Sometimes catastrophes are very real, and sometimes they are simply a vision in the minds of those who, for whatever reason, choose to take things way too far. Let's take a look at some of history’s most notable predicted disasters that never really did much more than give us a little scare.
Before the year 2000, many people believed that, since certain programs and microchips only identified the last two digits of the calendar year, widespread chaos would break loose due to electronic malfunctions that could even have caused planes to fall out of the sky. As we all know, 2000 came and went like any other normal year.
In the ‘50s and ‘60s, nuclear war between the USA and USSR seemed to be a real threat, and it’s hard to imagine today just how seriously the threat was taken. The Soviet Union fell, though, and global thermonuclear war remains to this day an unlikely story of a predicted catastrophe that never came.
One of the most famous predicted disasters that never actually happened is linked to the return of Haley’s comet in 1910. Aside from the “regular” doomsday scenarios associated with comets, there was also one put forth by the Chicago Yerkes Observatory that involved the whole of humanity being killed by poisonous gas from the comet’s tail. Needless to say, nothing of the sort happened, since we’re all still here.
When the Large Hadron Collider developed by CERN was first powered up in 2008, it became the largest working particle accelerator in existence. Many believed, however, that it would also create a large black hole which would eventually engulf the entire Earth. A German chemist even filed a lawsuit against CERN, arguing that the presence of a black hole would pose a threat to European civilians.
Famines have been used throughout history as a means to scare people. The prediction of a worldwide famine that was set to take place in the 1970s, however, was a huge exaggeration and is considered today to be one of the biggest mistakes that renowned experts such as P.R. Ehlrich have made.
The prediction of a worldwide famine in the 1970s was made by renowned experts such as Paul R. Ehrlich, a biologist and professor at Stanford University. He and others warned of a massive famine due to overpopulation, which would lead to a decrease in food production and availability. However, the prediction was widely exaggerated and was proven wrong.
In the 1960s and 70s, the Green Revolution was a major factor in increasing food production and availability around the world. It was a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, which focused on increasing agricultural productivity in developing countries. This included the introduction of new technologies such as high-yielding varieties of cereal grains, irrigation, and synthetic fertilizers.
In addition, the 1970s saw a dramatic increase in global food production. This was due to the development of new technologies such as mechanization, genetic engineering, and the use of chemical fertilizers. These advances allowed for a more efficient and productive use of land and resources.
Due to the popularity related to modern-day millennium doomsday scenarios, a lot of people bought into this one. Nibiru is said to have been either a passing planet or a secondary star from a time our solar system may allegedly have been a dual star system. Self-proclaimed psychic channeler, Nancy Lieder, predicted Nibiru would return to spread chaos and destruction in 2003 and 2012. In both instances, nothing happened.
Probably the most famous predicted disaster that never occurred was the Apocalypse – the end of the world arriving at the beginning of the new millennium in the wake of a third global war that would lead to humanity completely destroying itself. Pictured by religious texts, psychics and, of course, motion pictures and Sci-Fi books, neither World War 3, nor the Apocalypse ever happened, but of course, that won’t stop people from predicting it in upcoming years.
Do you believe in doomsday scenarios? Do you know of any other predicted catastrophes that never actually happened and that could be considered good candidates for this list?