Case file · Folklore / legend
The Bavarian Illuminati
On 1 May 1776, law professor Adam Weishaupt founded the Order of the Illuminati at Ingolstadt; the order was banned in 1785, but conspiracy theories about it have never ended.
1776 CE · 48.77, 11.43 · status: claim
The sceptical view
The real society was small and short-lived; claims that it survives are not supported by evidence.