There is a mention of the End of the World in any religion, and various foretellers have left a lot of guesses about the alleged Doomsday. Despite everything, mankind has passed many dates, interpreted as the last days of the life of the universe.
Ancient predictions
The end of the world has been expected since ancient times. The most anticipated year was 666 - according to biblical legends, this combination of numbers is the "number of the Beast", symbolizing the Devil. By the same principle, the year 999 was chosen as the date of Armageddon. Early Christian communities preached about the end of the world and arranged mass pilgrimages. The end of the 1st century of a new era and the onset of the year 1000 was defined as the end of the world by the sect of the Essenes or Qumranites who preached in Judea. The mood of the Qumranites swept many people, and this time was filled with panic and the expectation of imminent death. Another anticipated Doomsday was the onset of 1033, the millennium since the birth of Christ.
At all times, there have been various explanations for the end of the world - from religious, based on the interpretation of the Bible, to scientific, associated with planetary parades, eclipses, geomagnetic disturbances and solar flares.
Middle Ages and the New Age
Over several centuries of progress and technological development, mankind has experienced many “doomsday”. The famous Florentine painter Sandro Botticelli was engaged not only in art, but also in predictions. The artist experienced ups and downs, he became famous overnight and received many orders, but he was soon accused of heresy, and at the end of his life he lived in extreme poverty. All this was reflected in his worldview - Botticelli believed that he lives in the "time of trouble" and predicted the end of the world in 1504. The famous traveler Christopher Columbus also left his "Book of Prophecies", where he wrote about the future and, in particular, predicted the end of the world in 1658. Another popular date - 1666 - was also associated with the already mentioned "number of the Beast." In 1774, a planetary parade was expected with the participation of Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Mars and the Moon. The theologian Elko Alta, having studied the Bible, connected the astronomical phenomenon with the advent of the End of the World. Another cosmic omen - the super moon of 1795 - was described by Galileo Galilei. The scientist considered that this phenomenon would cause serious geomagnetic disturbances and lead to irreversible consequences.
The most likely end of the world will happen in 5 billion years - then the Sun will exhaust its energy, become a red giant and absorb the Earth.
Our days
Do not count how many "doomsday" was expected recently. For example, in 1900, large-scale self-immolation of members of the Russian sect "Red Death" took place - so the sectarians tried to protect themselves from the predicted doomsday. And ten years later, the Earth met with Halley's comet, the planet passed through its tail. Many feared radiation contamination and waited for the death of mankind. A modest children's doctor from Italy, Elio Blanco, suddenly turned into a preacher, predicting the end of the world in 1960. He built an underground shelter and found a mass of followers. Even literary works influenced the expectation of the End of the World. So, many seriously expected the advance of Armageddon in 1969 - this date was indicated by Ray Bradbury in the story "Tomorrow is the end of the world." If we talk about the last time, many were afraid of 1999, 2000 and 2001 - this was due to the end of the millennium. One of the most famous "doomsday" was December 21, 2012 - this date was allegedly predicted by the Mayan calendar.
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