Some believe he was murdered to prevent him from regaining power within the Union, while others
08:35suspect a mafia hit gone awry. Over the years, searches in fields, landfills, and even beneath
08:41stadiums have come up empty. With no body and no closure, your guess as to what happened to Hoffa
08:46is as good as ours. They are hoping to find the remains of Jimmy Hoffa out here.
08:51Number 11. Jesus Was Married
08:53If you've read or seen The Da Vinci Code, you know all about this off-the-wall legend.
08:58Smeared by the church in 591 Anna Domina. Poor dear.
09:05Mary Magdalene was Jesus' wife. Some have said that Jesus Christ was secretly married to Mary Magdalene,
09:12pointing to apocryphal texts like the Gospel of Philip, which refers to Mary as
09:16Jesus' close companion. In 2012, the controversial Gospel of Jesus' Wife Papyrus briefly reignited debate,
09:24though experts later declared it a modern forgery. Containing the phrase,
09:28Jesus said to them, My wife, although the document was written centuries after Jesus died.
09:34Despite a lack of evidence, the theory lingers, with some claiming the early church buried the truth
09:39to preserve celibacy ideals. While mainstream scholars dismiss the claim, the idea of a hidden
09:45bloodline has fueled endless speculation and pop culture fascination.
09:50I don't think that there's any credibility in these claims at all.
09:53Number 10. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Assassination
09:57Ladies and gentlemen, Martin Luther King was shot and was killed tonight in Memphis.
10:03Murdered in Memphis, Tennessee, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death has longed
10:08been the subject of many conspiracy theories. His alleged assassin, James Earl Ray, recanted his
10:13confession soon after his conviction. Dexter asks Ray if he killed his father. James Earl Ray responds
10:21with a simple, no. In addition, evidence of illegal surveillance of King by government agencies,
10:27including the FBI and the local police department, have led many to conclude that King may have been
10:32killed for political reasons. The number of people were concerned that the FBI or somebody connected
10:38that the FBI had a hand in Dr. King's death. The jury of a 1999 civil suit concluded as much,
10:44though a lack of evidence made definitive proof elusive. Other potential culprits include
10:49southern white supremacy groups. Whoever was responsible, it's heartening to know that while
10:53they may have killed the man, his message lives on. Larger than life one moment, a martyr the next.
10:59Number 9. Nikola Tesla's Death Ray
11:03A genius inventor ahead of his time in many ways, Nikola Tesla developed
11:07many ideas that would pave the way for the 20th and 21st centuries. However, one of his most
11:12elusive inventions was for a particle-beam weapon, which the press called a Death Ray.
11:18Tesla claimed it would draw power from the ionosphere and had a range of 200 miles.
11:23Tesla theorized this weapon of his could take out military aircraft 250 miles away.
11:29However, the device remained mysterious and unseen. Upon his death in 1943, many of Tesla's papers and
11:36research were taken by the federal government, leading some to suggest that the US or various
11:42European governments may have gotten their hands on the plans for this weapon.
11:46Many of the journals and documents stolen the night of his death are never found.
11:50If someone does have such a powerful weapon, why it hasn't seen widespread use in the years since
11:56is anyone's guess.
11:57History still surrounds the lab at Wardenclyffe.
12:00Number 8. John Dillinger's Supposed Death
12:03A notorious gangster in the early 20th century, John Dillinger was decreed as public enemy number
12:09one in the USA. However, some contend that he was not killed by the FBI outside a theater,
12:15as has been claimed.
12:16But a federal agent beat him to the draw and sent a bullet crashing through his skull
12:20to emerge beneath the right eye.
12:21According to autopsy reports, Dillinger's corpse differed from his appearance in several ways.
12:27Granted, the gangster had received plastic surgery to conceal his identity, but still,
12:31it's suggested that Dillinger may have faked his death,
12:33or else the FBI attempted to cover up their murder of an innocent man.
12:37Dillinger's eyes were blue-gray. The dead man had brown eyes.
12:41Some people have claimed to have met Dillinger after his death. Dillinger's relatives
12:45even sought to have his body exhumed to confirm his identity. Still, they were denied, which means
12:51the conspiracy remains just a theory.
12:53We just want some closure and find the truth.
12:56Number 7. Queen Elizabeth's Gender
12:59Queen Elizabeth I of England was highly regarded, both in her own time and in hindsight,
13:03as an excellent ruler. The conspiracy theory that she was actually replaced by a man at some
13:07point in her life is indicative of how ingrained gender roles were in Elizabethan society. That even
13:13the Queen herself could not be seen as powerful without some questioning it. Even so, there are
13:18still some interesting aspects to this strange theory.
13:25One story suggests that the real Elizabeth died while at a village called Bisley, and that she
13:29was replaced with a young boy to avoid the ire of King Henry VIII.
13:33They'll substitute a local child for the dead princess.
13:37Her reputation as the Virgin Queen, her use of wigs, and her habit of wearing tall ruffs are
13:42cited as evidence of this wild theory. Although it's unlikely, given how much Elizabeth was in
13:47the public eye, Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, apparently believed it.
13:52The popular and well-regarded author devotes an entire chapter to the Bisley story.
