3 Credible Conspiracy Theories

Throughout history, explanations of shocking events have left people unsatisfied. Craving deeper sensibility and ‘logic,’ many take it upon themselves to create their own so-called truth. Some theories are as famous as the events themselves; whether you believe, or you just like a good story, conspiracies can indeed fascinate, more so when they (seem to) make sense out of randomness. Here are some down-to-earth — well, by comparison — conspiracy theories more difficult to dismiss than most.

Kurt Cobain Killed by His Left-Handed Guitar?
We all know Kurt Cobain struggled with a crippling heroin addiction that played a part in his demise, but why he got hooked is actually unclear. Throughout most of his life, Cobain suffered from an undiagnosed stomach condition, which he claimed was one of two major sources of pain that influenced his music. In 1993, the year before Cobain’s death, a doctor diagnosed the pain as a pinched nerve in the artist’s back, caused by scoliosis — a curvature in the spine. Cobain’s curve had worsened over time due to the weight of his guitar on his left shoulder. It has been theorized that if he played the opposite way, the curve may have corrected itself over time. But when Cobain exited, it was “stage left”; one cannot help but wonder if this cascade effect was indeed avoidable, not inevitable.

Government Agents Everywhere?
It turns out there may be legitimacy to the paranoid fears of every North American anti-something group across the decades. In 1956, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover created “Counter Intelligence Program” (COINTELPRO)­ — a series of covert, and often illegal, surveillance operations deployed to disrupt domestic political organizations. Although COINTELPRO’s initial focus was on the Communist Party U.S.A., it quickly grew to include many civil and women’s rights groups, including the Black Panther Party. One of Martin Luther King Jr.’s trusted personal photographers was a COINTELPRO informant. Although officially disbanded in the 1970s, COINTELPRO still creates ripple effects today. From agents infiltrating Greenpeace and PETA, to President Obama advisor Cass Sunstein proposing the government should send agents online to discredit conspiracy theories on message boards, you never know who’s watching you.

You Float like a Butterfly, I’ll Dive Like a Seal?
Twice in 1964, Muhammad Ali (then known only as Cassius Clay) fought — well, politely, he got in a ring with and destroyed — heavyweight champion Sonny Liston, who lost his title to Clay. Liston wasn’t your average boxer, though: Nobody knew where or when he was born; he served time in prison for violent robbery; he had ties to underworld organized crime bosses (who were his managers); and to this day there are rumours he was murdered (the police declared it an overdose, although he had minimal amounts of drugs in his system and was deathly afraid of needles). The first fight ended mysteriously when Liston refused to come out of his corner for the seventh round, citing a shoulder injury. The second fight was strangely scheduled in a junior hockey rink in Lewiston, Maine, a town with a population of 40,000. Due to the location, only some 2,000 spectators were present, and none of them actually saw the alleged Ali punch that knocked Liston out. It has been speculated that Liston bet against himself because he owed the mob money, took a dive, lost the fight and saved his life. Others, including Liston’s trainer, have theorized he threw the fight because he was terrified of the Black Muslims, who sided with Ali. In any case, the bizarre fight sent the two boxers’ careers in two different directions, with Ali going on to a storied career, and Liston going down the tube, only fighting a handful more times before his mysterious death a few years later.

——————–
Image courtesy of tellmewhat2.