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For centuries, humans have attempted to predict the end of the world. While many of these prophecies, like Y2K and 2012, are now infamous for not coming true, the reactions of the individuals who wholeheartedly believed in them are less widely known, except for a few notorious cases involving doomsday cults.
However, the cult members are not the only ones who fell prey to apocalyptic predictions. Among the more eccentric believers were artists, celebrities, and even influential public figures. What follows are stories of ten such individuals whose lives were shaped by doomsday predictions, resulting in bizarre, absurd, and frightening outcomes.
10. Destroying Priceless Renaissance Art
Since the beginning of apocalyptic prophecies, people have sought to rid themselves of undesirable ideas by burning them. Many books and artworks have been consumed by flames, similar to the infamous 'Bonfire of the Vanities' in 15th-century Florence. This event, which took place in 1497, saw the burning of anything deemed a distraction from religious devotion. This destruction was instigated by a friar named Savonarola, who had convinced the people that the world would end in just three years.
Savonarola was a formidable figure who had already seized control of Florence from the powerful Medici family, giving him considerable influence. Among those under his sway was the renowned artist Sandro Botticelli, creator of The Birth of Venus. It’s likely that Botticelli may have thrown some of his priceless masterpieces onto the flames. Thankfully, the concerned citizens of Florence halted Savonarola’s campaign to destroy their cultural treasures, and he was eventually executed.
9. Frenzied Purchases of ‘Anti-Comet’ Pills and Umbrellas
Halley’s Comet, which passes Earth roughly every 76 years, has been observed since ancient times. However, when it was expected to make another appearance in May 1910, mass hysteria ensued. Why? The culprit was a new scientific development known as ‘spectroscopy.’
A few years prior, scientists in Chicago had used spectroscopy to study the tail of another comet, revealing that it contained toxic invisible gases. Based on this, French astronomer Camille Flammarion warned that Halley’s Comet’s tail would unleash similar gases upon Earth, potentially asphyxiating everyone. Despite reassurances from other scientists that Earth was safe, panic spread. People sealed their windows, stayed indoors, and braced for disaster.
While many succumbed to panic, others saw an opportunity to profit. Unscrupulous entrepreneurs quickly began selling ‘anti-comet pills’ that they claimed would protect people from the comet’s peril. They also offered ‘comet-defending umbrellas’ and gas masks. Fortunately, the comet’s tail passed by Earth at an estimated 197,000 miles (317,040 kilometers) away, leaving only the embarrassment of wasted precautions.
8. Scaling an Alien Pyramid Mountain
It may seem that the fear of an imminent apocalypse is a thing of the past, with people being more skeptical in the 21st century. However, the dawn of the new millennium saw widespread concern about global catastrophe, a fear that resurfaced twelve years later. While neither of these events sparked widespread panic, both triggered dramatic and unusual reactions. For instance, in December 2012, many had heard the prophecy that the Mayans predicted the world would end on the 21st of that month.
While most simply carried on with their lives, a few took the prediction seriously—so much so that they booked flights to Serbia. Some even traveled from as far as Australia, hoping to tap into a supposed magnetic force emanating from Mt. Rtanj. This mountain, located in the Carpathians and having a near-perfect pyramid shape, was believed by some to have been constructed by extraterrestrials. These believers thought it would offer them protection from the supposed end of the world.
Nearby villages were reportedly overwhelmed with hundreds of new arrivals, who braved snowstorms to seek refuge in hopes of surviving the apocalypse.
7. Dropping $10 Million
Some believed the Mayans were right but saw no chance of surviving the predicted end. Among them were the American reality TV power couple Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag. Known as “Speidi,” the pair first gained fame on The Hills before appearing in shows like the UK’s Celebrity Big Brother. By 2012, they had established successful careers, with Spencer estimating they had made about 10 million dollars.
Upon hearing that an asteroid was set to collide with Earth in 2012, the couple decided the wisest move was to spend all their money before their inevitable demise (and the demise of everyone else). Some of their lavish purchases included a ‘million-dollar wardrobe,’ a monster truck, plastic surgery, and—curiously—paying people to open doors for them.
Spencer also mentioned that they intended to distribute cash and cars to their friends. They succeeded in blowing through their fortune and, by June 2011, found themselves living rent-free at Spencer’s father’s house.
6. Posing as a Bow-Tie-Wearing Weatherman
Spending all of one’s money based on the unproven predictions of an ancient culture is undoubtedly absurd, yet it might be somewhat forgivable if the world-ending threat were plausible. But can anything truly be excused if the global threat is legitimate? One infamous case from 2014 suggests not. While opinions differ, climate change is at least far more credible than the Mayan prediction ever was.
One individual who was convinced of the imminent danger posed by climate change graced the cover of Le Parisien Magazine in June 2014, with the dramatic claim that humanity had only 500 days left to save the planet. Surprisingly, this wasn't a disheveled, passionate climate activist but rather Laurent Fabius, the then-French foreign minister.
