DOOMSDAY TALES

The world didn't end in Y2K! Do you know about other failed predictions?

Published on March 10, 2024

Credit: Javier Miranda

Oddly, the idea of the apocalypse has always fascinated humanity. Throughout history, many have predicted the end of the world with fervor and certainty - and many have believed in these predictions with genuine dread.

However, time and time again, these doomsday prophecies have failed to materialize , leaving many scratching their heads or just breathing a sigh of relief. Let's take a look at 10 instances where the world didn't end as predicted.

The Year 1000

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Some historians believe that as the first millennium drew to a close, widespread panic gripped Europe, with many fearing the end of the world would coincide with the year 1000. The belief was rooted in Christian theology, as a thousand years had passed since Jesus’ birth. However, when the anticipated end-of-days came, absolutely nothing happened. Some were disappointed, while others hit the snooze button on the prophesized apocalypse until 1033, a thousand years after Jesus’ crucifixion (spoiler alert: they were also wrong).

Johannes Stöffler's Deluge

Credit: Elias Null

In 1499, Johannes Stöffler, a German mathematician and astronomer, predicted that a great flood would engulf the world on February 20, 1524. Stöffler based his prophecy on the alignment of planets under the watery sign of Pisces, believing it foretold a catastrophic deluge. His prophecy was believed by many, and boat builders saw an unexpected boom in sales, with even a German nobleman ordering to build a three-story ark.

Millerites' Great Disappointment

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One of the most notable failed doomsday predictions in religious history was the prophesied by William Miller, an American clergyman. Miller predicted the Second Coming of Christ on October 22, 1844, and his prophecy led to an ardent following known as the Millerites. However, when Jesus failed to appear as expected, his followers experienced what they called the "Great Disappointment." Many were justifiably angry, as they had sold their earthly possessions in a hurry, while many others turned to different congregations, or abandoned their beliefs completely.

Halley's Comet Panic

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As Halley's Comet made its close approach to Earth in 1910, an observatory in Chicago announced that it had detected a toxic gas called cyanogen in the composition of the comet’s tail. Although ridiculous by modern standards, rumors then spread of the danger of the comet's poisonous gas tail, exacerbated by reports from media outlets like The New York Times, which reported that a French astronomer believed the gas could "impregnate the atmosphere" and asphyxiate all life on the planet.

Edgar Cayce's Cataclysm

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Famed psychic Edgar Cayce prophesied a series of cataclysmic events he called "Earth Changes," that included the sinking of continents and the shifting of poles among many other catastrophes, during the late 20th century. Despite Cayce's reputation for accuracy in other predictions, these apocalyptic visions never materialized , leaving his followers perplexed.

A New Ice Age

Credit: Tom Wheatley

In the 1970s, scientists noticed that global temperatures had decreased slightly since the 40s, and some conjectured that this trend could lead to an impending ice age. Though very few scientists actually thought this was likely - and most actually warned of the opposite trend of global warming - sensationalist media quickly picked up the ice age prediction, sparking fears of widespread famine and societal collapse. However, as subsequent research revealed the complexities of climate dynamics , the notion of an imminent ice age apocalypse was thoroughly debunked.

The Jupiter Effect

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In 1974, John Gribbin and Stephen Plagemann - two actual scientists for a change - theorized that the tidal forces resulting from the alignment of planets in our solar system, particularly Jupiter, could lead to catastrophic earthquakes in 1982. Though they later reconsidered their position after further research, their predictions gained some traction in the media. Luckily, the supposed effect failed to cause any noticeable disruption , and planetary alignments again proved to be completely harmless to life on Earth.

Y2K Bug

Credit: Jake Walker

The turn of the millennium brought widespread fear of a technological meltdown due to a hypothetical software error known as the Y2K bug. Experts warned of computers crashing and electronically operated infrastructure collapsing as their internal clocks rolled over to the year 2000. Yet, when the clock struck midnight, the anticipated chaos failed to materialize, in part thanks to extensive preparation and updates to computer systems worldwide, but even where little had been done to prevent the error, problems were almost non-existent.

CERN's Large Hadron Collider

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When the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was switched on in 2008, concerns arose of potential black holes swallowing the Earth or the accidental creation of strange particles that could convert all matter into a new form. Since one of the stated goals of the LHC was actually to simulate microscopic black holes , it was natural for some people without knowledge of the matter to get a little nervous. However, obviously nothing bad happened , and the LHC has operated safely, advancing our understanding of particle physics without bringing about our demise.

End Of The Mayan Calendar

Credit: Kym MacKinnon

As the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar approached in 2012, speculation ran rampant that it signaled the end of the world. Despite Mayan scholars stating that there were no end of the world prophecies included in the ancient calendar, believers predicted all sorts of crazy catastrophes, from planetary alignment to cataclysmic events. As we all know, December 21, 2012, came and went without incident, proving doomsayers wrong once again.

