The Phantom Time Hypothesis
Are we living 300 years in the past? Unpacking the wildest conspiracy theory in history.
About this video
Are we living 300 years in the past? Unpacking the wildest conspiracy theory in history.
Full transcript of The Phantom Time Hypothesis
You aren't watching this in the year you think you are. According to one of the wildest historical theories ever proposed... ...we are actually living three centuries in the past. Welcome to the Phantom Time Hypothesis. In 1991, a German historian noticed something impossible. The transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar didn't add up. He claimed the years between 614 and 911 simply never happened. The theory points the finger at Emperor Otto the Third and Pope Sylvester the Second. They allegedly forged three hundred years of documents... ...just so Otto could reign during the prestigious year one thousand. This means figures like Charlemagne? Completely made up. A fictional character to fill the gap. The evidence? A suspicious lack of archaeological artifacts from the Early Middle Ages. Mainstream historians completely reject this theory, pointing to astronomical records. But the fact that it's even plausible enough to debate... ...reminds us of one terrifying truth. History isn't necessarily what actually happened. It’s just what the winners decided to write down.