8 Insane Doomsday Predictions That (Unsurprisingly) Didn't Happen

4. The Second Great Flood

In 1499, Johannes Stöffler the German mathematician and astronomer, calculated that the world would disappear on February 20th, 1524 beneath a vast flood, the like of which hadn't been seen since the time of Noah.

His assertions were based on breathtakingly complex calculation of planetary movements which revealed that 1524 would see 20 different planetary conjunctions, 16 of which would be under the "water" sign, Pisces. Presumably this is where he got the idea of a flood from, thank god it wasn't a fire sign.

Far from dismissing the theory as cracked, more than 100 different pamphlets were published in Europe supporting Stöffler's predictions and boat builders suddenly found that business was booming. A German nobleman named Count von Iggleheim even built a three-storey ark on the Rhine.

When the day came, crowds gathered around the ark, hoping for a life-saving seat and, as a light rain began to fall, a riot broke out. By the end of the day Count von Iggleheim had been stoned to death, Johannes Stöffler's reputation was ruined, and the light rain cleared up without further incident.