We’ve all heard about those wacko conspiracy theories that go around, spread through a never-ending web of rumors and gossip. No one really trusts them, as they seem so far-fetched and frankly pretty unrealistic. But what if some of them were actually true?

We’re not saying they’re all true; in fact, most of them aren’t. But every once in a while, someone hits it right on the nose, and a whole slew of secret and previously classified information is revealed to the public. From scientific studies to consumerism to mind control, here are the top ten conspiracy theories that actually ended up being true.

10 Sex-Changing Frogs

Alex Jones, a notorious conspiracy theorist, revealed his idea that chemicals in the water “turn the fricken’ frogs gay.” Even though this isn’t exactly what happened, Jones got pretty close to the truth. In fact, a 2010 paper released by the University of California revealed how pesticides in bodies of water led frogs to change sex.^[1]Even though the frogs did not follow Jones’s original proposal, they did, in fact, change their biological functions. Male frogs were now able to lay eggs, something only characteristic of female frogs. The Progressive Era Murray N Rothbard Best Price: $17.74 Buy New $11.33 (as of 07:25 UTC - Details)

This confirmation sparked large amounts of panic among the public, who wondered what other chemicals there were in the water and how they would affect public health for humans in general. This link between unfiltered water and chemically induced sex changes may be why everyone is so obsessed with their beloved Brita filters.

9 Poisoning Alcohol During Prohibition

During Prohibition in the 1920s, the US government was trying to stop the public consumption of alcohol. Even though there was a heavy restriction on alcohol, many people were still buying it. The plan the government hatched was to poison the alcohol to scare the public, therefore stopping them from buying any more. Things like methanol, known as wood alcohol and found in fuel and formaldehyde, were added to hard liquors.^[2] Previous formulas for alcohol had been made to make the booze less appealing to the public, but this was not successful or drastic enough.

The new formula, which drastically increased the toxicity of consumer alcohol, lead to the deaths of many people. The counter-argument in favor of the “legalized murder” was that the new formula would kill fewer people than legalized alcohol had in the past, therefore it was a necessary evil. A History of Money and... Rothbard, Murray N. Best Price: $5.53 Buy New $42.06 (as of 08:00 UTC - Details)

8 The Collaboration For Lincoln’s Assassination

We all learned about the assassination of President Lincoln back in middle school and how John Wilkes Booth shot him at Ford’s Theater. That may seem like the start and end of the entire story, but in fact, there was actually a much larger group of co-conspirators who assisted in carrying out the plan as well as helping Booth in hiding from federal government officials. At first, it was unknown that Lincoln’s murder was the product of a conspiracy, as opposed to Booth acting independently. It was actually a meticulously strategized plan that involved many people and aspects.

Among the people involved was Mary Surratt, who owned the house where the conspirators all met to discuss their treasonous plans. She was the first female to be executed by the US government, stirring up a lot of controversies herself. In total, about ten people were part of the group and had specific jobs, including transporting Booth and planning to assassinate other figures of the government, including the secretary of state and the vice president.^[3]

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