The 10 upcoming doomsdays you should keep an eye on are more than just sensational headlines; they are steeped in centuries‑old prophecy, scientific speculation, and cultural lore. Whether you’re a skeptic, a believer, or simply curious about when the calendar might finally run out, this rundown gives you the dates, the backstories, and the dramatic flair you need to plan (or at least to impress at parties).

10 Upcoming Doomsdays You Can’t Ignore

10. The Great Tribulation 2017

Biblical scholars who focus on the end‑times argue that the Great Tribulation will be humanity’s darkest era, a seven‑year stretch of unimaginable suffering that directly precedes the final judgment. Their calculations zero in on the autumn of 2017 as the kickoff point, based on a complex web of scriptural cross‑references and historical milestones tied to Jerusalem.

The timeline hinges on a series of “Jubilee” cycles—each lasting fifty years and symbolizing divine forgiveness and renewal. In 1217, Rabbi Judah Ben Samuel foretold that the Turks would dominate Jerusalem for eight Jubileys. The first Jubilee began that very year, the second in 1517 (the Turkish invasion), and the eighth in 1917 when the Turks were expelled during Hanukkah. The ninth Jubilee saw the city become a British‑mandated “no‑man’s‑land,” and the tenth culminated in 2017, marking fifty years since Israel reclaimed full sovereignty over Jerusalem.

According to the rabbi’s chronology, 2017 closes the tenth Jubilee, ushering in the final phase where the Jewish people would rule over the Holy Land and the ultimate “end of days” would arrive. This date also aligns with two Jubilees after the Balfour Declaration and sits 70 years—a biblical generation—after the UN’s 1947 Partition Plan. In short, for those who read the signs, 2017 was the calendar’s most ominous checkpoint.

9. The Ninth Prediction 2018

The Hopi, a Native American nation rooted in Arizona’s high desert, have a prophetic tradition that stretches back centuries. In 1958, Hopi elder White Feather shared a series of visions with minister David Young, some of which have already unfolded, while the final trio remain unfulfilled.

The first six predictions—white‑skinned men, “spinning wheels filled with voices,” a buffalo‑like beast, iron snakes, a giant spiderweb, and rivers of stone—have corresponded to European colonization, modern cattle farming, railways, telecommunications, and highways. The remaining three are more cryptic: a blackened sea, long‑haired youths seeking Indigenous wisdom, and a “blue star” that will crash from the heavens, heralding the end of Hopi ceremonies.

Interpretations diverge. Some see the “blue star” as a comet destined to strike Earth, while others argue it could be the re‑entry of China’s Tiangong‑1 space lab, a defunct orbital laboratory that lost contact in 2016 and is slated to plunge back to Earth in October 2018. If the latter proves true, humanity will have a few more months before the final celestial omen allegedly foretold by White Feather.

8. The Second Coming 2020

Psychic legend Jeane Dixon, famed for advising Presidents Nixon and Reagan, penned a prophetic tome in 1973 titled The Call to Glory. Within its pages she claimed that 2020 would mark the opening act of the world’s end, announced by a global voice proclaiming, “It is done.” This utterance, she said, would signal Christ’s Second Coming and a celestial battle with Satan that would continue until 2037.

As with many clairvoyants, Dixon’s track record is spotty. The phenomenon of dismissing a prophet’s failed forecasts has even been dubbed the “Jeane Dixon Effect.” Dixon herself argued that the visions were always accurate, merely misinterpreted, turning every missed prediction into a lesson in perspective rather than a flaw in foresight.

Regardless of the controversy, Dixon’s influence endures, reminding us that even the most confident seers can miss the mark—yet their narratives continue to shape apocalyptic imagination.

7. The Second Coming (Again) 2021

If you prefer a biblical calculator over a crystal ball, F. Kenton Beshore—a former president of the World Bible Society—offers a different timeline. He asserts that Armageddon must unfold by 2021 at the latest, basing his claim on the parable of the fig tree: a farmer, frustrated by a barren tree, is persuaded by a farmhand to wait another year before cutting it down.

While most interpret the fig tree as a metaphor for God granting humanity a final chance, Beshore reads it as a direct reference to Israel. He argues that the “one‑generation‑after‑founding” rule points to a decisive event in 2021, with the actual climactic battle slated for 2028—when Jesus, according to Beshore, returns to confront Satan.

In Beshore’s view, the chaotic period begins in 2021, giving believers a short window to prepare for the ultimate showdown that will decide the fate of the world.

