Doomsayers have been predicting the planet’s demise for centuries. However, a forecast originating in 1960 is rooted in solid mathematics – and the specified date is this year. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Comments
Projections of the world’s end are nothing new, with accounts stretching as far back as roughly 4,800 years ago. An ancient Assyrian scribe bemoaned a perceived decline in youthful morals, which he interpreted as indicating imminent societal ruin.
Numerous of these final-day proclamations have come from religious leaders, such as Jewish figure Simon bar Giora, who foresaw the end around 70AD, or South African clergyman Joshua Mhlakela, who pinpointed last October for its arrival.
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Nonetheless, not every calamitous prediction lacks a foundation in science. A forecast made about 65 years back has received backing from certain quarters of the scientific world.
In November 1960, the scientific publication “Science” featured a study by three scholars from the University of Illinois, cautioning about a possible worldwide disaster on Friday, November 13, 2026.
Heinz von Foerster, Patricia M. Mora, and Lawrence W. Amiot reached their disturbing inference by studying patterns in Western civilization over the preceding century.
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The trio’s depiction of catastrophe did not involve atomic warfare, asteroid impact, or a massive volcanic event, but instead a fundamental concern: overpopulation.
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They concluded that medical advancements were driving a significant rise in global population expansion. Foerster, Mora, and Amiot anticipated that the increasing number of inhabitants would “approach infinity” at some juncture this year – leading to a circumstance where food resources would be dramatically insufficient.
Roughly three billion individuals populated the globe in 1960, yet as 2026 commences, there are now in excess of eight billion, without any signal that growth is slowing down. Current estimates propose that the crucial time when global population begins to diminish will transpire around 2080.
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In 1798, British economist Thomas Malthus warned that humankind would inevitably experience food scarcities: “Famine seems to be the last, the most dreadful resource of nature. The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man, that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race.”
He remarked that whilst population increases exponentially, food production increases arithmetically. Nevertheless, Malthus has so far been proven incorrect, with agricultural breakthroughs successfully accommodating the requirements of a constantly growing global population.
Regardless of the likelihood, a number of affluent people are preparing for potential end-of-days scenarios. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, presently holding the sixth position on the Forbes rich list, has invested $187 million (£139m) in securing 1,600 acres of Hawaiian territory.
Reports indicate he is building an extravagant ranch featuring a 5,000-square-foot underground shelter, complete with self-sufficient energy and food supplies.
Similarly, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has spent $147m (£109m) on a couple of properties on Indian Creek Island in Florida. Meanwhile, tech mogul Larry Ellison has acquired almost the entirety of Lanai, a small Hawaiian island close to Maui.
Whilst undoubtedly scenic, these places would also prove strategically beneficial should a devastating “Malthusian crisis” materialise – the kind portrayed in dystopian sci-fi films, which routinely degenerate into fierce food competitions or widespread cannibalism.