ERRONEOUS ORIGINS

Uncover Ten Words That Come From Mistakes And Mistranslations

Published on March 10, 2024

Credit: Brett Jordan

We all make mistakes. That’s why pencils have erasers, right? They are part of what makes us human and have been completely intertwined with our culture and identity since the dawn of history. Like other human endeavors, Language flourishes with these mistakes, as they continue to provide instances in which new words and phrases can be formed. And for that, we honor these magnificent blunders by showcasing ten words that emerged from mistakes and mistranslations.

Apron

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A chef’s best friend (or maybe yours, if you are cooking a particularly messy recipe), this piece of cooking gear is a must-have in any modern kitchen. "Apron" comes from the old French word napron , meaning "a small piece of cloth". However, once English speakers adopted this term, the phrase a napron eventually derived into an apron through a process linguists call "rebracketing."

Decoy

Credit: Jen Theodore

"Decoy" might make us think about spy-thrillers, filled with black cars swerving through busy streets to avoid other inconspicuous black cars, so you might be surprised to learn that this word comes from the world of duck hunting. Decoy comes from a duck-catching structure first developed in the Netherlands in the 13th century. Another case of rebracketing, the English word decoy is derived from the Dutch phrase de Kooi, meaning "the cage". Over time, the word expanded to include several other objects, from fake wooden ducks used by hunters to lure birds, to inflatable or wooden dummy tanks used in WW2.

Varsity

Credit: Tim Mossholder

In the United States, varsity refers to a school or university’s main athletics team, where the varsity team is composed of the very best athletes an institution can offer. The word itself is a shortening of the word university, and its use can be traced to at least the 19th century: In Arthur Conan Doyle’s "The Adventure of the Missing Three-Quarter", a rugby player refers to himself as part of the "Rugger team of Cambridge 'Varsity.'"

What’s interesting is wondering why this shortening of university didn’t morph into the more intuitive versity. Perhaps a regional accent influenced this misspelling? No one really knows, but now maybe you can see your old letterman jacket in a new and more mysterious way.

Nickname

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"Nickname"comes from the 14th-century English word ekename , which literally means "additional name." One century later, a misdivision of the syllables of the phrase an ekename resulted in it morphing into a nekename , an early version of the word nickname. Although its spelling has changed, both the word and the pronunciation of nickname have remained almost the same since the 15th century.

Culprit

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This is the only word from this list derived from an entire phrase. In 17th century France, the phrase culpable, prest d'averrer nostre bille (guilty, ready to prove our case) was used by prosecutors as an answer to a defendant’s not guilty plea. Apparently, an abbreviation for this phrase used in court records ( cul.prit ) was mistaken by English speakers as an address to the defendant, and so the modern meaning of the word "culprit" (a person guilty of a crime) was born.

Umpire

Credit: Nathan Shively

Umpires are the silent heroes of many sports. From baseball to tennis, umpires confront angry players, coaches, and fans with stern determination and resolve. They truly have no equal. Which is funny, because the origins of this word showcase their uniqueness. Our third case of rebracketing in this list, umpire comes from the French word noumpere, which can be translated to "one without equal" or "odd number" (as a tie-breaker participant). Eventually, the phrase a noumpere became an oumpere , which eventually evolved into "an umpire."

Ingot

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This one is a bit controversial since there are two possible origins of this word. An ingot is a block of metal, typically oblong in shape, and one of its origins might be traced back to this meaning. According to some linguists, ingot comes from the Old English word geotan , meaning "to pour."Therefore, an ingot would literally refer to the mold on which liquid metal was poured.

However, the second (and frankly, more interesting) possible meaning comes from a mistranslation. The French word for ingot is lingot , derived from the Latin word for "tongue", possibly due to the shape of ingots in Medieval times. Some people believe that English speakers, knowing that the French article le (the)is sometimes contracted to an l’, thought that the word lingot literally meant "the ingot" and decided to remove the L.

Scandinavia

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This Northern Europe territory was named Scandinavia or Skandinovia by Late Latin scholars, adding an extra letter to the Germanic word Scadinavia, which might derive from an Old Norse word meaning "south end of Sweden." We might never know if that N was included by mistake or deliberately, but it’s pretty amazing how a single, additional letter determined how an entire region is named.

Dollar

Credit: Kenny Eliason

The origins of the mighty dollar can be traced back to 16th century Bohemia, where a nobleman known as the Count of Schlick started mining and issuing silver coins of uniform weight and shape known as Schlicken thaler or joachimsthaler. Over time, this word evolved into the German word taler , and then again into daler . Since this form of currency found its way into international markets, by the 16th century the word daler was added to the English vocabulary, where it eventually morphed into the dollar we know now.

Algorithm

Credit: Markus Spiske

You might be surprised to learn how old this word is. After all, aren’t algorithms the backbone of all modern electronics and technology? While they certainly are, they also date back to the 9th century. The medieval Latin word algorismus comes from the name of a famous Persian mathematician, Muḥammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. However, the part of his name that evolved into algorithm literally means "from Khwarazm" and refers to the region where he came from. Who would have guessed that a translation mistake would end up naming one of the most repeated terms in the tech world?