The Legend - Main Types of Prediction - Chronology - Bibliography
Disclaimer
This is the chronological list of End of the World predictions. The actual predictions are listed in this manner:
| Date of End | - | Nature of End | Predictor(s) |
|
Further detail/explaination, if I felt it was necessary.
Sources that mention this prediction: pages used in source. | |||
Note that, in the list, if the predictor gave no particular details about how they thought the world would end, I simply listed the Nature of End as "End of the World". I hope that's pretty clear... and now, the list.
| 1 A.D. ~ 100 A.D. | - | Judgement Day | New Testament |
|
Jesus told his apostles that the Kingdom of God would come to Earth before the last of them died... Matthew 16:28, Mark 8:39, and Luke 9:27.
Randi 1995:257-258, Bible | |||
| 992 | - | Judgement Day | Bernard of Thuringia |
| Randi 1995:258 | |||
| 1000, Jan | - | Second Coming | ? |
| Rubinsky 1982:64-65, Mackay 1841:257, Randi 1995:258 | |||
| 1033 | - | Second Coming | Raoul Glaber |
| Rubinsky 1982:66-67, Randi 1995:258 | |||
| 1186, Sep | - | Astrological Alignment | John of Toledo |
| Randi 1995:258-259 | |||
| 1260 | - | Judgement Day | Monk Joachim and the Joachites |
| Rubinsky 1982:77-80, Randi 1995:259 | |||
| 1265 | - | Judgement Day | Prestor John |
| Rubinsky 1982:84 | |||
| 1345 | - | Judgement Day | ? |
| Mackay 1841:258 | |||
| 1350 | - | Judgement Day | ? |
| Mackay 1841:258 | |||
| 1381 | - | Judgement Day | The Peasants' Revolt |
| Rubinsky 1982:84 | |||
| 1420 | - | Judgement Day | The Taborites |
| Rubinsky 1982:88 | |||
| 1524, Feb 1 | - | Second Great Flood | Astrologers, various |
| Randi 1995:259 | |||
| 1524, Feb 20 | - | Second Great Flood | Johannes Stoeffler |
| Randi 1995:259-260 | |||
| 1528 | - | Second Great Flood | Johannes Stoeffler |
| Randi 1995:260 | |||
| 1532 | - | End of the World | Frederick Nausea |
| Randi 1995:260 | |||
| 1533 | - | Judgement Day | Melchior Hoffmann |
| Randi 1995:260-261 | |||
| 1533, Oct 3, 8 a.m. | - | Judgement Day | Michael Stifel/Stifelius |
| Randi 1995:260 | |||
| 1534 | - | Judgement Day | Matthysz |
| Randi 1995:261 | |||
| 1537 | - | Judgement Day | Pierre Turrel |
| Randi 1995:261 | |||
| 1544 | - | Judgement Day | Pierre Turrel |
| Randi 1995:261 | |||
| 1584 | - | End of the World | Cyprian Leowitz |
| Randi 1995:261 | |||
| 1588 | - | End of the World | Johann Muller/Regiomontanus |
| Randi 1995:261-262 | |||
| 1624, Feb 1 | - | Second Great Flood | Astrologers, various |
| Randi 1995:258 | |||
| 1648 | - | Second Coming | Rabbi Sabbati Zevi |
| Randi 1995:262 | |||
| 1654 | - | End of the World | Helisaeus Roeslin of Alsace |
| Randi 1995:262 | |||
| 1654, Aug 12 | - | End of the World | ? |
| Randi 1995:262 | |||
| 1656 | - | Judgement Day | Columbus |
|
Yes, the same guy credited with finding the Americas for Spain.
Rubinsky 1982:91 | |||
| 1657 | - | Judgement Day | The Fifth Monarchy Men |
| Rubinsky 1982:93 | |||
| 1665 | - | End of the World | Solomon Eccles |
| Randi 1995:262 | |||
| 1666 | - | Second Coming | Rabbi Sabbati Zevi |
| Randi 1995:262 | |||
| 1704 | - | End of the World | Cardinal Nicholas de Cusa |
| Randi 1995:263 | |||
| 1719, May 19 | - | Comet Collision | Jacques Bernoulli |
| Randi 1995:263 | |||
| 1736, Oct. 13 | - | Judgement Day | Whiston |
| Mackay 1841:258-259, Randi 1995:263 | |||
| 1757 | - | End of the World | Emanuel Swedenborg |
| Randi 1995:263 | |||
| 1761, April 5 | - | Judgement Day | William Bell |
| Rubinsky 1982:110, Mackay 1841:259, Randi 1995:263 | |||
| 1774 | - | Second Coming | Joanna Southcott |
| Randi 1995:263-264 | |||
| 1801 | - | Judgement Day | Pierre Turrel |
| Randi 1995:261 | |||
| 1806 | - | Second Coming | Chicken Egg |
| Rubinsky 1982:113, Mackay 1841:260 | |||
| 1814 | - | Judgement Day | Pierre Turrel |
| Randi 1995:261 | |||
| 1832 | - | Comet Collision | Scientific Guess |
| Mackay 1841:258 | |||
| 1843, April 3 | - | Judgement Day | William Miller |
| Rubinsky 1982:115, RD 1976:516, Randi 1995:264 | |||
| 1843, July 7 | - | Judgement Day | William Miller |
| Rubinsky 1982:115, Randi 1995:264 | |||
| 1844, March 21 | - | Judgement Day | William Miller |
| Rubinsky 1982:115, RD 1976:516, Randi 1995:264 | |||
| 1844, Oct. 22 | - | Judgement Day | William Miller |
| Rubinsky 1982:115, RD 1976:516, Randi 1995:264 | |||
| 1874 | - | End of the World | Charles Taze Russell |
|
ANOMALIES Note: This date appears to be an error on James Randi's part. This is in fact the date on which Charles Taze Russell made a prediction, not a date he predicted. It was on this day that Russell predicted that Jesus would return to Earth in the year 1914. Randi 1995:265 | |||
| 1881 | - | End of the World | ? |
|
This was based on measurements made of the Pyramids of Giza, with the belief that they hold an encoded future history.