6. World‑Killing Asteroid 2026

The Messiah Foundation International, a syncretic spiritual movement blending Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism, warns that scientists have identified a massive asteroid on a collision course with Earth in 2026. While mainstream astronomers claim we’ll have the technology to deflect or destroy the rock, the foundation insists the impact is inevitable and will signal the final apocalypse.

According to the group, the impact will summon a pantheon of saviors: Jesus, the Messiah (as defined by the foundation), the Islamic Mahdi, and the Hindu Kalki Avatar. Their leader, Ra Riaz Gohar Shahi, claims he himself will appear among these figures—despite still being alive—to guide humanity through the cataclysm.

In short, the foundation paints 2026 as the year humanity faces a literal cosmic hammer, with divine intervention as the only hope for those deemed worthy.

5. Newton’s Prediction 2060

When you think of Sir Isaac Newton, you picture apples, gravity, and the Principia. Few recall that the 17th‑century genius was also a devout Christian who believed the Bible concealed a timetable for the world’s demise.

Newton’s calculations, rooted in Revelation’s “time, times, and half a time,” translated a prophetic 1,260‑day period into years. Working backward, he identified the year 800 as the start of papal corruption, a span that would culminate in 2060. In his view, the era of ecclesiastical decay would run its full course, triggering the final judgment.

Newton warned that while the world could end later than 2060, there was “no reason” to expect a sooner conclusion—ironically a modest hope amid his otherwise apocalyptic forecast.

4. Islamic Second Coming 2129

Abrahamic traditions share a common lineage, but each adds its own dramatic flair. Islamic eschatology, drawn from a series of hadiths, envisions a multi‑stage apocalypse that will climax around 2129, according to scholar Said Nursi.

The narrative begins with widespread oppression of Muslims, prompting the Mahdi—the awaited redeemer—to unite the faithful. This sets the stage for the return of a prophetic figure, many interpret as Jesus, who will “break the cross and kill the swine,” symbolizing a sweeping reform of Christian doctrine and a revival of original Judeo‑Islamic law.

Nursi’s timeline culminates in cataclysmic events: earthquakes, fire, and a one‑eyed beast battling the Messiah as Gog and Magog descend upon the Earth. All of these signs, he argues, will converge in the year 2129, sealing humanity’s fate.

3. Messiah Clock 2239

Jewish tradition holds that the Messiah will arrive before the ultimate Sabbath—a day of eternal peace. In the 18th century, Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna devised a “Messiah Clock,” a symbolic countdown that maps biblical days onto millennia.

According to his calculation, each 1,000 years equals a single day to God. Six days of creation translate to six thousand years of human history, meaning the seventh day—the Sabbath—will commence at sunset on September 30, 2239. The clock therefore predicts that the Messiah must appear before that celestial sunset, giving humanity a definitive deadline.

However, the promise of everlasting harmony is conditional: only those who actively work toward the Messiah’s arrival will be admitted to the eternal celebration. Passive believers risk being left out of the final divine party.

2. Quran Code 2280

Egyptian biochemist Rashad Khalifa claimed, in the 1970s, that the Qur’an hides a mathematical key—the number 19—that unlocks its eschatological secrets. By cataloguing letter frequencies, verse counts, and numeric patterns, he argued that 19 is the divine cipher governing the holy text.

Evidence he cited includes the first verse of the Qur’an containing exactly 19 letters, the same count appearing in the opening verse of the final revelation, and a series of 19‑year intervals between significant textual edits. He also noted that the total verses (6,346) equal 334 × 19, reinforcing the pattern.

From these calculations, Khalifa projected the world’s end to 2280, describing a cataclysmic horn that will crush Earth and heavens, followed by the creation of a second Earth and Heaven for believers. Ironically, Khalifa’s own death—murdered in 1990—was later linked to the number 19, as his killer was extradited and convicted on December 19, 2012.

1. Sermon Of The Seven Suns Circa 84517

Buddhism, renowned for its teachings on compassion and rebirth, also contains a dramatic vision of the world’s ultimate demise—the Sermon of the Seven Suns. According to tradition, the original Buddha foretold that his teachings would be forgotten 5,000 years after his death, around AD 4517, when humanity would descend into selfishness.

After a period of moral decay, a future Buddha named Maitreya will re‑establish the Dharma, but not before a cascade of seven suns appears. The first sun dries up all plant life; the second extinguishes animal life; the third, fourth, and fifth evaporate rivers, lakes, and oceans respectively. The sixth sun triggers violent volcanic eruptions, and the seventh ignites the Earth itself, reducing it to ash.

Believers maintain that enlightenment and Nirvana can spare individuals from this fiery finale, provided they achieve true awakening before the seventh sun’s blaze—an arduous but theoretically possible path for the devoted.

