The was founded on May 1, 1776, by Adam Weishaupt , a professor of law at the University of Ingolstadt.
: Modern theories were largely popularized in the 1960s by writers Robert Wilson and Kerry Thornley , who wrote fake letters to magazines to satirize the era's paranoia—a prank that backfired and fueled real belief in a hidden cabal. illiminate
Authorities discovered documents that defended , leading to the group's forced disbandment. The was founded on May 1, 1776, by