There is a mention of the End of the World in any religion, and various predictors have left a lot of speculation about the alleged Doomsday. Despite everything, mankind has passed many dates that were 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 organized mass pilgrimages. The end of the 1st century AD and the beginning of the year 1000 was defined as the End of the World by the Essenes or Qumranites sect that preached in Judea. The mood of the Qumranites seized many people, and this time was filled with panic and the expectation of imminent death. Another expected Judgment Day was the coming of 1033, the millennial anniversary of the birth of Christ.
At all times, there were 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 Modern Times
For several centuries of progress and technical development, mankind has experienced many "ends of the world." The famous Florentine painter Sandro Botticelli was engaged not only in art, but also in predictions. The artist experienced both ups and downs, he suddenly became famous and received many orders, but 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 was living in a "time of sorrow" 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 parade of planets was expected with the participation of Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Mars and the Moon. Theologian Elko Alta, having studied the Bible, connected astronomical phenomena with the end of the world. Another cosmic omen, the 1795 supermoon, was described by Galileo Galilei. The scientist believed that this phenomenon would cause serious geomagnetic disturbances and lead to irreversible consequences.
The most likely end of the world will occur in 5 billion years - then the Sun will exhaust its energy, become a red giant and swallow the Earth.
Our days
Do not count how many "ends of the world" were expected recently. For example, in 1900, a large-scale self-immolation of members of the Russian sect "Red Death" took place - this is how the sectarians tried to protect themselves from the predicted End of the World. 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 humanity. Elio Blanco, a humble pediatrician from Italy, 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 onset 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 end times, many feared 1999, 2000 and 2001 - this was due to the end of the millennium. One of the most famous "ends of the world" was December 21, 2012 - this date was allegedly predicted by the Mayan calendar.