Randi 1995:265 | |||
| 1881 | - | End of the World | Mother Shipton |
| Randi 1995:265 | |||
| 1890 | - | New World Begins | The Ghost Dance Movement |
| Rubinsky 1982:107 | |||
| 1914 | - | Judgement Day | Watchtower/Jehovah's Witnesses |
| Branch 1998, Rubinsky 1982:118, Randi 1995:265 | |||
| 1918 | - | Judgement Day | Watchtower/Jehovah's Witnesses |
| Branch 1998 | |||
| 1920 | - | Second Coming | Col. J. Garnier |
| Gardner 1952:157 | |||
| 1920, Feb. | - | Judgement Day | Watchtower/Jehovah's Witnesses |
| Branch 1998 | |||
| 1925 | - | Judgement Day | Watchtower/Jehovah's Witnesses |
| Branch 1998 | |||
| 1936 | - | End of the World | ? |
|
This was based on measurements made of the Pyramids of Giza, with the belief that they hold an encoded future history.
Randi 1995:265 | |||
| 1941 | - | Judgement Day | Watchtower/Jehovah's Witnesses |
| Branch 1998 | |||
| 1947 | - | End of the World | John Ballou |
| Randi 1995:265-266 | |||
| 1948 | - | Judgement Day | Millerites |
| Watanabe 1999b | |||
| 1953 | - | End of the World | ? |
|
This was based on measurements made of the Pyramids of Giza, with the belief that they hold an encoded future history.
Randi 1995:265 | |||
| 1972 | - | Judgement Day | Watchtower/Jehovah's Witnesses |
| Branch 1998 | |||
| 1975 | - | Second Coming | Herbert Armstrong/Worldwide Church of God |
| Watanabe 1999b | |||
| 1975 | - | Judgement Day | Watchtower/Jehovah's Witnesses |
| Branch 1998, Randi 1995:265 | |||
| 1977 | - | End of the World | John Wroe |
| Randi 1995:266 | |||
| 1980, Dec 31 | - | End of the World | Old Arabic astronomical calculation |
| Randi 1995:267 | |||
| 1982, Mar 10 | - | Harmonic alignment | ? |
|
The idea was that when all the planets in the solar system lined up just right, the resulting gravitational stresses would devestate the Earth.
Rubinsky 1982:148-149, Randi 1995:266 | |||
| 1986 | - | World War III? | Nostradamus |
| Cheetham 1973:88,91 | |||
| 1989 | - | Judgement Day | Implied (accidently?) by Watchtower/Jehovah's Witnesses |
|
In an 1988 issue of Awake! magazine published by Watchtower, which had the question "Are We In The Last Days?" on the cover, an article discussing the long held belief that the end would come within the lifespan of those followers who were alive in 1914 mentioned that 75 years was generally considered a normal lifespan... 1914 + 75 = 1989.
Branch 1998, Williamson 1999 | |||
| 1992 | - | Judgement Day | Korean Christian prediction |
| AP 1995 Apr. 16 | |||
| 1994, September | - | Judgement Day | Harold Camping, Family Radio Network |
| Macklin 1994 | |||
| 1994, Oct. 2 | - | Judgement Day | Harold Camping, Family Radio Network |
| Macklin 1994 | |||
| 1995, April 16 | - | Judgement Day | Korean Christian prediction |
| AP 1995 Apr. 16 | |||
| 1996 | - | End of the World | ? |
| Randi 1995:267 | |||
| 1999, July | - | Antichrist | Nostradamus |
| Rubinsky 1982:89, RD 1976:515, Randi 1995:267 | |||
| 2000 | - | World War III and Antichrist | Nostradamus |
| Cheetham 1973:417 | |||
| 2000, Jan 1 | - | 2000/1900 date error in computers | American Mass Media |
| Watanabe 1999a, 1999b | |||
| 2002, June 21 | - | Second Coming | Nostradamus |
| Rubinsky 1982:89 | |||
| 2100 | - | Environmental Crash | ? |
| Rubinsky 1982:148 | |||
