O
E ND It’s th e
H T F
W E
As We Kno D L wI OR t. YouGov, a UK-based market research firm, asked:
“What would you do with your last year on Earth?”
..
Just Try, Try Again Apocalyptic theories have existed in the past When: 1954 Who: Dorothy Martin (alias “Marian Keech”) 21 What: Martin claimed to be in contact with a planet, Clarion. The messages she received stated that the world would end by a great flood before dawn on Dec. 21. Martin and her group of believers were to be rescued by a flying saucer, which they awaited for multiple days. December
Party, party, party
Quit my job or end my schooling and relax Travel abroad and see the world
6%
7%
22%
51%
Spend time with my loved ones
When: 2011 Who: Harold Camping What: Camping calculated that on May 21, 21 “Judgment Day,” about 207 million people would leave the Earth. Then, he claimed that in the five months following, the world would witness many natural disasters until its final end on Oct. 21, 2011. May
YOUGOV / SOURCE
Fact vs. Fiction Some of the common misconceptions regarding Dec. 21, 2012 Myth: The Mayans predicted that the world would end.
“WHEN PROPHECY FAILS,” TIME / SOURCE
December
21
Sound Off Comedians share their thoughts regarding failed predictions and prophecies
Myth: Dec. 21, 2012 is the exact date the “long count” ends.
21
But wait, there’s more.
Comedian Jay Leno The world was supposed to end last Saturday, but at the last minute, it was picked up for another season. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel CREATIVE COMMONS / PHOTOS
Fine Dec. 4, 2012
n d
CURIOUS.ASTRO.CORNELL.EDU / SOURCE
Go online to hilite.org and take our poll. Will the world end on Dec. 21, 2012?
The rapture-predicting preacher, Harold Camping, is really scaling back his predictions. He now predicts the end of the month will be May 31.
December
ee l IF
Reality: Mayan scholars disagree about when the current Mayan “long count” started. Most say the starting date is either Aug. 11 or 13 3114 B.C., making the ending date either Dec. 21 or 23, 2012.
...A
Reality: The Mayans never predicted an apocalyptic date. For long time scales, Mayans used the “long count,” which is the Mayan equivalent of an epoch and is about 5125.26 years. However, there are Mayan names for even longer periods of time, so it is still misleading to claim that the Mayan calendar definitively ends on Dec. 21, 2012.
MELINDA SONG / GRAPHIC YOUGOV, HISTORY CHANNEL, TIME / SOURCES
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