15 Conspiracy Stories That Are Honestly Too Compelling to Ignore

A lot of conspiracy theories seem too crazy to take seriously, but every once in a while, one seems so logical and probable, it makes you start to question everything. Put on your tinfoil hats — here are 15 possible conspiracies that actually make a lot of sense the more you dive into them.

(h/t AskReddit)

Shelly Miscavige, wife of Church of Scientology leader David Miscavige, hasn't been seen in public since 2007, shortly after several friends report witnessing a heated argument between the couple. Though a few officers responded to a missing persons report by ex-Scientologist Leah Remini and reported seeing and speaking with Shelly, there’s no evidence of such a meeting. 

Many ex-Scientologists claim local law enforcement are bought off by the church to ignore reports of wrongdoing and even abet their harassment campaigns against people critical of the organization. Honestly, after watching three seasons of Leah's show, it's a very compelling and troubling theory.

This theory has been circling reddit for years, and it's truly difficult to overlook. Mattress Firm operates a ridiculously high number of stores in the U.S.: 2,600 according to 2018 reporting. Yet they're always empty and with the rise of online mattress companies, it's hard to imagine there is a demand for that many stores. 

While we won't accuse the company of crimes as others on the internet will — from operating a secret drug cartel to a complicated real estate scheme — it does seem very strange that the company could be profitable with that many brick-and-mortar locations in its portfolio.

According to Harvard psychologist Dr. Martha Stout, author of The Sociopath Next Door, 4 percent of the population are sociopaths, or 1 in 25, but a higher concentration of sociopaths can be found among the wealthy and powerful. While not every person possessing a sociopathic personality is a murderer, psychiatrists widely agree that the traits that make one successful in business align with those of a serial killer. 

So the theory is there's very likely at least one serial killer out there who is also a celebrated titan of industry. I mean... it's also just as possible that amassing a ton of wealth sates a hunger that a more disturbed sociopath would feed with murder. But we won't rule this one out!

New Coke has long been held as a cautionary tale for brands tempted to mess with a good thing. When the soft drink company reformulated their cola and unleashed it on the market in 1985, the backlash was intense. Three months later, the original recipe returned to shelves under the name Coca Cola Classic. 

But was it exactly the same? Supposedly, when the "classic" Coke was reintroduced, it wasn't exactly the same recipe — because the brand switched from using cane sugar to high fructose corn syrup. Now many believe "new Coke" was created to soften the blowback they would face for the change to corn syrup.

There are so many theories about what goes on at Area 51, but some people theorize that there's nothing going on at all. Instead, the government is using the mystery of the facility to hide nefarious goings-on elsewhere, sometimes in plain sight. Frankly, it's no crazier than anything else people have cooked up.

Ask any woman her biggest complaint about women's fashion, and 9 out of 10 will complain about pockets. Our clothing often has tiny useless pockets or none at all. One person on Reddit thinks that's to force our dependence on handbags. I've heard it's really to keep lines smooth and streamlined, but we wouldn't be surprised if this was the case.

Remember when test footage of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie came out last year and everyone flipped out over the reimagining of Sega's beloved icon? What if that was all a ploy to drum up free marketing for the movie? 

We'd buy it if it hadn't taken so long for the re-rendered version to come out. The movie was delayed so animators could go back to the drawing board. Still, if it was deliberate, it paid off. The 2.0 version has grossed over $250 million worldwide and has been favorably reviewed by audiences.

We've all had a conversation with friends about something only to have an oddly specific related ad appear on our social media hours or even moments after, right? I remember talking about taking a trip somewhere — not even searching about it but discussing it aloud — and then seeing tourism ads for that place later that day. Coincidences? Maybe, but just to be sure we're gonna start talking in code.

Official investigations concluded the fatal car crash that claimed the life of Princess Diana, her lover Dodi Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul, was accidental. However, Dodi's father, Mohamed al-Fayed, has continued to pursue investigations that there was a conspiracy to take out the former Princess of Wales and her boyfriend. And in 2008, a former MI6 officer claimed the spy agency carried out a hit but later recanted much of his statement.

This one is far more frivolous than others on the list, but when current Lakers power forward Markieff Morris played for the Washington Wizards, he sustained a sprained ankle days earlier but went on to play an exceptional Game 2 against the Celtics, scoring 16 points, six rebounds, and three assists. 

This led many to suspect Markieff pulled a Parent Trap with twin brother Marcus, who was on the Detroit Pistons at the time. The brothers have matching tattoos and are identical, so it's possible, but both insist they would never rep a team they weren't on. A likely story.

What if everything we think we invented in the 21st century was achieved or even surpassed by societies that collapsed thousands of years ago? We've heard a lot about how advanced the Mayans might have been, but what if they reached a point of advancement that caused their society to collapse. What if the archaeological record holds clues to how we might be working toward our own demise as we speak? 

The theory is that the border wall isn't a defensive strategy to combat people coming across the border to the U.S. now but rather a future northern migration brought about by climate change. After all, currently most undocumented people don't enter the U.S. via the southern border, but this might change if rising temperatures and sea levels makes warmer parts of North America and Central America uninhabitable. 

Speaking of Trump-related conspiracies, there's a theory the 45th president can't read or has limited literacy. We don't really believe that as, while he definitely has flubbed in speeches, he clearly is able to read a teleprompter. However, it does seem likely the president has an aversion to reading and does not do a great deal of reading in his free time. People who have worked in the current White House also report that he doesn't read briefings unless they are one page or less.

This is less a conspiracy theory and more an uncomfortable, accepted truth about the fine art industry. A lot of pricey art is used to launder dirty money, and the identity of collectors auctioning off priceless works are often concealed, making auction houses and dealers accomplices to a certain extent (whether wittingly or not) in the racketeering.

Many factors have led to theories that Denver International Airport is more than a major transportation hub. The facility came in massively over budget — to the tune of $2 billion — and more than a year behind schedule. And the airport has a series of underground tunnels that have fueled intrigue, leading some to believe there's a secret bunker for the super-wealthy lying beneath the terminals. If you believe in the Illuminati, this is definitely their secret underground lair.

At the very least, that horse is creepy AF.