Ancient Aliens

Origin

The "Ancient Aliens" meme comes from a History Channel show that started in 2010. The program investigates the idea that beings from space visited Earth thousands of years ago. The meme centers on Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, a conspiracy theorist featured prominently on the show, whose dramatic facial expressions and distinctive hair have made him instantly recognizable. The iconic image shows Tsoukalos gesturing broadly while presenting questionable explanations for how aliens supposedly influenced ancient human societies. The meme exploded in popularity because it humorously contrasts the ridiculous nature of various conspiracy theories with ordinary, everyday scenarios. This allowed people to use it as a joking way to propose wild or far-fetched ideas about anything. The meme has stayed popular because internet culture enjoys making fun of pseudoscientific ideas and conspiracy theories in general. It has become a fixture of online meme culture for this reason.