Crazies may be on the street shouting about this or that, but it’s nothing new….Here is a selection of some of history’s greatest apocalyptic whiffs.

634 BC – Many Romans believed that Romulus, the city’s founder, had been visited by 12 mystical eagles, and that each one represented 10 years of the lifespan of the city. The year 634 marked the 120th anniversary of Rome’s founding and, therefore, the year in which it would come to an end. And yet, Rome is still standing.

247 AD – The Roman crackdown on Christianity became so intense that it led many Christians to believe the violence was in fact the end days. …

1346-1351 AD – The Black Plague was interpreted by many as the end. …

1991 AD – Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan Muhammad Sr. said the Gulf War might actually be Armageddon. …

2012 AD – The end of the Mayan calendar–though more of it was discovered this year–causes many to believe that the world will end this year, though theorists are unclear on how. It makes for a very mediocre film with John Cusack.

SEE COMPLETE TEXT

  apocalypse, Apocalypses through history The world was supposed to end … often, Armageddon, John Cusac, Mayan calendar