**Theorem.** The Stone-Čech compactification of the real line contains $2^\mathfrak c$ topologically distinct continua. Here a *continuum* is defined to be a compact connected Hausdorff space. $2^\mathfrak c$ is easily seen to be an upper bound in the problem. The proof was divided into two parts: Case 1: The Continuum Hypothesis fails ($\mathfrak c>\omega_1$). <cite authors="Dow, Alan">_Dow, Alan_, [**Some set-theory, Stone-Čech, and $F$-spaces**](http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.topol.2011.06.007), Topology Appl. 158, No. 14, 1749-1755 (2011).</cite> Case 2: The Continuum Hypothesis holds ($\mathfrak c\leq\omega_1$). <cite authors="Dow, Alan; Hart, Klaas Pieter">_Dow, Alan; Hart, Klaas Pieter_, [**On subcontinua and continuous images of $\beta \mathbb{R} \setminus \mathbb{R}$**](http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.topol.2015.09.017), Topology Appl. 195, 93-106 (2015). </cite> The assumptions $\neg$CH and CH are critical to the constructions. Also the types of continua constructed are very different in Case 1 vs Case 2. In fact, all continua of the type constructed for Case 1 are homeomorphic under CH. This is the only theorem I know of which was proved using CH in this way. What's especially interesting is that both cases are necessary to this proof because CH and $\neg$CH are each consistent with ZFC. This may be different from the use of RH and $\neg$RH, or some other conjecture and its negation. If the conjecture is eventually proved, for instance, then you could throw away the other half of your proof.