History's Greatest Conspiracy Theories

HistoryExtra
HistoryExtra
  • 3.6 (55)
  • History
  • Weekly

Was the moon landing faked? Did Shakespeare actually pen his works? And were the pyramids really built by aliens? In History's Greatest Conspiracies, Rob Attar takes a deep dive into the theories in the company of expert historians to uncover if there's any truth behind the murky myths. GET MORE WITH MEMBERSHIP  Become a HistoryExtra podcast member and unlock access to The Full Story podcast, plus enjoy ad-free listening, early access to other podcast episodes, and a member-exclusive newsletter.  ⁠⁠⁠ Sign up here ⁠⁠⁠ EXPLORE MORE For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠. GET IN TOUCH We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

Listen ad-free and get early access

$4.99/mo or $49.99/yr after trial

  1. Episode 1

    Was Jack the Ripper Queen Victoria’s grandson?

    As recent years attest, royal scandals have a habit of coming to light. But what if the mother of all royal scandals is still waiting to be revealed? Could it be that an heir to the British throne, Prince Albert Victor, lived a double life as a serial killer? In this first episode of a new season of History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories, crime historian Dr Drew Gray joins Rob Attar to explore the explosive suggestion that a British prince got away with multiple murders in the 19th century. History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories is produced by the team behind History Extra. For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. There you can find other feeds including History’s Greatest Cities and HistoryExtra LongReads. Find out more at historyextra.com/podcast.   We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram or YouTube to keep in touch.   You can listen ad-free to this podcast and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Was Jack the Ripper Queen Victoria’s grandson?

  2. Episode 2

    Do Jesus’s descendants live among us?

    In the early 2000s, The Da Vinci Code was everywhere. Dan Brown’s novel – and its subsequent film adaptation – popularised the idea that Jesus Christ fathered children whose descendants have lived among us for millennia. The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, but could the theory underpinning it be true? In this episode of History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories, Professor Helen Bond, an expert on early Christianity, joins Rob Attar to investigate the concept of the secret bloodline of Jesus. History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories is produced by the team behind History Extra. For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. There you can find other feeds including History’s Greatest Cities and HistoryExtra LongReads. Find out more at ⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠.   We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.   You can listen ad-free to this podcast and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Do Jesus’s descendants live among us?

  3. Episode 3

    Was Paul McCartney replaced by an imposter?

    With 24 number one albums in the UK charts, Paul McCartney is the most successful British artist of all time. But what if the man that we know as Paul McCartney is in fact somebody else altogether? Could it be that the former Beatle was replaced by an imposter in the 1960s who's been living a lie ever since? In this episode of History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories, Steven Cockcroft – co-host of the Beatles podcast Nothing Is Real – joins Rob Attar to examine one of the most bizarre conspiracy theories to emerge from the world of pop music. History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories is produced by the team behind History Extra. For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. There you can find other feeds including History’s Greatest Cities and HistoryExtra LongReads. Find out more at ⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠.   We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ to keep in touch.   You can listen ad-free to this podcast and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Was Paul McCartney replaced by an imposter?

  4. Episode 4

    Did 300 years of history never happen at all?

    The period after the fall of the western Roman empire is often known as the ‘Dark Ages’, due to an apparent shortage of historical evidence. Why might this be? Well, according to proponents of the Phantom Time Hypothesis, the explanation is simple: these centuries never happened at all. In this episode of History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories, Dr Philipp Nothaft from the University of Oxford joins Rob Attar to discuss the idea that these centuries were invented by powerful people for their own purposes – and that, ever since, we've all been inadvertently colluding in their fictional calendar. History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories is produced by the team behind History Extra. For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. There you can find other feeds including History’s Greatest Cities and HistoryExtra LongReads. Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠.   We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠X⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠ to keep in touch.   You can listen ad-free to this podcast and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Did 300 years of history never happen at all?

  5. Episode 5

    Did an alien spacecraft crash-land in Russia?

    In 1908, in the remote forests of Siberia, there was a giant explosion and bright lights were seen in the sky. Was this an asteroid or a comet crashing to earth? Or could it have been an alien spacecraft – or even a human experiment gone horribly wrong? In this episode of History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories, environmental historian Andy Bruno joins Rob Attar to explore the debates that still surround the mysterious Tunguska event. History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories is produced by the team behind History Extra. For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. There you can find other feeds including History’s Greatest Cities and HistoryExtra LongReads. Find out more at ⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠.   We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ to keep in touch.   You can listen ad-free to this podcast and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Did an alien spacecraft crash-land in Russia?

  6. Episode 6

    Was the Great Sphinx built by a lost civilisation?

    The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the ancient world’s most enigmatic creations. So it’s no surprise that it has long been a magnet for pseudohistory and conspiracy theories. Could it be many thousands of years older than we think? Was it created by a lost civilisation? And do wondrous treasures lie beneath it waiting to be found? In the final episode of season 3 of History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories, Egyptologist Campbell Price joins Rob Attar to separate fact to fiction in the story of the Sphinx. History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories is produced by the team behind History Extra. For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. There you can find other feeds including History’s Greatest Cities and HistoryExtra LongReads. Find out more at ⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠.   We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠, ⁠⁠X⁠⁠, ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ to keep in touch.   You can listen ad-free to this podcast and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: ⁠⁠https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Was the Great Sphinx built by a lost civilisation?

  7. Jul 26

    Season 3 | Trailer

    Was Jack the Ripper a member of the royal family? Did Jesus have secret children? And did a lost civilisation build the Great Sphinx of Giza? In Season 3 of History's Greatest Conspiracy Theories, Rob Attar is joined by expert historians to explore how these theories came about - and whether any of them might actually be true. History’s Greatest Conspiracy Theories is produced by the team behind History Extra. For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. There you can find other feeds including History’s Greatest Cities and HistoryExtra LongReads. Find out more at historyextra.com/podcast.   We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram or YouTube to keep in touch.   You can listen ad-free to this podcast and more by subscribing to HistoryExtra Plus here: https://historyextra.supportingcast.fm/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

See All Season 3 (7)

Trailers

Shows with Subscription Benefits

Listen ad-free and get early access

$4.99/mo or $49.99/yr after trial

View Subscription FAQs

Hosts & Guests

3.6
out of 5
55 Ratings

About

Was the moon landing faked? Did Shakespeare actually pen his works? And were the pyramids really built by aliens? In History's Greatest Conspiracies, Rob Attar takes a deep dive into the theories in the company of expert historians to uncover if there's any truth behind the murky myths. GET MORE WITH MEMBERSHIP  Become a HistoryExtra podcast member and unlock access to The Full Story podcast, plus enjoy ad-free listening, early access to other podcast episodes, and a member-exclusive newsletter.  ⁠⁠⁠ Sign up here ⁠⁠⁠ EXPLORE MORE For more fascinating stories from the past, head to HistoryExtra, the home of ‘History’s Greatest’ podcasts. Find out more at ⁠⁠historyextra.com/podcast⁠⁠. GET IN TOUCH We'd love to know what you think about the podcast, so leave us a review and let us know the topics you think we should be covering. Or, follow us on ⁠Facebook⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ or ⁠YouTube⁠ to keep in touch.

Information

More From HistoryExtra

You Might Also Like