13:59Number 6. Lewis Carroll and Jack the Ripper
14:02Jack the Ripper is one of history's most famous serial killers, in part because his identity has never
14:07been proven. The Ripper murders, as they would be known by the world for the next 120 years,
14:13had begun. With so many candidates for the Ripper, including American murderer H.H. Holmes,
14:19it's hardly surprising that one of them ended up being famous. Still, Lewis Carroll, author of books
14:24like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, is an odd choice, although he admittedly is no stranger to
14:30controversy. Richard Wallace pointed to supposed evidence that Carroll was abused as a suggestion
14:40that he had had a psychotic break and became a killer. He also pointed to anagrams in some of
14:45Carroll's writings as confessions to the Ripper crimes. Wallace's own words have been turned into
14:50an anagram confessing similarly serious crimes, so the evidence is pretty flimsy.
14:55We have various bits of evidence which can be twisted and turned and shaped in different ways,
15:02but ultimately it comes down to what do we think was going on inside his head.
15:06Number 5. Emperor Nero's Burning of Rome
15:10In July of 64 AD, two-thirds of Rome was destroyed in the Great Fire of Rome.
15:16The city is an inferno. While popularly believed to be caused by arson, the culprit is a matter of some
15:23debate. Some historians, many of whom are the only sources for information on the fire,
15:27blame Nero, Rome's emperor at the time. Motives have ranged from wanting to put up new palaces to
15:33just wanting to watch it all burn while he sang and danced.
15:36Legend says that as Rome burned, Nero sat on his balcony,
15:40singing the fall of Troy, with the city suffering as his backdrop.
15:45Regardless of whether Nero was the culprit, he laid the blame on the Christians in the city,
15:50leading to their persecution. Were they a convenient scapegoat for his own crime,
15:55or were they implicated due to existing prejudices? Short of a time machine, we may never know.
16:01Nero proudly boasts to his friends that at last he can live like a man.
16:05Number 4. William Shakespeare's Identity
16:08William Shakespeare wrote some of the most well-known plays and poetry in history. Or did he?
16:13We know perfectly well that Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare. We have the unimpugnable historical evidence.
16:19The playwright's success has led to a lot of scrutiny, and some believe that Shakespeare
16:24may have been a front or pseudonym for another writer entirely. Proponents point to the Bard's
16:29middle-class background being inconsistent with his highly literate and witty plays,
16:33his name's inconsistent spelling, a lack of documentary evidence, and his decidedly mundane will.
16:39There are monuments that hail his achievements, and we have comments from people who knew him as a writer.
16:45Candidates for the Bard's true identity include as many as 80 different candidates,
16:49with the most popular being Sir Francis Bacon, Edward de Vere, and fellow playwright Christopher Marlowe.
16:55We're not sure if this theory is to be or not to be, but we'd sure like this question settled.
17:01Why would Shakespeare have allowed himself to be used as a front for these people,
17:07especially if he was capable, apparently, of writing most of the plays by himself?
17:12Number 3. JFK's assassination
17:15One of the most famous incidents of the last 100 years, President John F. Kennedy's public
17:20assassination in Dallas, Texas in 1963 has launched countless theories of a conspiracy.
17:26Even though a plaque on this very building still encourages us to doubt, and doubt they do.
17:34Lee Harvey Oswald was the prime suspect, but his subsequent murder, along with the belief that a
17:39second shooter may have been present, has led many to conclude that there is more to the event than
17:44initially appears. Suspected players have ranged from the Soviet Union to the CIA to organized crime.
17:50There are lots of theories. It was Castro, the Mafia, the Soviets, the CIA, you name it.
17:57No matter who it was on that grassy knoll, conspiracy theorists and pop culture in general
18:02have had a field day putting their own spin on the president's death.
18:06There are still other photographs taken from other locations in Dealey Plaza,
18:10which show the whole man standing under an open black umbrella.
18:15Number 2. Amelia Earhart's True Fate
18:18In 1937, Amelia Earhart and her co-pilot Fred Noonan attempted to circumnavigate the world,
18:24but disappeared after departing New Guinea.
18:26Fred, I don't see Howard Island.
18:29I don't know where it is. We should be right on top of it.
18:31It's not on my side.
18:32Earhart's disappearance has long fascinated the public consciousness. While the most commonly
18:37believed answer is that her plane went down over the Pacific, plenty of people believe there's
18:42more to the story. Some suggest that she landed on an island which she was unable to escape from.
18:47Others believe that she was taken prisoner by the Japanese.
18:50The Japanese soldiers brought the spies into town.
18:53Most strange of all are the beliefs that she was a spy or assumed another identity.
18:58Still, without proof, we'll never know where, or even if, Earhart came down.
19:03She remains a true hero. As inspiring in failure as she might have been had she succeeded.
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19:28Number 1. Abraham Lincoln's Assassination
19:31John Wilkes Booth, a famous stage actor and confederate sympathizer,
19:35assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in 1865.
19:42Although Booth is known to have acted with other conspirators to try to kill other top
19:46members of the government the same night, there are those who believe a larger scheme was at work.
19:51In the years since Lincoln's death, conspiracy theorists have pointed to everyone from the
19:55Confederates to members of Lincoln's own government to a cabal of international bankers.
20:00Booth's murder of President Abraham Lincoln is only part of the story.
20:04While there are plenty who likely wanted the president dead,
20:07whether they acted with Booth is a matter of speculation at this point.
20:10It was essentially to accomplish what the Confederacy had failed to accomplish on the battlefield.
20:16Could any of these far-fetched ideas be true? Let's talk about it in the comments!
20:20Flames spread from neighborhood to neighborhood, devouring everything in sight.
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