15-Minute History

In October 1786, Bavarian officials searched a home and found papers belonging to an organization called the Illuminati, a secret society whose members wanted to influence how their country was governed. The government published the papers, and the group was eventually disbanded. But stories about it continued to spread as writers blamed the Illuminati for the French Revolution, ministers warned that it had reached America, and today, some believe it still controls governments, banks, and the entertainment industry.
Welcome to Conspiracy. Each month, we examine a conspiracy through five parts: a real hook, a leap, a claim that can’t be disproven, a motive without an explanation of how the plan works, and a messenger people already trust. This time, we’re looking at the Illuminati, and we know the original group existed. What evidence is there that it survived and gained the power people give it today?

We range across the entire world in this discussion, covering some of globalization's past victories and current challenges as well as a conversation about the country whose very existence would be threatened if globalization ever collapsed.
And as a bonus, we added some--well--uncensored post-election thoughts that Jon and Joe had at the very end. So be sure you listen to the whole discussion!
Join us every Monday for episodes and discussions and on Thursdays for our new segments this season!

Join Jon and Joe as they summarily break down what happened on election night, share what they think may happen as a result, and give some insights into how this affects our lives long-term.

First there was imperialism, a world of multi-ethnic, international states who competed with one another. Then came nationalism, which challenged the empires for holding down their ethnic, civic, and religious minorities. Together these ideas brought war, and it devastated the planet. What followed was globalization, the system under which most of you in our audience grew up.
But where did it come from? And why did its architects believe this system, so different from anything that had come before, might keep the peace?
Join us every Monday for new episodes and discussions, and on Thursdays for our new series about politics, conspiracies, weird history, and "history in reverse." And leave us a comment below if you have topics you'd like us to cover--we love hearing from you!

How did the eruption of a volcano in Indonesia inspire the first modern work of science fiction and the creation of one of literature's most popular genres?
Find out this week on our first episode of History in Reverse!