What did you think of todays' episode?

This week is like a combo episode of history and conspiracy theories. Even though this is a conspiracy episode, we do take our time to talk some history to lay out the groundwork on this good old fashioned mind control fun times.

Have you heard about MKUltra?

I feel the vast majority of the internet knows of MKUltra--the code name for a covert CIA mind-control and chemical interrogation research program, run by the Office of Scientific Intelligence. During the early period of the Cold War, the higher ups at the CIA became convinced that communists had discovered a drug or some technique that would allow them to control human minds. This idea of brainwashing was a palatable way to deal with soldiers that came back parroting communist propaganda from Korea, and why there was such a huge uptick in Americans supporting communism post WW2. In response to the idea of brainwashing, the CIA began its own secret program, to search for a mind control drug that could be weaponized against enemies.

Did it work? I hope you know the answer, but take a listen to hear about some of the conspiracy theories associated with Project MkUltra.

What did you think of todays' episode?

When the movie "Us" came out, I was personally drawn to the idea of tunnels connecting places together --whether nefarious, helpful, or historical. I went down a rabbit hole and wanted to take you all with me.

Enjoy this new episode about the tunnels of America!

What did you think of todays' episode?

But have you heard about the “Where are the bodies, Garth” conspiracy theory? The theory that while Garth Brooks tours, he's also a serial killer. Yeah… the everyman country singer could be a serial killer. Is there truth to this? Well…some people really think so. We go through the origin of this theory and the possibility of it. Check out this week's most recent conspiracy theory and let us know where you fall on this theory.

What did you think of todays' episode?

I would say this is the beginning of a plethora of episodes, but we aren't trying to lie to all you good people.

BUT!

We are starting off with one of those glossed over points in American history. When I think about witch hunts in America, I immediately think of the Salem witch trials. However, there are other points in time, a lot more recently, that had a similar impact–The Red Scares. The Red Scare was hysteria over the perceived threat posed by Communists in the U.S. As a curious cat, I wanted to learn more about these 20th century witch trials in America and I decided I would take you all along for the ride…for better or worse. In this episode, we will touch lightly on what is communism, fear of communism, the lead up and duration of the two Red Scares, and some major players in them.

What did you think of todays' episode?

Young and sweet, only from fifteen eighteeeeeen!

Who doesn't like a little ABBA tie-in?

But have you heard about the Dancing Plague of 1518? In 1518, a 'dance plague' saw citizens of French city Strasbourg reportedly dancing uncontrollably for days on end – with fatal results. It's a bizarre event that continues to fascinate those that have happened upon the story. But how did this begin? Just like a middle school dance, it takes one person dancing alone to the beat of their own heart before the rest join in. It was July, 1518, and a sweltering day at that; a woman named Lady Troffea steps into the square of Strasbourg and begins to dance. At first those around her only watch; curiosity getting the better of them as they stand and watch her dance dance dance with her hands hands hands. They watch a woman who will not, cannot, stop. She dances for nearly a week, occasionally tripping over her dancing shoes by exhaustion but largely unfazed by hunger, pain, or the need for sleep. There was no music to be heard. Where the music came from for this dance is a mystery; maybe it was internal, birds, the celestials–who knows!

Join Matt and I as we go into this not too conspiracy theory, but a little bit of a mystery.

What did you think of todays' episode?

Have you heard about Juliane Koepcke? At only 17 years old, she became the sole survivor of one of the worst aviation disasters. Juliane Koepcke was aboard LANSA Flight 508 on December 24, 1971 when it was struck by lightning, causing her to plummet 10,000 feet to the Amazon rainforest below. The plane was enroute from Lima to Pucallpa in Peru. Juliane was flying with her mother the day after graduating, making their way to her parents' research area in the Amazon.
After the plane was struck by lightning and torn apart, Juliane awoke still in her seat with severe injuries. Somehow, she not only survived the fall, but was the only passenger to survive the upcoming days.
Listen in for this short and sweet story of survival that would honestly be a featured story on Beyond Belief that I would assume was fabricated.

What did you think of todays' episode?

On this week's episode of But Have You Heard About Conspiracy Theory Edition, Matt and I discuss how the power outage that delayed Super Bowl XLVII (47) wasn’t an accident, but an intentional way to inject life into a game that was turning into a blowout.

Super Bowl XLVII was played between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers on February 3, 2012. The Ravens defeated the 49ers by the score of 34–31, handing the 49ers their first Super Bowl loss in their franchise history. The game was played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Baltimore had been dominating the first half of the game, thanks to Joe Flacco's three touchdown passes that gave the Ravens a 21-6 lead going into the half. After Beyonce performed her amazing heart out during halftime, the Ravens immediately picked back up their all gas no breaks approach that would give them a 28–6 lead.

However, a partial power outage occurred with 13:22 remaining in the third quarter. Play was interrupted for 34 minutes because of a 22-minute partial power outage. After this outage, the 49ers came back and RALLIED to make the game a close finish. Listen in to all of the theories as to why this may have been more than an accident.... though most likely it was an accident, let's be real.

What did you think of todays' episode?

Well hey there listeners, did you miss me? Probably not, but I'll pretend that you've been in a void of interesting history factoids. It's been a literal year plus since I uploaded an episode. And I am starting this party off with some fun history.

On today's first episode back in 2024, Trisha and I discussed the MOVE bombing in Philly--who is MOVE, why did everyone (especially their neighbors) hate them, what shout out, and the bombing. Originally called the Christian Movement for Life, MOVE is a communal organization that advocates for nature laws and natural living. At times, it has been viewed as a cult, like many movements that started in the 70s. It was founded in 1972 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, by John Africa (born Vincent Leaphart). John was a West Philadelphia native and Korean War veteran. The name, styled in all capital letters, is not an acronym. MOVE lived in a communal setting in West Philadelphia, abiding by philosophies of anarcho-primitivism, meaning that they wanted to go back to hunter-gatherer type living. The pre-industrial revolutionary world at minimum. WIIIILD. Their ideology combined a wide array of ideologies, including environmentalism, animal rights and an end to capitalism–OR anti-government, anti-technology, and anti-corporation. The group's activities were closely watched by law enforcement, at times leading to armed confrontation, including the 1977 stand-off we touch on in this episode, and the bombing in 1985. Take a listen and let us know what we should talk about next!

Sources:
https://whyy.org/episodes/the-move-bombing-in-philadelphia-memory-and-justice/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/18/debbie-sims-africa-free-prison-move-nine-philadelphia-police

https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/8/8/20747198/philadelphia-bombing-1985-move

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/05/13/406243272/im-from-philly-30-years-later-im-still-trying-to-make-sense-of-the-move-bombing

https://whyy.org/articles/how-the-philly-medical-examiners-office-mishandled-move-victims-remains-for-36-years/