The world is a strange enough place without wild conspiracies, and it’s the exception that proves the rule.

In 2021, there were many (at least five) fears, social media movements, news stories, and legends first seen as implausible that, in the light of emerging evidence, proved not to be unfounded. In some cases, the media’s initial dismissal fueled further speculation and itself became part of the theory. While not all of these have been verified as 100% true, they were widely dismissed last year as conspiracy or fringe theories.