Random Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True (19 items)

(#4) The Black Hand Assassinates Franz Ferdinand

A secret society, called The Black Hand, made up of Serbian nationals seeking to unify various Serbian enclaves, conspired to assassinate the Austrian Archduke. Their goal was to break off the southern Slavic provinces of Austria-Hungary and create a unified Slavic nation.

Six members traveled to Sarajevo to carry out the deed, having been trained and equipped by additional conspirators in the Serbian military. One of them, Serbian student Gavrilo Princip, succeeded. His act initiated the First World War.
(#3) Lenin Returns to Russia

With the tide of World War I starting to turn against the German Empire, drastic steps needed to be taken to get Russia out of the war and move its troops to the Western Front. In early 1917, German authorities allowed exiled communist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin to cross Germany from Switzerland to Sweden in a sealed railway car. German authorities hoped that the return of the anti-war Lenin to Russia would help overthrow the government and undermine the Russian war effort.

Berlin was right, and thanks to the communist revolutionaries led by Lenin, Russia was out of the war less than a year later.
(#17) GlaxoSmithKline Shenanigans
Executives at the pharmaceutical giant conspired to, among other things, illegally promote certain products to treat diseases off label, hide incriminating safety data that questioned the efficacy of these drugs, fix prices, and pay kickbacks to doctors in exchange for promoting their drugs. A massive criminal investigation followed, and GSK was fined $3 billion, the largest fine ever levied against any pharma company by any government.
(#13) The Iran-Contra Scandal

As part of a complicated scheme involving the highest levels of government, the US sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of seven hostages being held in Lebanon, and used the money to support Nicaraguan militants.

While the plan theoretically had good intentions, such as eliminating communism and freeing captives, it violated the US embargo against Iran, as well as a number of federal laws. It collapsed into a flurry of hearings and jail sentences, many of which were later pardoned by President George Bush.
(#7) The Tuskegee Experiment

This shameful and racist conspiracy unfolded over decades, as the CDC (working with the Tuskegee Institute) knowingly withheld potentially lifesaving treatments from Black men with syphilis under the guise of a medical experiment. Once the conspiracy became public, hearings were held and a $10 million settlement was reached for its victims – along with lifetime medical care for their families and no-cost burials.
(#6) The July 20th Plot

On July 20, 1944, senior-level members of the German military and civilian leadership conspired to kill Adolf Hitler by planting a bomb in the Wolf's Lair conference room at his military headquarters. The plot, dramatized in the Tom Cruise film Valkyrie, failed when the bomb was accidentally moved away from Hitler at the last second. One person died and three others were mortally wounded, however, Hitler survived unscathed.

After the failed assassination attempt, most individuals involved in the conspiracy committed suicide or were executed.