My Favorite Doomsday Predictions (And Why They're so Ridiculous)

Always deny the apocalypse. Usually you'll be right.

And when you're wrong, no one will be around to say I 

told you so. -Charlie McDonnell

It's been 2012 for about three months now and everyone at my school is on this big countdown to the end of the world. Most of them believe it's the Mayan Calendar and some think it's some "Planet X" and others just don't know why. I don't know if they're serious or joking, but I know that some people actually believe that the world is going to end.  To these people I say, calm down. The end has been predicted before. So, without further ado, here are my favorite doomsday predictions.

1. 1806- The Prophet Hen of Leeds

In the year 1806, it was reported that a hen in the English town of Leeds was laying eggs that had the message "Christ is coming" written on them. It was proved wrong when a curious local watched the hen lay eggs and they did not have any messages written on them. Why would you listen to a hen? Seriously! Especially a hen who lays eggs that have very similar handwriting to the hen's owner on them.

2. 1997- Heaven's Gate

In 1997 a comet called Hale-Bopp appeared. People decided that there absolutely had to be an alien space craft hiding behind the comet and the whole thing was being covered up by NASA. Even though you could prove this wrong with a good telescope, a San Diego UFO cult called Heaven's Gate used this excuse to predict the end of the world. Even though the world didn't end, it ended for 39 of the cult members who committed suicide on March 26, 1997. Even though NASA and everyone in the astronomical community proved the wrong, they still though that aliens were living behind a comet. And when they were wrong, they killed themselves. That's not a good way to deal with people who mock you at all. It makes them feel like they've won.

3. January 1, 2000- Y2K

So we all know this one. Basically, everyone was worried that computers wouldn't be able to make the date switch from 1900 dates to 2000 dates. No one was really sure what it would do but predictions ranged anywhere from simple blackouts to a nuclear holocaust. But, the new millennium began and computers accurately switched to January 1, 2000. What gets me about this one is that my mom believed it. She wasn't radical about it, but she stocked up on bottled water and canned foods. In her defense, she did have two babies at home.

4. May 21, 2011- The Rapture

This one is probably one of my favorites. Christian radio host, Harold Camping said that the rapture would occur on May 21, 2011. He predicted that about 200,000,000 people (3% of the world's population) would be raptured and taken to heaven while everyone else stayed on Earth, which would be hell for five months until God destroyed the earth on October 21, 2011. Mr. Camping also predicted that the world would end in September of 1994. He said that he used math to calculate the exact day. Here is his process:

1. The number five equals "atonement", the number ten equals "completeness", and the number seventeen equals "heaven".
2. The number of days (as calculated below) between April 1, 33 AD, and May 21, 2011 AD, is 722,500.
   1. Christ is believed by Camping to have hung on the cross on April 1, 33 AD. The time between April 1, 33 AD, and April 1, 2011, is 1,978 years.
   2. If 1,978 is multiplied by 365.2422 days (the number of days in a solar, as distinct from lunar, year), the result is 722,449.
   3. The time between April 1 and May 21 is 51 days.
   4. 51 added to 722,449 is 722,500.
3. (5 × 10 × 17)² or (atonement × completeness × heaven)² also equals 722,500.

On May 23, Camping said that he made a mistake and that the world would be raptured and end all on October 21. Camping had no further comments after October 21. My friends and I were all on a band trip to an amusement park on that day, and we were pretty amused. All day we were making jokes about how we had to ride that ride because it was our "last chance." My cousin had a baby that day too, so it was a new beginning at a fake ending. It's silly because in the Bible it specifically states that only God will know when the world ends. I'm not saying that everything in the Bible is 100% true, but you;d think a Christian radio host would think that part through.

5. 2012- Mayan Calendar

The Mayans were a very interesting group of people. They had a very complex view of time and calendars. They had an awful lot of calendars. The one that everyone has been talking about is a very very long term calendar. If you'd like to know exactly how the calendar works, Hank Green explains it much better than I do in this video. Much like the calendar that you have hanging on your wall or planned in your iPhone or whatever, when one calendar ends, you start a new one. Last year on December 31, we didn't run around complaining about the end of the world. The Mayan Calendar is the same way. One ends, a new one begins. Another reason is also the one as seen above. So when the Mayan Calendar ends on December 21 2012, just use it as an excuse to celebrate the new year a few days early. Be responsible though... :)

6. 2012- Planet X

Some people believe that the world will end in 2012 because a mystery planet called Planet X will block the sunlight to the Earth for three days. First off, we'd be able to see this Planet X if it were going be anywhere near Earth in December so it doesn't exist. If it did exist and happen to cut off sunlight for three days, we'd be okay. There are places on Earth were they don't get sunlight for months and they do just fine. 

The end of the world is just a thing that people use to get your money and support. Never believe in it. Trust me, the end of the world isn't going to come anytime soon.

DFTBA

maggie