The Why Files covers mysteries, myths and legends. We tell stories and seek the truth in a fun and lighthearted way. Our content is heavily researched; we don't release an episode unless we're sure we can bring something new to a topic.
What if all of our online existence is fake?
You, me, everyone; we're living in a real-life Matrix. Designed to distract us from the truth: that we're just drones in a digital ant-hill. We live, work and die so that the wealthy and powerful can grow more wealthy and powerful.
This is called the Dead Internet Theory. And there's compelling evidence that it's real.
Let's find out why.
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THE MAN WHO SAW ALIEN BASES ON THE MOON
Ingo Swann claimed to be a psychic who was employed by the CIA to remote-view the dark side of the moon. Specifically to look for an alien presence. It sounded like science fiction.
But in 2006, when the CIA started releasing documents on the Stargate Project, Swann's participation in the program was confirmed. When Swann was asked about the existence of extraterrestrials, he said not only were they already here, but they *are* building something on the far side of the moon.
And, according to Swann, these aliens -- aren't friendly.
Let's find out why.
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LEGEND OF THE MOON-EYED PEOPLE
Across the Southern Appalachian mountains, from Georgia up through North Carolina, hundreds of unusual stone structures have been discovered.
Some date back hundreds of years. Some date back thousands.
Archaeologists aren't sure who created these monuments. But the Cherokee people claim they know exactly who built them.
The Cherokee say the structures were built by the Moon-Eyed people, a race of fair-skinned, light-haired, bearded humans.
Their large blue eyes were so sensitive to the sun that they lived in caves and only came out at night. Which is why they're called Moon-Eyed.
But, the story gets even stranger.
Let's find out why.
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COMPUTER PREDICTS WORLD WILL END IN 2040
In 1704, using a series of calculations, Isaac Newton predicted the world would end sometime around the year 2060.
Almost 300 years later, in 1973, a computer at MIT made the prediction that life as we know it will end around the year 2040.
It also predicted that some of the first signs would be seen in the year 2020.
Some of its predictions have come true and scientists are taking this seriously.
But can we trust the study? Can we trust ANY study?
Probably not.
Let's find out why.
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THE COMPUTER THAT PROVED TIME TRAVEL | THE DODLESTON MESSAGES
In December 1984, Ken Webster, a high-school teacher, was living with his friend Nic and girlfriend Debbie in the small village of Dodleston.
One evening, the three were walking home from the local pub when they saw a pulsing green light emanating from their cottage windows.
When they got inside, they saw something that terrified them.
Though their computer wasn't connected to any network, and everyone in the house was gone all night, a strange message was written on the screen. A message addressed to them, by name.
Over the next few months, more messages appeared. Eventually, Ken and his friends begin corresponding with the person on the other side.
At first, Ken thinks this is a hoax or a prank. But over time, he comes to believe that not only are the messages real, they're being written by someone living in the very same house -- in the year 1541.
Let's find out why.
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There are over 7 billion people living on the earth right now. Tens of millions are born and die each year. Every single one of us leaves signs of our existence in the air, water, soil -- even space.
But these signs won't last forever. Our buildings will be gone in a few hundred years. Our stone monuments, plastic, styrofoam, twinkies, even evidence of our inevitable nuclear destruction will eventually be gone.
So how can we be sure that we were the first advanced civilization on earth? Well, according to the Silurian Hypothesis: we can't.
Let's find out why.
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ATLANTIS, WORLD WARS AND THE POLE SHIFT
Terrifying predictions of Edgar Cayce Edgar Cayce gave over 14,000 psychic readings. He made a number of predictions about future events — many of which have come true.
And some of them are terrifying. Some people are worried.
Let's find out why.
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In 1924, Paul Amadeus Dienach had been teaching the German language in Greece. Dying of tuberculosis, he wanted to return home to Switzerland. Before he left, he gave hundreds of pages of handwritten notes to his favorite language student Georgios Papachatzis.
