Doomsday predictions have existed almost as long as civilization itself.
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There have been predictions of world destruction through floods, fires, and comets abound.
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2012 Maya Apocalypse December 21, 2012, marked the end of the first "Great Cycle" of the Mayan Long Count calendar, widely misinterpreted as the end of the world.
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Harold Camping Harold Camping predicted the end of the world as many as 12 times based on his interpretations of biblical numerology.
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True Way Taiwanese religious leader Hon-Ming Chen prophesied a mass extinction caused by devil spirits and floods.
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Halley's Comet Panic In 1910, fears spread that Halley's Comet would destroy the Earth through collision or poisonous gases.
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Millerism William Miller preached from 1831 that Jesus Christ's second coming would end the world in 1843.
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Joanna Southcott In 1813, Joanna Southcott claimed she would give birth to the second messiah in the following year, signaling Earth's last days.
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The Prophet Hen of Leeds In 1806, a hen in England allegedly laid eggs inscribed with "Christ is coming," sparking widespread panic.
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Great Fire of London In 17th-century Europe, fear of the end of the world in 1666 spread due to biblical references to 666 as the number of the Beast.
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The Great Flood In 1524, German mathematician Johannes Stöffler predicted a world-covering flood on February 25.
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Montanism Montanus and his followers believed Christ's return was imminent near Pepuza during their lifetime.