Genesis of the 2012 Phenomenon

While most academics dismiss the myths and prophecies that warn of a coming doomsday, an indefatigable band of history detectives is racing to connect the dots. In recent years, the History Channel has given them a forum to make their case.

Forgotten History: World Ages and Their Demise

Before the story of our past got a makeover during the British Empire, conventional wisdom held that humankind had been created and destroyed several times. Here's a look at what classical literature says about these epochs, including what might happen when the current Iron Age ends.

Ancient Method for Calculating an Apocalypse

Every 26,000 years, the wobbling Earth causes the zodiac constellations to slip backwards in a circle around the night sky. Early civilizations placed a lot of stock in this cycle, referring to it again and again in their legends, monuments and mythology. Could this "Precession of the Equinoxes" hold the key to predicting periodic mass extinctions?

The Mayan Calendar and Prophecy

While everyone has their opinion about what will transpire on December 21, 2012, two questions remain. Why did the ancient Mayans create a 5,125-year "long count" calendar in the first place? And why were they so obsessed with the "Dark Rift" at the center of the Milky Way?

Predictions for the Present Day

From the Cumean Sybil in Rome, to the Hopi Indians, Nostradamus and Edgar Cayce, a confluence of warnings suggests that the mother of all cataclysms may strike in the 21st century. Here's a rundown of the forecasts, including Cayce's vision of coming tectonic shifts.

Did Alien Visitors Rescue Humans from a Past Extinction Event ?

When Erich von Daniken published his controversial book Chariots of the Gods in 1968, he didn't know about the predictions for 2012. Today, the possibility that aliens traveled here at the time of a previous mega-disaster takes on a whole new meaning.

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2012 Apocalypse?
History, Science, Mythology and Predictions
of a Potential Doomsday

Comet Strikes, the Great Flood and Other Past Cataclysms

Just as the legends about a Great Flood turned out to be true, climatologists now suspect other apocalyptic tales from antiquity may be based on hard reality, and not simply the active imagination of the storyteller.

Geologic Upheaval on Tap

There's a lot of talk about the dwindling population of polar bears, but global warming is just the prelude to other threats on the horizon. An ice age in the northern hemisphere, dead zones in the ocean, a surge of volcanism and earthquakes, as well as the release of deadly methane gases are already being tracked by university teams around the world.

Yellowstone and Long Valley Supervolcanoes Ready to Rumble

A caldera the size of Tokyo simmers fitfully beneath Yellowstone National Park. Geologists like Robert Smith and Bill McGuire have warned that when this supervolcano blows, life will never be the same on Earth. And it's only one of several cauldrons churning fitfully beneath the American west.

Next Peak in Sunspot Cycle: Is the Power Grid Safe?

In 1859 a massive solar flare struck the Earth's atmosphere, disabling the telegraph system and creating auroras along the equator. Now that the infrastructure of modern society is dependent on lightweight satellites and centralized power grids, a similar event could cripple entire countries for years. With the next peak in the sunspot cycle due to start in 2012, what's the plan?

Something Gamma This Way Comes

Is the reduction of solar wind allowing cosmic rays to breach the heliosphere? A Russian astrophysicist is adamant that the Earth and other planets are already feeling the heat from deep sapce. Meanwhile, 6,000 light years away, a star called WR104 looks like it's on the verge of exploding. Depending on the trajectory of the gamma ray burst, our planet could get soaked in acid rain and subjected to a nuclear winter. How do you prepare for something like that?

Compilation of 2012 Articles, DVDs, Books and Websites

The Mega-Disaster Planner

What is the 2012 Doomsday Prediction?