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The end of the world as we know it: Previous predictions proved wrong

The discovery of a ‘rogue planet’ wandering through space has reignited fears of an apocalypse, at the hands of a wandering planet called ‘Nibiru’ - and Proessor Brian Cox has stepped in. (Image: Rex)

Will the world come to an end tomorrow?

We won't know for sure — well, until tomorrow — but according to many who subscribe to the idea that the end of the Mayan calendar signifies the end of the life, we have less than 24 hours left.

Of course, it's not the first time someone predicted the Apocalypse. In fact, there have been about 150 recorded predictions for the End of Days. Thankfully, none of them have rung true.

Since 2000 — when it was widely feared that the infamous Y2K bug would trigger global economic chaos — there have been over a dozen such predictions.

[ Related: The Apocamix, a visual soundtrack for the End of Days ]

Televangelist Jerry Falwell made an apocalyptic prediction for Jan. 1, 2000. When he was proven wrong, he altered his prediction to 2006, when he declared on CNN that ongoing Mideast violence would trigger the destruction of the planet. Wrong again.

Southern Baptist minister and former presidential candidate Pat Robertson predicted the Earth's destruction would occur on April 29, 2007 in his 1990 book The New Millennium. Robertson also said in 2009 that God had told him that gold would rise in price to $1,900 an ounce and oil to $300 a barrel. Thankfully, Robertson appears not to have heard God correctly as none of those events happened.

And who can forget Christian radio broadcaster Harold Camping, who predicted the Rapture would occur on May 21, 2011, with God taking 3% of the world's population to Heaven. He also said the world would officially end five months later, on Oct. 21, 2011. Camping fell back into obscurity after both of those days passed without issue.

[ Full coverage of the pending Apocalypse: The End of the World ]

Most recently, Jose Luis de Jesus, leader of the Creciendo en Gracia sect (he claims to be both the second coming of Jesus Christ and the Antichrist) called for the end of the Earth on June 30, 2012. Unfortunately for Jose, Canada Day celebrations went ahead as planned the next day.

And now, Dec. 21 is the next date scheduled to be debunked. Followers believe the most likely way things will conclude is by asteroid, alien invasion, supernova or massive underground volcano.

Astrologers, archeologists and other scientists have shown repeatedly that there's no evidence of any of those things occurring.

But we won't know for sure until tomorrow.

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