The Barbara Bush/Aleister Crowley Conspiracy

The Barbara Bush/Aleister Crowley Conspiracy ranks 4th in the list of april fool’s jokes that became real things. Some rumors have a way of taking on their own lives. What begins as a joke grows into something bigger, and when you try to set the record straight, people refuse to believe you and believe that any truth is a conspiracy to cover up the "real" truth. That is how the story that former First Lady Barbara Bush was the daughter of the world's most evil man, occultist Aleister Crowley, began. In that sense, this entry isn't about something factually correct, but about something that became real in the minds of conspiracy theorists even when it was openly admitted to be nothing more than a joke.

This strange story begins with an April Fool's Day joke from a man named Joseph Cannon in 2006. He wrote the joke article based on the fact that he thought Crowley and Bush resembled each other, then waited to see if anyone contacted him to ask if it was true and what evidence he had. Nobody ever has. However, the story quickly spread and took on a life of its own. The joke evolved into a conspiracy theory and was featured in Crowley documentaries. It was even brought up by right-wing radio host Alex Jones. It's been translated into other languages and is still circulated on conspiracy and alleged "truth" websites today.