Dienach thought translating his notes would help Papachatzis in his study of the German language. They said goodbye and never saw each other again. Papahatzis began translating the pages. There were whole passages about a coming nuclear war, colonizing Mars, and a global government. Sections about flying vehicles, holographic technology, and contact with alien life. Papchatzis thought it was a science fiction novel.
But as more and more of the text was revealed, Papahatzis was shocked at what he discovered. This wasn't a novel at all. This was actually Dienach's personal diary. Dienach wrote about how he went into a coma and woke up 2000 years in the future. It seems that Paul Amadeus Dienach had experienced some kind of time slip that caused him to fall asleep in the year 1921, and wake up in the year 3906.
He spent a *whole year* in the future. And he wrote down everything he saw.
This is his story.
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KGB, BIGFOOT or ALIENS? WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AT DYATLOV PASS?
When the helicopter rescue team arrived at the Dyatlov Pass in February 1959, the nine missing hikers had been dead for weeks.
The more the investigators tried to piece together what happened, the more the story didn't seem to add up.
Their tent had been cut open from the inside and abandoned, but there was no sign of a struggle.
Over a half-mile away, two victims were almost completely naked. Though temperatures were 30 below zero that night. Other bodies were found even farther away.
Two had fractured skulls, two more had major chest injuries, one was missing his eyes; another was missing her tongue. And reports show that two of the hikers had been exposed to unusually high amounts of radiation.
Soviet investigators listed the cause of death as "a compelling natural force," and closed the case a few weeks later.
The Dyatlov Pass Incident has been a mystery for over 60 years. Theories include a military cover-up, a KGB operation gone wrong, a bigfoot attack and of course -- aliens.
One researcher believes he knows what happened that night.
Others are not so sure.
Let's find out why.
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PROJECT STARGATE: CIA, PSYCHICS, MARS AND ... TIME TRAVEL
When the first human visits Mars, it will be the biggest scientific breakthrough since landing on the Moon. Probably bigger.
But what if I told you the CIA and United States Military have already been to Mars?
But they didn't use space-ships to get there. They used psychics.
Let's find out why.
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Do some horror movies use sounds of a *specific frequency* to amp up the scare factor? Yes. Can infrasound and ultrasound damage the human body? Yes. Has sound been used as a real-world weapon? Yes. Is sound being deployed by America's enemies to cause serious physical harm? Yes. Let's find out why.
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FOR SEVEN YEARS, SOVIET AGENTS SPIED ON THE AMERICAN EMBASSY UNDETECTED
In 1945, Soviet children presented the ambassador with a gift to commemorate the friendship of the US and the Soviet Union. A hand-carved wooden replica of the Great Seal of the United States.
The ambassador was so pleased with the carving that he hung it in his office at the official ambassador residence in Moscow: the Spaso house.
But the wooden carving was more than just a decoration.
Now hanging on the wall, just behind the ambassador's desk was a state of the art, high-frequency listening device that was completely undetectable. The intelligence community called the device "The Thing".
And The Thing was on the office wall of five different ambassadors over 7 years.
This was an electronic listening device that -- didn't require electricity.
Let's find out why.
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HOW LONG DO ANIMALS (and people) SURVIVE WITHOUT THEIR HEADS?
Does a human head remain conscious after being separated from its body?
It sure does. But just how long do you actually survive? Not that long. But, if we look at other animals, some of them can survive for longer than you think.
Let's find out why.
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When will we upload our consciousness to the cloud?
As long as people have been alive, they've wanted to stay alive.
For centuries, explorers have searched for the fountain of youth. And today, scientists are hard at work researching technology that can extend the human lifespan, stop or reverse aging; and even preserve a terminally ill person indefinitely, until a cure for their disease is discovered. But what if -- instead of preserving our *bodies* -- we could preserve our *consciousness*; by uploading it to a powerful computer.
This is called *mind uploading*. And one startup has developed a procedure to do exactly this. It's scientifically sound, there's a waiting list to participate, and the procedure -- is one hundred percent fatal.
Let's find out why.
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THE LATITUDE.
How do you join a cult without knowing it?
Here's how it happened to thousands of people in San Francisco just a few years ago. You're with a trusted friend; maybe on a hike, or sitting in a bar or just hanging out. Out of nowhere, your friend asks you: "Can you keep a secret?" Of course you reply that you can.
