The 1920s

9 theories

Phoebus Cartel — Lightbulb Planned Obsolescence
Confirmed

Phoebus Cartel — Lightbulb Planned Obsolescence

A confirmed 1924 cartel of major lightbulb manufacturers including GE, Osram, and Philips that collectively limited bulb lifespan to 1,000 hours to maximize rep

1924 · Switzerland
Council on Foreign Relations as Shadow Government
Mixed

Council on Foreign Relations as Shadow Government

Is the CFR a benign foreign policy think tank or the real power behind American politics? The documented influence, the conspiracy theories, and what's actually going on.

1921 · United States
Edward de Vere (Oxfordian) Shakespeare Theory
Unresolved

Edward de Vere (Oxfordian) Shakespeare Theory

The Oxfordian theory -- most popular alternative to Stratfordianism -- argues Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote the plays under Shakespeare's name to maintain aristocratic propriety.

1920 · United Kingdom
Unresolved

The Hinterkaifeck Murders

In 1922, six people were murdered with a mattock on a Bavarian farm. The killer stayed for days afterward, feeding the livestock. A century later, the case remains unsolved.

1922 · Germany
Debunked

Ley Lines -- Ancient Energy Grid

Alfred Watkins' 1921 observation that ancient monuments align in straight lines across England evolved into theories about a global earth-energy grid used by ancient civilizations. A journey from reasonable archaeology to crystal-powered mysticism.

1921 · United Kingdom
Planned Obsolescence Conspiracy
Mixed

Planned Obsolescence Conspiracy

The documented practice of manufacturers designing products to fail on schedule, from the Phoebus Cartel's lightbulb scheme to modern smartphone slowdowns.

1924 · International
Tulsa Race Massacre — Suppressed for 75 Years
Confirmed

Tulsa Race Massacre — Suppressed for 75 Years

The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre killed up to 300 Black Americans and destroyed 35 blocks. It was erased from textbooks for 75 years. The confirmed cover-up examined.

1921 · United States
Mongolian Death Worm — Olgoi-Khorkhoi
Unresolved

Mongolian Death Worm — Olgoi-Khorkhoi

The Olgoi-Khorkhoi — reported by Mongolian nomads as a blood-red worm capable of killing at distance through electric discharge or corrosive spray. Multiple scientific expeditions have searched the Gobi Desert without confirmation.

1926 · Mongolia
Soviet KGB Active Measures in the West
Confirmed

Soviet KGB Active Measures in the West

Confirmed: the KGB ran decades of 'active measures' -- forged documents, planted news stories, funded front groups, and recruited agents of influence to destabilize Western democracies.

1920 · Soviet Union