Earthquake. Terrorist attack. Major catastrophes. When these happen, people often begin to question where the world is heading. Speculation and fear about the future can give rise to predictions of impending doom. In this seedbed of uncertainty, rumors about such things can gain credence.
I will remember such a time—years ago—when I was living in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. A rumor, based on the predictions of the 16th-century French doctor and astrologist Nostradamus, began to circulate. The rumor was that on a certain date, at a certain time, the entire city would be struck by an immense tidal wave.
It sounded crazy. And I thought no one would believe it. But to my amazement, the rumor spread. People cited world calamities that had "come true" in keeping with similar prophecies by this and other visionaries. People even argued that the city's doom had been prophesied in the Biblical books of Daniel and Revelation. Some people believed the tidal-wave prediction so strongly that they scheduled trips out of town for that date, or actually sold their homes.
