Via Business Insider, Cracked, Google

Conspiracy theories are no secret to those of us who avidly participate in social media - whether it be an article shared by a friend via Twitter or Facebook, or an article/meme posted on sites like Tumblr or Reddit, etc. Of course there are extremists, those who believe in the most incredulous things without any facts to base their beliefs on. But for those of you who would like to educate yourselves on some interesting conspiracies that have actually been proven true- this is for you.

1. Americans Receive Contaminated Polio Vaccine

Starting in 1955 and for about a decade after; the "simian virus" or "SV40," was found in the polio vaccine that was distributed to an estimated million of Americans. The vaccine, created by Dr. Jonas Salk in 1955, was contaminated because of Salk's usage of cells extracted from primates containing the SV40 virus. Researchers claim the SV40 causes cancer mainly in animals, however, it does cause tumors in the brain and lungs for humans. (Jeez)

Now the question is, how could Dr. Salk overlook this when creating the vaccine? He didn't. Dr. Salk was exposed as a "criminal-minded" scientist for his inhumane experiments on mental patients and many others. His polio vaccine did not eradicate polio, instead its purpose was to be tested on the population and see what results it would yield. Scientists like Salk would trick people into becoming their experimental guinea pigs, however, when he allowed his experiment (the polio vaccine) to be released to the general public; he went too far.

2. "Operation Northwoods" [Failed, but attempted]

"Operation Northwoods" was a covert op devised to create support for a war against Cuba by framing them and making the public believe that such acts were provocation for a war. When actually, the U.S. would have been behind all these provocations: attacks, bombings, rumors, a ship explosion on Guantanamo Bay, and even the would-be explosion of astronaut John Glenn's rocket. All these things were what Army General Lyman L. Lemnitzer and his supporters had planned to execute if the Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, had given it his stamp of approval. The plan, however, was declined and led to President John F. Kennedy approaching Lemnitzer to tell him that the U.S would never use force to take Cuba. Shortly after, Lemnitzer was fired.

3. Government Testing of LSD on U.S. and Canadian Citizens

The experiments, dubbed the "MKultra" project were human research ventures within the CIA's Scientific Research Division. The researchers wanted to test the effects of LSD on a person's mind, and see what would happen to test subjects while they "tripped." In order to conduct these experiments and keep them somewhat private, the CIA would pay mental institutions, prisons, and hospitals to keep their secret. The CIA even went to the extent of using drug addicts as guinea pigs by offering them drugs in exchange for them becoming test subjects. In January of 1973 the director of the CIA, Richard Helms ordered all documentation of the "MKultra" project to be destroyed. However, through a FOIA request (freedom of information act) more documents were found. Unfortunately, there are still many documents that may have been destroyed that would have made those found more sensible. Still trust the government?

4. Poisoning of Alcohol During The Prohibition

During the 1920's when the 18th amendment took effect, the U.S. government banned the manufacture and sale of alcohol, however, what most people do not know is that the actual consumption of it was not outlawed. Therefore, if Americans were able to acquire alcohol they would be able to consume it. Technically, consuming it would have not been breaking the law, but the transportation of it would. Bootleggers began to create cheap versions of liquors sometimes containing chemicals like methyl alcohol, rendering the drinks undrinkable. Then, these groups of bootleggers would "purify" the liquors so that they would be somewhat drinkable, but not exactly safe. Around 1927, in order to retaliate to the underground alcohol sale, the U.S. government put harmful chemicals like kerosene and acetone in alcohol so that bootleggers would have a harder time extracting the chemicals from the alcohol to make it once again drinkable. According to the NYC Chief Medical Examiner at the time, Charles Norris, in 1926 400 people died from this "bootleg" alcohol. So, the government was trying to teach us a lesson by playing with our lives? That's great.

5. The Federal Reserve Is Designed To Create Debt and Inflation

The United States Federal Reserve was created by the bankers, for the bankers. It's designed purposely to cause debt and inflation. Since it was created back in 1913 debt has risen an estimated 5000 times, while the value of the U.S. dollar has dropped 96 percent. Interesting isn't it?

6. The "1%" Want A Smaller Population

-David Rockefeller: “The negative impact of population growth on all of our planetary ecosystems is becoming appallingly evident.”

CNN Founder Ted Turner: “A total world population of 250-300 million people, a 95% decline from present levels, would be ideal.”

Paul Ehrlich: “To our minds, the fundamental cure, reducing the scale of the human enterprise (including the size of the population) to keep its aggregate consumption within the carrying capacity of Earth is obvious but too much neglected or denied”

Bill Maher: “I’m pro-choice, I’m for assisted suicide, I’m for regular suicide, I’m for whatever gets the freeway moving – that’s what I’m for. It’s too crowded, the planet is too crowded and we need to promote death.”

7. "Operation Mockingbird"

In 1951, the OSP (renamed Office of Policy Coordination), joined forces with the CIA to create a covert paramilitary branch to oppose the supporters of Communism. Their first assignment was to influence national media towards the hatred and fear of Soviet Communism. The CIA funded the operation using funds gathered via the Marshall Plan, using the funds they bribed journalists and newspaper editors who wisely complied. The operation eventually grew so much in its "success," as the U.S. may believe, that Mockingbird began to be used to manipulate international politics and media. (Surprising? Not really.) Operation Mockingbird is said to have provoked: the Iranian civil war, Guatemalan civil war, the bay of pigs invasion, etc. David Bruce, appointed by President Eisenhower to investigate this operation, came to the conclusion that at least 50% of the incidents (international as well) in the last half of the 20th century were caused by it. If the president couldn't trust the government, do you think you should?

Open your eyes.