When you think of the Gregorian calendar, you probably picture the smooth, 365‑day year we all rely on today. Yet the path to that tidy system was anything but smooth. The world has endured a series of wildly inventive calendar tweaks—some that added whole weeks, others that erased days entirely. In this roundup of the 10 bizarre calendar adjustments, we’ll travel from medieval Rome to modern Saudi Arabia, uncovering the strange ways societies have reshaped time itself.

Why 10 Bizarre Calendar Changes Matter

10 Most Of Europe Lost Ten Days After Adopting The Gregorian Calendar In 1582

The Julian calendar reigned across Europe before 1582. Devised by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, it was meant to fix the chaotic Roman system, yet it introduced its own slip‑up. Its average year stretched to 365.25 days thanks to an extra day every four years, while the true solar year is only 365.24219 days long. That tiny 11‑minute‑14‑second discrepancy piled up over centuries, leaving the calendar about ten days ahead by the sixteenth century.

This drift threw a wrench into the calculation of Christian holidays, especially Easter, which depends on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. With the Julian calendar lagging behind the Sun, Easter was arriving earlier than intended.

In the 1500s, Pope Gregory XIII tapped astronomer Christopher Clavius to devise a reform, building on a suggestion by physician Luigi Lilio. Their work birthed the Gregorian calendar. When it was rolled out in 1582, the Pope urged Catholic nations to skip ten days to realign with the Sun. Several kingdoms obeyed, leaping from October 4 straight to October 15, effectively erasing a decade of dates.

9 Sweden Had A February 30 In 1712

Sweden’s first foray into the Gregorian system turned into a chronological fiasco, producing the only recorded February 30. In the late 1600s, the Swedish Empire decided to transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar, but rather than discard eleven days in one go, it opted to omit every leap day from 1700 to 1740, effectively eliminating February 29 for those years.

By 1708, however, the plan had gone awry: only the 1700 leap day had been skipped, leaving Sweden out of sync with both the Julian and Gregorian reckonings. Faced with a choice—add a day to re‑join the Julian calendar or drop ten days to catch up with the Gregorian—the Swedes chose the former.

Consequently, in 1712 Sweden tacked an extra day onto an already leap year, extending February to a full 30 days. The nation finally completed its calendar overhaul in 1753, this time skipping eleven days and moving from February 17 straight to March 1.

8 Britain Lost 11 Days In 1752

While most of Europe made the Gregorian jump in October 1582, Britain clung to the Julian calendar until September 1752. The Calendar (New Style) Act of 1750, passed two years earlier, finally forced the change.

The transition began in 1751 with a peculiar 282‑day year: the year started on March 25 (the Julian New Year) and wrapped up on December 31 under the Gregorian system. Yet Britain still lagged eleven days behind its continental neighbors, so the solution was to skip from September 2 straight to September 14, 1752.

The move sparked heated debate. Some stories claim crowds shouted, “Give us our eleven days!” while others recount a fellow named William Willett who wagered he could dance continuously for twelve days and nights, starting on September 2 and halting on the morning of September 14—winning his bet. Concerns also flared that the calendar cut eleven days off everyone’s lives, and that the reform might be a covert Catholic plot. To safeguard tax revenue, the British government shifted the fiscal year’s start from March 25 to April 5.

7 Saudi Arabia’s Government Workers Lost Pay Due To A Calendar Switch

The Islamic Hijri calendar runs on a 354‑day cycle, broken into twelve months of 29 or 30 days, making it roughly eleven days shorter than the Gregorian year. This mismatch created logistical headaches for Saudi Arabia, whose international trade partners all operate on the Gregorian system.

In a cost‑cutting move, the Saudi government decided to adopt the Gregorian calendar for payroll purposes beginning October 1, 2016. The switch meant that public sector employees effectively lost eleven days of work and, consequently, eleven days of wages. Private‑sector workers were untouched, as they already adhered to the Gregorian calendar for business.

6 Russia Had Valentine’s Day Right After January 31

In November 1917, the Bolsheviks launched a revolution that would topple the Russian monarchy. While the civil war raged on, the new regime set its sights on modernising the nation’s timekeeping, replacing the Julian calendar with the more contemporary Gregorian system.

By the time the switch was ready, the Julian calendar lagged thirteen days behind the Sun. Initially, Bolshevik officials toyed with the idea of shaving a single day off each year for thirteen years, but they ultimately decided on a single, decisive jump.

Thus, on January 31, 1918, the calendar leapt forward to February 14, 1918—effectively placing Valentine’s Day immediately after the month’s end. This abrupt change also explains why the 1917 uprising is still called the “October Revolution,” as it occurred in late October according to the Julian calendar.