Your friend hands you a small black sleeve, about the size of a credit card. On one side of the sleeve is a geometric pattern. On the other side, the words "Absolute Discretion".
Inside is a security card. Printed with a website and a code. Later that night, you go to the site and enter the code.
The website responds with: "Congratulations. You've been invited to the Latitude."
What happens next, changes you forever.
Let's find out why.
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According to a German historian, the year is actually 1724. He says our calendar is a lie and a big chunk of the Middle Ages never happened.
Which says that back in 1000 AD, there was a conspiracy between the church and the Holy Roman emperor to change the calendar. The years 614 through 911 were completely made up. Those 300 years just didn't happen.
So all that history you learned about Charlemagne and the middle ages. Completely fabricated. In fact, the theory says that Charlemagne was specifically designed as propaganda to support the calendar change. To give the emperor and the pope more power.
Sounds crazy? Well, there may proof.
Let's find out why.
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TITANPOINTE.
New York City has skyscrapers of all shapes and sizes. But why does this 500 foot tall, 29-story building have no windows, no lights and no markings at all? Because it's a top-secret NSA spy station built to withstand nuclear war.
Officially, this is an AT&T telecommunications building. But thanks to leaked documents, we now know that 33 Thomas Street is actually a top secret NSA mass surveillance hub. It's code name is: TitanPointe. And right now, as we speak, TitanPointe is listening.
The gray, granite tower is located at 33 Thomas Street in Lower Manhattan. Locals know the building as the "Long Lines Building" and it's been a source of mystery for years. What jumps out is that the building has no windows and no exterior lighting. During the day, it fades into the background of the New York City skyline. And at night, it becomes an invisible shadow.
Thanks to NSA documents leaked by Edward Snowden, we now know that creating an invisible building wasn't an accident. It was absolutely by design.
33 Thomas Street operates under NSA codename TITANPOINTE. And Titanpointe is a core location used for a controversial, and possibly illegal, NSA-sponsored mass surveillance program. According to leaked documents, this program has targeted the communications of the UN, the World Bank, the IMF. It's been used to spy on at least 38 countries, including US allies like France, Germany and Japan.
It's common knowledge that AT&T is very cooperative with the NSA. Using an AT&T cell phone? Eh, you might want to rethink that.
Let's find out why.
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GHOST PHONE vs SPIRIT RADIO.
Edison versus Tesla. One of history's greatest rivalries. They would never admit it but as different as these men were, they also had many similarities. For instance, they also both dabbled in paranormal technology.
Nikola Tesla was convinced he could invent a device to communicate with the spirit world. And Thomas Edison was convinced he could get there first.
Let's find out why.
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JANET AIRLINES.
Heard of Janet Airlines? No? Good. That's exactly what the US government wants. One of the government's biggest secrets is hiding in plain sight. In Las Vegas. Janet is the top-secret government airline that doesn't exist.
Next time you're in Vegas, visit one of the big casinos next to McCarran Airport. I'm talking about Luxor, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay. When you get there, look East at the airport.
All day long, but especially early in the morning and late in the evening; you'll see mysterious planes taking off and landing. You can't miss them. They're big. They're Boeing 737s.
They have no markings. No logos. They're plain white with a single red stripe. This is Janet Airlines.
Janet is a top-secret, air-force owned commuter airline. For civilians. But the destination Janet goes to the most -- I'm talking a few times a day-- is... Area 51.
Let's find out why.
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Was Polybius real? In 1981, an arcade in Portland was the scene of countless gamers coming down with migraines, having heart attacks, seizures and strokes. Local teens were suffering from amnesia and having hallucinations. All due to a mysterious game that seemed to arrive out of thin air.
The game was called Polybius.
And even though playing the game was dangerous, it was highly addictive and caused some teens to become hyper-aggressive.
Fights started breaking out at the arcade. One player was stabbed to death. All traced back to people who played Polybius.
Why would the government allow the public to play such a dangerous game? Because the government created it.
Let's find out why.
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