Lincoln’s assassination: A Confederate conspiracy?

Lincoln’s assassination: A Confederate conspiracy?
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Historians and the general public are in agreement that Abraham Lincoln was fatally shot by the actor John Wilkes Booth, who was embroiled in a conspiracy with a small handful of anarchists to murder the 16th president. But since that fateful night, people have questioned whether Booth was capable of orchestrating such an enormous crime. Given the Union’s recent victory over the Confederacy, suspicions turned to Confederate leaders including Jefferson Davis as well as the pro-slavery secret society, the Knights of the Golden Circle. Could Booth have been the original “patsy”? It appears we may never know.

Here are the 14 craziest pop culture conspiracy theories of all time.

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William Henry Harrison: Talked himself to death?

William Henry Harrison: Talked himself to death?
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Poor William Henry Harrison. Fate was unkind to the USA’s ninth president, who only spent a mere 31 days in office before he died on April 4, 1841. But history’s been even more unkind, blaming Harrison’s death on pneumonia he’s thought to have contracted while delivering his two-hour inauguration speech – the longest in history – outside in the freezing rain. While “catching a chill” actually can lead to pneumonia, new evidence points to typhus, which is spread through sewage-contaminated water, and which he likely contracted by drinking the water at the White House.

Check out these 10 strange urban legends that turned out to be true.

Did Thomas Jefferson father children with one of his slaves?

Did Thomas Jefferson father children with one of his slaves?
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Although Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence, whose “all men are created equal” language catalysed the anti-slavery movement, it’s no secret Jefferson owned slaves. What became an enduring mystery – starting as soon as Jefferson took office in 1801 – is whether Jefferson fathered as many as six children with his slave, Sally Hemings, beginning in 1787 (five years after the death of Jefferson’s wife, Martha). In the late 20th century, DNA testing revealed a “high probability” that Jefferson fathered all of Heming’s children, as acknowledged by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, although some think the children were fathered by Jefferson’s younger brother Randolph.

Here are 16 of the strangest unsolved mysteries of all time.

Chester Arthur: Was he actually Canadian?

Chester Arthur: Was he actually Canadian?
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Vermont claims America’s 21st president, Chester Arthur, as its own, but then… so does Canada. “The focus on his place of birth became an issue in the 1880 presidential campaign when Arthur was tapped to be the running mate for Garfield,” according to Boston.com. “According to historical accounts, Republican bosses wanted him to provide proof of his birthplace, but he never did.”

Did Bill Clinton have his enemies offed?

Did Bill Clinton have his enemies offed?
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Since the 1990s, rumours have circulated that President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, are responsible for the deaths of a number of people who were known to possess information against the Clintons’ interests. These include James McDougal, Vince Foster and Seth Rich. The fact-checkers at Snopes make a strong, logical argument to prove the negative – the trouble is that proving a negative is virtually impossible. So while for those who disbelieve the rumours there is no mystery, for those who persist in perpetuating the rumours, the mystery will never be solved unless and until the rumours are proven true.

Zachary Taylor: Death by cherries?

Zachary Taylor: Death by cherries?
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Zachary Taylor is another president whose untimely death while in office in 1850 has been the subject of gentle mocking. It’s said he died after “overindulging” in an “imprudent” quantity of cherries with milk. But the strangeness of the circumstances has also given rise to the theory that his death was a homicide via arsenic poisoning. In 1991, that theory was officially put to bed, however, when Taylor’s body was exhumed and tested negative for arsenic. It’s still not known exactly what caused the death of America’s 12th president.

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Source: RD.com

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