Top 10 Failed Predictions on When Will the World End

Predictions with regard to the end of the world have been given all throughout the course of history. Tragedies did occur and other natural calamities claimed lives but nothing came close to “Rapture.” Species have been eliminated here and there but we have yet to see world coming to an end and all life gone in a blink. Nostradamus is said to be the most prominent and well known doomsday prophet. He has prophecies that seem to talk about things that already happened, but his critics say that his prophecies are prone to subjective interpretation. Still, many are convinced that his predictions are so accurate he might be able to truly have predicted when will the world end. Aside from Nostradamus, there are others who claim to have seen the end of the world but their predictions all failed. Here are ten of these failed end of the world prophecies.

10. Mount Vesuvius Eruption in 79 A.D

79 A.D was the most catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy. The violent eruption buried Pompeii and claimed the lives of thousands. According to historians, this signaled the end of the world with the prediction that the world will go up in smoke. The ash coming from the eruption covered the sky in pitch black which many feared to be what the prophecy meant. Even though what happened came close to the prediction, and may lives were lost, the world moved on and Pompeii is now a tourist attraction.

9. The Great Fire of London in 1666

The numbers 666 has always been considered to be a devilish combination. The numbers signify the mark of “The Beast” which a lot of Christians consider to be the meaning of misfortune, death and evil incarnate. September 2, 1666 was the date when the Great Fire of London happened. The fire started at a small bakery and spread to the whole community engulfing thousands of building. The fire lasted for three days, devouring everything in its path, but only claimed ten lives—hardly the Armageddon it was predicted to be.

8. Halley’s Comet in 1910

Halley’s Comet comes by our planet every 75 years. It has a steady orbit around that sun that allows us to see its magnificence on a predicted period of time. 1910 was the year when this comet aroused fear more than excitement. It was said that Halley’s tail came too close to the Earth’s atmosphere and it was predicted to cause extensive damage and kill all forms of life as well. The truth was Halley came really close to the Earth that year but life as we know it still exists.

7. Jehovah’s Witnesses 1914 Prediction

1914 was the year that the Jehovah’s Witnesses believed the world will come to an end. They reasoned thus: It is said in the Bible that the return of Christ would signal the end of the world and they believed Christ’s kingdom shall arrive on earth that year. In their door to door preaching at that time they said that the world would have a gory and absolute end. 1914 came and passed but nothing actually happened.

6. 700 Club’s Pat Robertson 1982 Prediction

Pat Robertson became famous because if his Christian Show called the 700 Club. It has been on the air teaching the Word of God for several years now. He is also well known for his often strange and weird predictions, particularly about Doomsday. One of his famous predictions was that 1982 is the year when the “Judgment” will come to the world. Fortunately for us the world never did come to an end that year because we’re now in the 21st century, aren’t we?

5. The Hale-Bopp Conspiracy in 1997

Heaven’s Gate is a cult that believed the Earth will be wiped out by aliens riding the tail of the Hale-Bopp Comet. They also believed that these aliens would transport their souls to the afterlife. Their beliefs led to a mass suicide which cost 39 lives. The only tragedy that happened is that Heaven’s Gate members lost their lives hoping to be transported to the afterlife by extra-terrestrial beings while the Hale-Bopp Comet passed. No aliens were actually seen to drop by making ready to transport souls.

4. The Millennium Bug in 2000

The year 2000 was the mark of the new millennium. The coming of the new millennium signaled fear rather than excitement due to the Y2K bug. It was said that all computer systems across the globe would halt affecting all forms of technology signaling worldwide confusion and chaos. It was very fearful year for those who believed. People at that time even made survival kits for the coming end. We all know now that the Y2K bug is a fluke. What a relief!

3. The Large Hadron Collider Creation in 2009

Technology has always aimed to make things better for everyone. One of the most prominent works of highly acclaimed scientist at CERN is the LHC or most commonly known as the Large Hadron Collider. This wonderful invention allows scientist to study small particles. The scientific experiments conducted in the facility led a lot of critics to come up with the conclusion that it might results to the creation of a black hole destroying the whole world. So far, no blackhole but a lot of scientific breakthroughs.

2. Nostradamus and the Dancing Horse Prediction

Nostradamus is one of the most well known personalities to prophesize the end of the world. One of his predictions states, “From the calm morning, the end will come when of the dancing horse the number of circles will be 9”. This prediction was instantly connected with the viral YouTube craze Gangnam Style by Korean rapper and artist PSY. It was believed that Nostradamus specifically indicates that PSY’s dancing style, his 9 zero’s which means 1 billion views and that he is from Korea which is called the land of the morning calm signifies the end of the world. Watch out because something might still come.

1. The Mayan Calendar Ends at 12/21/12

The Ancient Mayans have long predicted the end. According to those who interpreted the relics that they left December 12, 2012 is the day when the world will reach its final days because that’s when the Mayan calendar ends. The Mayans were an ancient culture that was ahead of its time. So much fuss was created around 12/21/12 but the date came at passed and we are still here, thankfully.