Well, it’s the 14th of February and you know what that means. Yes, that’s right. The world didn’t end on Friday 13th. So, and only because I have half an hour to spend on frivolities, I thought I’d take a look at a few other instances when the world didn’t end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gregory of Tours, a French bishop and historian, calculated that the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world would take place between 799\u2013806 CE. Unfortunately, Greg was mistaken but he never found out. He died in 594.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The German astrologer, Johannes St\u00f6ffler (crazy name, crazy guy), predicted that a planetary alignment in Pisces on 20 February 1524 would unleash a catastrophic flood and signal the start of the Millennium. I don’t know what Johannes’ qualifications for being an astrologer were, but counting in thousands clearly wasn’t one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The English theologian and philosopher William Whiston predicted that a comet would strike Earth on 16 October 1736, destroying the world. His forecast was taken so seriously, panic and public alarm surged through London (which probably says more about the people of London at that time than it does of anything else). Needless to say, the only disaster to occur was a massive hit to William’s credibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
French astronomer Camille Flammarion warned that the 1910 passage of Halley\u2019s Comet might fill Earth\u2019s atmosphere with deadly cyanogen gas, potentially extinguishing life. Public panic spread, with vendors selling \u201ccomet pills\u201d and gas masks, but Halley\u2019s Comet passed without incident. Camille was, one would guess, severely embarrassed, but Camille probably pointed to the word ‘might’ at those French dinner parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Evangelist Wilbur Glenn Voliva, leader of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church in Zion (was it only in Zion, or did they have branches everywhere?), predicted the world would end in 1923. When nothing happened, he postponed the date to 1927. Well, we’re all still here Wilbur. Maybe you forgot to divide the first number you thought of?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of the Worldwide Church of God (they actually still exist but have changed their name in a decision, probably unrelated, to embarrassment of their founder being repeatedly wrong), told members that the Rapture would occur in 1936, exclusively saving his flock. When it failed, he rescheduled the event. The he rescheduled the event again. And again. Each new failed prediction proved to be as bonkers as Herbert. Despite many failures to predict the end of the world, his church grew into an influential religious movement, thereby proving the adage “you can’t teach stupid”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In more modern failed predictions, Evangelical activist Rollen Stewart, famous for displaying \u201cJohn 3:16\u201d signs at televised events, predicted the Rapture would occur on September 28, 1992. Nothing happened in the Rapture series of events, except later that year he was arrested for kidnapping and other crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Radio evangelist Harold Camping predicted the Rapture would occur on September 6, 1994 (you have to admire someone who hangs a specific date on an event). When nothing occurred on 6th September, he immediately revised the date to 29th September 1994. Nothing occurred then either, except TLC got to Number One with Unpretty (and the video features much hand-waving in the style of Cora Corman as seen in the underrated film, Music and Lyrics):<\/p>\n\n\n\n