Topics: News, US News, Travel, Conspiracy Theories
An airport in the US is at the center of a whole host of wild and crazy conspiracy theories.
Travelling by plane is already unpleasant enough, what with hurtling through the sky at hundreds of miles an hour in a metal tube powered by dead dinosaurs.
As each flight sits on the runway, preparing to take off, the sound of frantic prayers urging 'please god let it fly' echo out - and that's just the pilot.
But head through Denver International Airport in the US and you may find yourself worrying about worse things than trying to bag a bargain in duty-free or whether your shampoo is going to get confiscated by security.
Advert
That's because the airport has not just one, or even two, but several crazy theories and superstitions attached to it.
Let's get into some of the crazier ones.
This is one of the oldest theories about the airport, and it comes down to the shape of the runways.
Conspiracy theorists claim that the runways are designed so that when viewed from above, they look like a swastika - the symbol stolen and co-opted by the Nazis.
A look at Google Maps does reveal a design which might, if you squint, resemble a swastika, with four runways coming out in a pinwheel around the terminal.
What this actually does is provide an additional safety measure by allowing planes to take off and land from different directions according to prevailing wind conditions.
The most well-known resident at the airport, a great blue statue of a mustang rears over the airport's entrance like something from the Dothraki city in Game of Thrones.
Located on Peña Boulevard, the 32-foot-tall statue also features alarming glowing red eyes, which some say reference the four horsemen of the apocalypse, because why not.
And yes, the eyes do light up at night, making the sculpture appear even more demonic.
But the horse has, in fact, claimed one life when, in 2006, part of the sculpture fell onto 65-year-old artist Luis Jiménez as it was being built, killing him after severing an artery.
It wouldn't be a proper collection of conspiracy theories without lizard people showing up somewhere.
In this case, the theory comes from a network of tunnels which runs beneath the airport, because of course there's a network of tunnels running underneath the airport.
Some say that these now house everything from a species of humanoid reptilians, aliens, and secret government bunkers and research laboratories.
Others have speculated that these are places where elites can survive the apocalypse.
The actual reason for their construction was to house an automated system to handle luggage, but the ambitious project didn't work, so the tunnels were abandoned.
Now they're home just to rats, mould, and the sleeping form of Cthulhu.
A Nazi runway isn't the only architectural feature to draw the attention of conspiracists.
A pair of gargoyles sat over luggage, supposedly to protect it, but of course, this has only fuelled more theories.
At one point, there was even an enormous statue of the ancient Egyptian god Anubis, which was like emptying a gallon of gasoline onto a bonfire when it came to occult connections.
Which brings us to our final segment...
It might have plenty of theories, and Denver Airport has played heavily into its notoriety.
Signs up in the airport tease passengers, saying things like: “What are we doing behind this wall? Adding new restaurants … or hiding the Illuminati?”
Meanwhile, two animatronic gargoyles welcome people to 'Illuminati Headquarters … I mean, Denver International Airport'.
It's all part of a big renovation project, which is set for completion in 2027.
Denver Airport has even come up with 'The Den Files', like the X-Files, but just looking at their favourite conspiracy theories.
Of course, the airport's leaning into the theories - DOMINUS IGNIS DE VIA CAELI RESURGET - sorry, I don't know what came over me there. Anyway, there's clearly nothing fishy really going on here.
