Our world is full of mysteries. While some may eventually be solved, others are left unanswered. Sometimes, those who crave to satisfy their curiosities, formulate answers to these mysteries. Sometimes, the theorization might be promoting some crazy understanding, but it is still able to provide a rationalization that is hard to ignore. Conspiracy theories, thus, whether accepted or not, are immensely enjoyable to think about. Following are some of the theories that I cannot stop thinking about:
1) Moon Landing Hoax
The 1969, the moon landing was a revolutionary achievement for humanity. However, this giant leap for mankind has been subjected to scrutiny over the speculation that Armstrong’s and Aldrin’s feet might have never touched the lunar surface. Instead, some theorists believe that all of the adventures might have been filmed in a studio at Area 51 (which has its own fair share of theories). This conspiracy was started by Bill Kaysing, a former technical writer for NASA’s Apollo Moon missions. He published his work titled We Never Went to the Moon: America’s Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle about his conviction in 1976. According to him, the United States, at the time, did not have the technology to carry out what it claimed to have done. His stand had some obvious backing because of his position. The theory also gained steam owing to the prevalent disillusionment towards the government during the 70s because of the Johnson administration’s lies about Vietnam. The evidence sieved from all the media material has only pushed the claims forward: the waving American flag planted on the moon’s surface by Aldrin despite the vacuum that is supposed to be present in space; the astronauts in front of the crosshairs on the camera’s glass; and the absence of craters beneath the Lunar modules. Some critics even believe that Stanley Kubrick was involved in the filming of this hoax because of the convincing space setup in his 2001 film A Space Odyssey.
2) Avril Lavigne’s Lookalike
Now this one is creepy. Thinking about this actually scares me as opposed to just intriguing me. Started by a website named Avril Esta Morta in 2011, the theory says that after releasing her debut album Let Go, Avril Lavigne was replaced by a doppelganger named Melissa Vandella. People speculate that because of struggling with fame, the Canadian pop-punk singer started using a lookalike. However, it was her grandfather’s demise that pushed her over the edge and in 2003, caused her death. Since then, Melissa has been posing as Lavigne. The supporters of this theory have pointed towards differences in the beauty marks’ placement and nose shape in Avril before and after the alleged switch. Her style and songwriting have also been analyzed to push the theory ahead. Avril’s cryptic response to the rumors only makes them more interesting.
3) Mandela Effect
Remember the iconic cinematic moment when Darth Vader’s booming voice uttered the words, “Luke, I am your father” to our clinging-for-his-life protagonist? Yeah, well, think again because that is not what he said. The actual phrase is “No, I am your father.” However, the former saying is repeatedly referenced in movies, TV shows, T-shirts, mugs, and so on. This is one of the classic examples of the Mandela effect.
The phenomenon can be best described as a collective faulty remembrance of certain events and details. It was denominated by Fiona Broome, a paranormal consultant, who in 2009 created a website dedicated to this topic. She distinctly remembered Nelson Mandela passing away in the 1980s while he was in prison and the news of his funeral being broadcasted everywhere; in reality, he went on to live till 2013 after serving as the president of South Africa. However, Broome realized that many other people shared similar memory about Mandela, leading her to sire the website where she talked about such occurrences. Some people theorize this effect to be a result of false memories, i.e. contorted recollections of events. Another group, including Broome, believes it to be a consequence of the movement of parallel universes (my favorite supposition!). Confabulation and Priming are other interesting theories that are discussed.
4) Bermuda Triangle
In 1964 Vincent Gaddis wrote an article about the still-unsolved vanishing of Flight 19 and other vessels in the west of the North Atlantic Ocean for Argosy Magazine. To describe the area formed by the three points of Florida, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda where the disappearances seemed to have occurred, he coined the term ‘Bermuda Triangle’. However, the term gained significant popularity after Charles Berlitz’s 1974 book with the same title which connected the area to Atlantis. He popularized the theory of the triangle being a dangerous space where ships and planes might meet an uncertain fate. The fact that this region is known as the Devil’s Triangle should tell you enough about its reputation.
Theorists have offered various explanations. Those who have expanded on Berlitz’s Atlantis theory state that the mythical sunken city’s crystals are behind the mysterious disappearances. The website ‘Before It’s News’ has speculated that the pyramids discovered underwater were large-scale power structures creating vortexes that suck in the transport vessels. Electromagnetic forces have also been factored in: Bermuda is one of the two places on Earth where compasses seem to malfunction which could have led to going off course. Aliens and wormholes are other interesting theories.
5) Britney Spears’ Fake Voice
Britney Spears is a pop icon known for her distinct baby voice. It would seem that it’s unreplaceable, right? Hold onto that thought and go search Myah Marie on YouTube. Her vocals on the demo of Hold It Against Me literally gives me the creeps. It’s uncanny how similar both the women’s voices are. So it didn’t seem like that much of a stretch to me when I encountered the conspiracy that Marie, Britney’s backup singer, sang as Spears for the pop princess’s album Britney Jean. The Passenger leak that started the wildfire was followed by a Black Widow demo – the similarities were way too damning to ignore. Myah’s dad even told the media, “My daughter sings for Britney Spears… Maybe [Britney] just comes in, lays down the track, leaves, and doesn’t care.” I mean how is that not supposed to fan the flames? Even though Myah has denied the rumors, this one is still interesting to ponder over. It doesn’t help that Spears has been caught multiple times lipsyncing and her current voice is vastly different from that when she was a kid. Some believe that the star’s ‘fake voice’ has caused irreversible damage to her instrument. It should be noted that I don’t necessarily agree with all these conjectures but see them as exciting explanations to unexplained events.