Everyone has at least one unreasonable fear. Perhaps you have reservations about the number 12. Perhaps you believe that every cop has your back and is only waiting their time before arresting you.
Perhaps it’s so awful that you’ve never left the house because you’re afraid of being mugged, trampled by wild horses, or crushed by a falling satellite.
The following is a list of paranoias that were not only proven to be true, but also demonstrated to be true on a large scale with worldwide repercussions.
1. The U.S. Government tried covert mind control in MK-ULTRA.
The purpose of MK-ULTRA, which began in the early 1950s, was to improve the ability of CIA operatives to gather information from their subjects.
However, as research progressed, the attention switched to the prospect of regulating human behavior using a combination of medicals (including LSD) and intense hypnosis sessions.
Subjects reportedly hallucinated, experienced acute anxiety, paranoia, and, in some cases, died as a result of their “treatments.”
During this period, however, the US government strenuously denied any wrongdoing, and the project was not brought before federal courts until the late 1970s, when it was eventually abandoned. Because of these tests, Americans have grown suspicious – even paranoid – of what their own government is capable of. [Source]
2. Webcam can be used to watch you from a distance!
In 2016, Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg made news after it was revealed that he is among those who are concerned that hackers may be viewing him remotely via his laptop’s webcam. What’s his solution? Cover it with tape.
Consider what it’s like to wake up in the morning. You’re going through your email. As usual, you click through to discover an image of yourself looking back.
It’s not a problem in your webcam, though; it’s a screenshot emailed to you the night before from a remote location.
That’s what happened to Chelsea Clark, a 27-year-old Toronto woman, in 2015, when hackers got into her laptop and silently snapped images of her and her boyfriend watching movies.
And that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to webcam hacking. Cell phones, gaming consoles, and even baby monitors are among the compromised personal gadgets. [Sources: 1, 2]
3. Ernest Hemingway believed the FBI was watching him
Ernest Hemingway, widely recognized as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century, shocked the world when he died suddenly at the age of 61.
Some speculated that he committed suicide because he owed bills, while others speculated that he felt his best work was already done.
In any case, depression was a major element in Hemingway’s death. But, according to AE Hotchner, a good friend of Hemingway’s, sadness paled in comparison to the famed author’s growing fear about the FBI.
Hemingway became upset on multiple occasions, according to Hotchner, saying that his house and car were tapped to record his talks.
Because his automobile was identified and would eventually follow him everywhere he went, he had to rely on friends for rides.
Many, on the other hand, rejected Hemingway’s complaints, assuming he was suffering from an early personality disorder combined with severe sadness, which ended in his death in 1961.
Hemingway’s assertion was not vindicated until 1983, after his death.
The FBI had been tracking Hemingway’s movements since the 1940s, and a 127-page dossier held enormous amounts of his personal information, all under the direct supervision of none other than J. Edgar Hoover. [Sources: 1, 2]
4. Nazis Were Brought To Work In The United States
The litany of Nazi scientists and engineers’ accomplishments during World War II goes on and on, leading many to fear that the Nazis might eventually relocate to continue their work.
So, once the Axis powers fell, what happened to them? The answer was simple: America was hiring at the time.
An the end of WWII, the JIOA (Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency) launched “Operation Paperclip” on President Truman’s direct orders.
Nazi scientists, engineers, and practically anyone who could be useful but wasn’t a ‘complete war criminal’ were transported to the United States to help develop similar systems under this scheme.
Thousands of Nazis were not only residing in the United States, as many Americans feared, but they were also working for the US government, helping create some of the same technologies that are still in use today. [Source]
5. With Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks, Big Brother was proven to be real.
People used to be able to tell if they were being watched easily: look out your window and see if there’s a weird man in a black trench coat sifting through your garbage.
For a wiretap, listen for three click-click-clicks on the other side of the phone line. Alternatively, look in your rearview mirror to see whether an unmarked Crown Vic is following you home.
However, as technology advanced, Americans became increasingly concerned that their own government was spying on them.
All of this finally came to light, owing in part to Edward Snowden, a former CIA contractor.
In June 2013, a scandal erupted in the United States when it was revealed that the National Security Agency (NSA) had been collecting not only phone information, but also web search data from sites like Google and Microsoft, and sending it directly into the Prism surveillance program. [Sources: 1, 2]