Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies For Dummies

What do Skull and Bones, the Kennedys, and UFOs all have in common? They're all shrouded in mystery and conspiracies

Entering the world of conspiracy theories and secret societies is like stepping into a distant, parallel universe where the laws of physics don't apply and everything you know is wrong: black is white, up is down. If you want to understand what's really going on -- from fluoridated water and chemtrails to alien autopsies, free electricity, and more -- you need a good reference book, and that's where Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies comes in.

Whether you're a skeptic or a true believer, this fascinating guide, packed with the latest information, walks you through some of the most infamous conspiracy theories -- such as Area 51, the assassination of JFK, and reptilian humanoids -- and introduces you to such mysterious organizations as the Freemasons, the Ninjas, the Illuminati, the Mafia, and Rosicrucians. This behind-the-curtain guide helps you separate fact from fiction and provides insight into the global impact these mysterious events and groups have had on our modern world. Discover how to:

• Test a conspiracy theory

• Spot a sinister secret society

• Assess the Internet's role in fueling conspiracy theories

• Explore world domination schemes

• Evaluate 9/11 conspiracy theories

• Figure out who "they" are

• Grasp the model on which conspiracy theories are built

• Figure out whether what "everybody knows" is true

• Distinguish one assassination brotherhood from another

• Understand why there's no such thing as a "lone assassin"

Additionally, you can read about some conspiracy theories that turned out to be true (like the CIA's LSD experiments), theories that seem beyond the pale (such as the deliberate destruction of the space shuttle Columbia), and truly weird secret societies (Worshippers of the Onion and nine more). Grab your own copy of Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies and decide for yourself what is fact and what is a conspiracy.

Auteur

Christopher Hodapp is also the author of The Templar Code For Dummies and a Freemason who has traveled extensively reporting on global Masonic practices. Alice Von Kannon is an author and historian.

Contenu
Introduction 1

Part I: Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies: The Improbable Wedded to the Inscrutable 7

Chapter 1: Everything You Know Is Wrong 9

Chapter 2: Conspiracism and the Origin of Modern Conspiracy Theories 19

Chapter 3: Building the Perfect Beast: Secret Societies through the Ages 33

Part II: A Colossal Compilation of Conspiracy Theories 45

Chapter 4: Everybody Knows About It: The World's Most Common Conspiracy Theories 47

Chapter 5: JFK and Other Presidents: The Conspiracies Behind the Guns 67

Chapter 6: The World Ends Monday -- Racial, Religious, and Apocalyptic Conspiracies 95

Chapter 7: Not of This Earth: Innocent Pawns in an Intergalactic Imbroglio 117

Chapter 8: Tracking the Evolution of the 9/11 Conspiracy Theories 137

Part III: Secret Societies and Societies with Secrets 157

Chapter 9: The Freemasons: The World's Longest-Running Secret Society 159

Chapter 10: Rosicrucians and the Evolution of Occult Secret Societies 183

Chapter 11: The Illuminati: The Bavarian Boogeymen 207

Chapter 12: Secret Societies of Terror and Death 219

Chapter 13: Frolicsome Fraternalism and Nefarious Foes of Freedom 249

Chapter 14: Thugs, Mugs, and Lugs: The Mafia and Other Underworld Societies 267

Chapter 15: Banks and Super Committees: Knowing All, Owning All, Controlling All 297

Part IV: The Part of Tens 315

Chapter 16: Ten Conspiracy Theories That Skirt the Edge of Madness 317

Chapter 17: Ten Conspiracies That Were Absolutely True 329

Chapter 18: Ten Weirdest Secret Societies of All Time 343

Index 351