The Three Recent Years the World May Have Ended

That’s right, these theories state that life as we, well… knew it, has ended. Humans have been predicting the end of the world for centuries and as each end date comes and goes, someone comes up with a new one. Now, many consider some predictions to have actually been correct. Not dates the world ended in an obvious terrifying apocalyptic event but instead flipping us into the Matrix or another dimension. We don’t have to go back very far to find the oldest date of this suggested phenomenon. 

#1- 1999

Just as the 2000s appeared on our calendars, life was over? If that were true the obvious questions arise: Why do we still exist and why do we remember the last 26 years?

Before I get to how the theory answers this question let’s look a little more at the theory itself. It gained popularity last year after several YouTube videos came out on the subject. Part of the origin of this concept begins with simple observation. Historically decades are marked by trends. Think of the Victorian Era, women in high neck dresses and floor length skirts, men in long coats and top hats dancing the evening away to a live quartet. The Roaring 20s, women with short hair and short dresses with fringe bottoms and men in tweed suits, caps and arm bands hitting the jazz scene in a speakeasy. With each decade hair, clothes, home decor, music and more come and go. This explanation doesn’t end with fashion. It also includes entertainment. It is true that most “new” movies and shows are remakes of popular old ones. Outside of this being proof the world ended, it is also suggested we have ran out of new ideas. For the most part however, Hollywood does math well. Any remake of any popular movie or show can pretty much guarantee a quick and easy profit. No worries, there’s one more fairly compelling reason to consider something pretty weird happened in 1999.

The death of The South African activist, Nelson Mandela in 2013 set off a worldwide response of confusion. Millions were shocked because they remembered him dying in 1999. Combining this belief to dozens of other beliefs such as how the Berenstain Bears is spelled and whether or not Curious George has a tail  became known as the Mandela Effect. 

For those who believe we never made it to the year 2000, Y2K actually did happen, just not the way we expected it to. 

#2- 2012

1999 isn’t the only year theorized to have been our last. 1999 initially became feared because of computerized calendars. 2012 however had multiple reasons for people to believe something could happen. The ending of the Mayan calendar was common knowledge, Nostradamus’ predictions were also well known (or at least their interpretations). Then there was the God Particle, officially the Higgs Particle. Without going into the depths of quantum physics, people believed that finding it would be a sign of the end  of the world. It was discovered at CERN in Geneva in… you guessed it, 2012. 

#3- 2020

Finally, the year the world might of ended despite no one predicting it would: 

This one is based on reflective observation. Looking back, many people are convinced that the events of the year that will have its own chapter in future classroom history books must have been the result of the end of life as we knew it. 2020 can be looked at in this way both figuratively and literally. The economic shifts, political shifts, and of course the COVID pandemic. 

But wait, if it ended, what are we seemingly living in? The offered options include a parallel universe, a time warp, and a holograph projected by Saturn. There’s one more and this one is straight up creepy. We’re living in a world created by AI- It’s not real, but it looks and feels real. Basically, the Matrix wasn’t a fictional movie. It was a warning. Oh, and it was released… in 1999.

Violet Wisdom