List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events
Date ( CE ) Claimant ( s ) Description
1705-1708 Camisards Camisard prophets predicted the end of the world would occur in either 1705 , 1706 or 1708
1716 Cotton Mather Revised prediction from Mather after his 1697 prediction failed to come true
5 Apr 1719 Jacob Bernoulli This mathematician predicted a comet would destroy the Earth on this day
1700-1734 Nicholas of Cusa This cardinal predicted the end would occur between 1700 and 1734
16 Oct 1736 William Whiston This theologian predicted a comet colliding with the Earth this year
1736 Cotton Mather Mather 's third and final prediction for the end of the world
1757 Emanuel Swedenborg Swedenborg , a former Lutheran , claimed that the Last Judgement occurred in the spiritual world this year
19 May 1780 Connecticut General Assembly members , New Englanders The sky turning dark during the day was interpreted as a sign of the end times . The primary cause of the event is believed to have been a combination of smoke from forest fires , a thick fog , and cloud cover
1789 Pierre d'Ailly The year 1789 would bring the coming of the Antichrist , according to this 14th-century cardinal
1792 1794 Shakers The Shakers , a Christian sect founded in 18th century England , predicted the world would end in 1792 and then in 1794
19 Nov 1795 Nathaniel Brassey Halhed While campaigning for Richard Brothers ' release , Halhead proclaimed that the world would end on this day
1793-1795 Richard Brothers This retired sailor stated the Millennium would begin between 1793 and 1795 . He was eventually committed to an insane asylum
Past predictions -- 18th century
Predictions of apocalyptic events that would result in the extinction of humanity, a collapse of civilization, or the destruction of the planet have been made since at least the beginning of the Common Era. Most predictions are related to Abrahamic religions, often standing for or similar to the eschatological events described in their scriptures. Christian predictions typically refer to events like the rapture, the Great Tribulation, the Last Judgment, and the Second Coming of Christ. Many religious-related end-time events are predicted to occur within the lifetime of the person making the prediction, who often quote the Bible, and in particular the New Testament, as either the primary or exclusive source for the predictions. Often this takes the form of mathematical calculations, such as trying to calculate the point where it will have been 6000 years since the supposed creation of the Earth by the Abrahamic God, which according to the Talmud marks the deadline for the Messiah to appear. Predictions of the end from natural events have also been theorised by various scientists and scientific groups. While these disasters are generally accepted within the scientific community as plausible end of the world scenarios, the events and phenomena are not expected to occur for hundreds of thousands or even billions of years from now. Little research has been done into why people make apocalyptic predictions. Historically, it has been done for reasons such as diverting attention from actual crises like poverty and war, pushing political agendas, and promoting hatred of certain groups; antisemitism was a popular theme of Christian apocalyptic predictions in medieval times, while French and Lutheran depictions of the apocalypse were known to feature English and Catholic antagonists respectively. According to psychologists, possible explanations for why people believe in modern apocalyptic predictions include mentally reducing the actual danger in the world to a single and definable source, an innate human fascination with fear, personality traits of paranoia and powerlessness and a modern romanticism involved with end-times due to its portrayal in contemporary fiction. The prevalence of Abrahamic religions throughout modern history is said to have created a culture which encourages the embracement of a future that will be drastically different from the present. Such a culture is credited with the rise in popularity of predictions that are more secular in nature, such as the 2012 phenomenon, while maintaining the centuries-old theme that a powerful force will bring the end of humanity.