What made this even more surprising was that Fabius was posed as a cheerful weatherman, sporting a bow tie and gesturing at a map, which was soon replaced by images of E.T., God, and a pair of nostrils as the quirky cover went viral online. The French public's response was less than serious, and Fabius became just one of several high-profile French politicians who appeared on unintentionally humorous magazine covers.
5. Facilitating–and Even Promoting–Environmental Harm
Despite the oddness of his approach, Laurent Fabius was genuinely attempting to raise awareness about the environment and combat climate change. He wasn’t the only politician driven by the sense that the world was nearing its end, however. Some, in stark contrast to his environmental advocacy, took a completely different stance. One such figure was James Watt, U.S. Secretary of the Interior during President Reagan's administration.
Watt believed that natural resources existed solely for exploitation. He despised environmentalists, seeing them as obstacles to personal freedom and national economic progress. During his tenure, he granted numerous oil, gas, and coal leases and relaxed regulations aimed at protecting the environment. His most infamous moment came during a testimony before the House Interior Committee.
When asked if he intended to preserve the wilderness for future generations, he responded, ‘I do not know how many future generations we can count on before the Lord returns.’ In essence, he believed that Judgment Day was imminent, rendering the need for conservation unnecessary. His remarks were widely ridiculed and even parodied in a Saturday Night Live skit.
4. Prioritizing Doomsday Prepping at the Government Level
By December 1999, computers had become integral to essential services such as communications, banking, and healthcare. However, the code used by many systems had potential issues when transitioning from the year 1999 to 2000. While the exact consequences were uncertain, some feared the worst: global chaos.
Those who began preparing for the Y2K problem were often dismissed as paranoid, but many influential organizations took the risk seriously, including the Canadian government. After a 1998 investigation into the potential consequences of the bug, they made Y2K preparedness a top priority. Over 11,000 people worked on this initiative, and by the time New Year’s Eve 1999 arrived, Canada had been preparing for 18 months. They had 13,000 troops on standby, four times the usual reserves at the central bank, and tight security measures for the country’s top cabinet ministers.
Looking back now, it’s easy to see the preparations as an expensive computer update. But real problems were identified and solved. As one senior bureaucrat put it, Y2K was a mix of the greatest hoax ever pulled off and the biggest crisis ever averted.
3. Sporting a Rainbow Wig, Becoming a TV Personality, and Taking Hostages
During the 1970s and ‘80s, a very recognizable figure—more specifically, a very memorable hairstyle—was frequently spotted at sporting events. Rollen Stewart, also known as the ‘Rainbow Man,’ wasn’t an athlete, but by wearing a vibrant, rainbow-colored wig, he managed to get on camera at nearly every event, eventually gaining minor celebrity status. But behind his cheerful persona lay a much darker story.
In the 1980s, Stewart was influenced by a TV evangelist and began to showcase Bible verses during his camera appearances, prompting TV producers to take measures to prevent him from being shown. Having failed to turn his limited fame into financial success, he became broke and homeless. Stewart then became convinced that the return of Jesus was imminent. Eager to spread this message, he attempted a stink bombing campaign, but when it didn't get enough attention, he escalated his actions.
In 1992, Stewart took three hostages at a Los Angeles hotel and engaged in an eight-hour standoff with the police, demanding a TV broadcast to warn the world about the impending Judgment Day. Although his timing was off, Stewart later claimed that his actions, while extreme, were ‘a crime to prevent a greater harm.’
2. Relocating to Texas in Anticipation of the Second Coming
No list about apocalyptic personalities would be complete without mentioning figures like Chen Hong-min. The Taiwanese leader of the Chen Tao cult, much like other charismatic cult leaders, convinced his followers that the world was on the brink of ending. Fortunately, he didn’t ask his followers to take drastic measures. When the world didn’t end as predicted, he acknowledged his mistake without hesitation.
Chen’s journey to prominence began when he left a UFO religion in the early 1990s. By 1995, he was convinced that North America was ‘God’s land’ and relocated there with his followers to await their ascension in flying saucers shaped like clouds. Specifically, they camped in Garland, Texas, a location he deemed significant because ‘Garland’ sounded like ‘God-land.’
In photos from that period, the group can be seen dressed in all-white uniforms and wide-brimmed hats. When March 31, 1998—the date he had predicted for the UFOs to arrive—came and went without incident, Chen called a press conference where he admitted that his prophecy was ‘nonsense.’ Many of his followers left, but Chen later adjusted his views and moved the group to New York.
1. Taking Legal Action Against the Large Hadron Collider
While the Canadian government took steps to avoid a Y2K catastrophe, in 2008, the U.S. government faced a lawsuit for allegedly triggering another potential disaster. A retired nuclear safety officer and a journalist filed the lawsuit against the Department of Energy and institutes like CERN, protesting the activation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). They believed the immense power of the LHC could very well lead to the end of the world.
One of their concerns was that the Large Hadron Collider could potentially create a mini black hole that would consume the Earth, despite Einstein's and Stephen Hawking's theories disproving this possibility. The duo also suggested that strange matter might combine everything on Earth into a single mass or that the creation of new particles could accelerate atomic decay. In 2010, the lawsuit was dismissed as they failed to present credible evidence of a legitimate threat.
