I Told You So

Doomsday

Ensuring the Continuity of our Species: It doesn’t look good for the home team. (Part 1 of 4)

When it comes to apocalypse and planet-wide destruction, there seem to be no shortage of details on the when and how and why the world will come to a halt, with some "prophets" even predicting the exact day of the final event.

Most prophets of doom come from a religious perspective, though the secular crowd has caused its share of scares as well. One thing the doomsday scenarios tend to share in common is that, so far, they haven’t come to pass.

The Millerites, 1843

A New England farmer named William Miller, after several years of very careful study of his Bible, concluded that God's chosen time to destroy the world could be divined from a strict literal interpretation of scripture. As he explained to anyone who would listen, the world would end sometime between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844.

He preached and published enough to eventually lead thousands of followers (known as Millerites), who decided that the actual date was April 23, 1843. Many sold or gave away their possessions, assuming they would not be needed: When April 23 arrived and Jesus didn't the group eventually disbanded. Some of them went on to form what is now the Seventh Day Adventists.

Halley's Comet, 1910

In 1881, an astronomer discovered through spectral analysis that comet tails include a deadly gas called cyanogen (related, as the name implies, to cyanide). This was of only passing interest until someone realized that Earth would pass through the tail of Halley's comet in 1910.

Would everyone on the planet be bathed in deadly toxic gas? That was the speculation reprinted on the front pages of The New York Times and other newspapers, resulting in a widespread panic across the United States and abroad. Finally even-headed scientists explained that there was nothing to fear.

Pat Robertson, 1982

In May 1980, televangelist and Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson startled and alarmed many when, contrary to Matthew 24:36 ("No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven ...") he informed his "700 Club" TV show audience around the world that he knew when the world would end.

"I guarantee you by the end of 1982 there is going to be a judgment on the world," Robertson said.

Heaven's Gate, 1997

When comet Hale-Bopp appeared in 1997, rumors surfaced that an alien spacecraft was following the comet, and that there was a cover up by NASA and the astronomical community. Though the claim was refuted by astronomers (and could be refuted by anyone with a good telescope), the rumors were publicized on Art Bell's paranormal radio talk show "Coast to Coast AM."

These claims inspired a San Diego UFO cult named Heaven's Gate to conclude that the world would end soon. Unfortunately, the world did end for the 39 of the cult members who committed suicide on March 26, 1997.