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

2. The New Messiah Of 1814

In 1792, Joanna Southcott, a self-proclaimed biblical prophetess, began claiming that she had been chosen to give birth to the new messiah Shiloh on the day of judgement. She claimed that she was the Woman of the Apocalypse, and delivered her prophecies in rhyme (which can't have been annoying in the slightest).

In 1814 she gave a pregnancy announcement that would put anyone's blurry ultrasound to shame. She claimed that, not only was she pregnant as a 64 year old virgin, but she was pregnant with the Messiah (reports are unconfirmed as to whether he was a very naughty boy), and would, rather unimaginatively, give birth to him on Christmas day.

Not one to miss out on a business opportunity, she began selling "seals of the Lord" at a guinea each (a lot of money in those days) which were essentially tickets to heaven for the 144,000 people who would supposedly be granted eternal life.

Amazingly, come Christmas of 1814, Joanna Southcott did actually die but, upon closer examination, it became apparent that she wasn't even pregnant. Her followers are said to have kept her body in expectancy that she would rise from the dead. She didn't, and they presumably had to give up when she began to stink the place out.