In the 1950s and 60s, the CIA launched a covert program called Project MKUltra to explore mind control techniques. Under the guise of science, they tested LSD, hypnosis, sleep deprivation, and psychological torture on unsuspecting people — often without their consent.

Victims included psychiatric patients, prisoners, and even soldiers. Some experiments took place in hospitals and military bases like Edgewood Arsenal. Much of the documentation was destroyed in the 1970s, and the full extent of the program is still unknown.

It’s a disturbing reminder of how science can be misused when oversight disappears.