Kingsman Reef
Photo: flickr.com
The Kingman Reef is one of conspiracy theorists’ favorite U.S. territories.
Why? Well, the territory was acquired as part of the good old Guano Act of 1856. However, there has never been any evidence that suggests the Island has ever actually contained and guano.
Rumor has it that the area was snatched as part of that act and given to a mysterious captain named Captain W. E. Kingman in order to pay off some kind of favor.
Whatever its original purpose, the reef was eventually converted to a military area. During that time, only military vessels could visit the area. However, it was eventually discovered that the reef housed an interesting array of sea creature and wildlife. In fact, the reef is a popular hunting ground for certain species of sharks.
In 2009, the Reef was declared part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument by President George W. Bush.