5 Ancient Rome Had A 445‑Day Year

Before Julius Caesar’s sweeping reforms, Rome relied on a lunar calendar overseen by priestly astronomers. Initially, this calendar comprised ten months and a 304‑day year, running from March to December. Later, January and February were appended, stretching the year to between 354 and 355 days.

These priests tried to keep the calendar aligned with the Moon, but their observations were often inaccurate. Superstitions led them to avoid leap years, and corruption crept in as officials accepted bribes to lengthen or shorten years at will. When the discrepancy became severe, an extra intercalary month—called Intercalaris or Mercedonius—was inserted.

When Julius Caesar finally introduced the Julian calendar to fix these problems, he faced a backlog of missing days. To reconcile the calendar, he ordered an extraordinary 15‑month year in 46 BC, stretching the year to a whopping 445 days by inserting two extra months between November and December. Historians still refer to 46 BC as “the year of confusion.”

4 France Destroyed The Entire Calendar In 1793

The French Revolution sparked a radical overhaul of many societal institutions, including the way time was measured. On November 24, 1793, revolutionaries rolled out the French Revolutionary (or Republican) calendar, aiming to sever ties between church and state.

This new system retained twelve months but standardized each to thirty days, adding five or six “sans‑culottides” at year‑end to keep the calendar in sync. Weeks vanished; each month was divided into three “decades” of ten days, with citizens working nine days and resting on the tenth.

Problems quickly surfaced. The limited rest days—just three per month—proved insufficient for laborers. Moreover, the calendar’s start date was tied to the autumnal equinox, which can fall anywhere between September 22 and 24, meaning the government could shift the new year arbitrarily. In fact, they declared September 22, 1792 as the start of Year 1, even though the calendar wasn’t introduced until November 1793, effectively skipping a Year 1.

Leap‑year rules also went awry: the calendar designated leap years on odd‑numbered years 3, 7, and 11, contradicting the proclaimed “every fourth year” principle. France finally abandoned the Revolutionary calendar on January 1, 1806, briefly resurrecting it again during the 1871 Paris Commune.

3 The Soviet Union Also Destroyed The Calendar In 1929

Following France’s example, the Soviet Union under Stalin launched its own calendar experiment in 1929, known as the nepreryvka or “uninterrupted” week. Built on the Gregorian foundation, this system compressed the traditional seven‑day week into five working days, eliminating Saturdays and Sundays.

Each day was identified by a Roman numeral or a distinct colour, and citizens received tokens indicating their designated day off. Workers thus laboured for four days and rested on the fifth.

However, the arrangement quickly fractured families: spouses, children, and friends often found themselves on different rest days, making coordinated family time impossible. The government attempted to align household days, but the effort failed.

In response, the USSR introduced a six‑day “chestidnevki” week on November 23, 1931, where citizens worked five days and rested on the sixth. This change backfired, as overworked machinery broke down and productivity plummeted. The Soviet Union finally reverted to the standard Gregorian calendar in June 1940.

2 We’ll Need To Remove An Extra Day From The Gregorian Calendar In 4909

The Gregorian calendar, while a massive improvement over its predecessor, still isn’t perfectly aligned with the solar year. Its average year length of 365.2425 days falls short of the true solar year of 365.24219 days by roughly 26 seconds each year.

Those 26 seconds may seem trivial, but they accumulate over millennia. By the year 4909, the discrepancy will amount to an entire day, meaning the calendar will be a day ahead of the Earth’s position in its orbit.

When that moment arrives, humanity will need to excise a day from the calendar—perhaps by declaring a “reverse leap year” and shortening February to just 27 days in 4909. Until then, we’ll continue to enjoy the Gregorian system, albeit with a tiny, growing error.

1 The Revised Julian Calendar Will Have No Leap Year In 2800

Although the original Julian calendar fell out of general use, it lives on within the Eastern Orthodox Church for determining liturgical dates. Serbian astronomer Milutin Milanković refined it in 1923, creating the Revised Julian calendar, which synchronizes closely with the Gregorian calendar while boasting an even smaller error—just two seconds per year.

Despite its precision, the Revised Julian calendar isn’t immune to drift. In the year 2800, it will diverge from the Gregorian system because it will not observe a leap year that the Gregorian calendar does. While the Gregorian calendar will add a February 29 in 2800, the Revised Julian calendar will treat 2800 as a common year, omitting the extra day.

This subtle difference underscores the fact that no calendar can be perfectly eternal; even the most accurate systems eventually require adjustment.