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Debunking the 66-year-old doomsday theory
Will the world end on 13 Nov 2026?
Published : Saturday, 7 November, 2026 at 11:39 AM
Observer Online Report
Symbolic Photo
A 1966-year-old mathematical projection published in the prestigious journal Science has resurfaced, sparking renewed public interest as its purported "doomsday date" of 13 November 2026 approaches.
The prediction was originally made in 1960 by Austrian-born American cyberneticist Heinz von Foerster alongside his colleagues Patricia M. Mora and Lawrence W. Amiot. Utilizing two millennia of demographic statistics, the researchers posited that exponential population growth would reach an infinite asymptote by the mid-twenty-first century, theoretically triggering a global collapse driven by overpopulation.
Theory gained traction before faltering in the 1990s
The bold hypothesis initially generated widespread discussion, featuring prominently in Time and The New York Times, while sparking intense debates among mathematicians and demographers.
Remarkably, the equation tracked demographic trends accurately through the 1970s and 1980s, earning a place in various textbooks and finding citation in both a 1963 Canadian parliamentary committee and a 1971 US Supreme Court abortion ruling, as reported by The Independent.
However, demographers noted that the prediction began deviating from reality around 1993, as global population growth rates slowed significantly below the projected curve. Western University Professor Alan MacEachern subsequently debunked the underlying mechanics, demonstrating that declining global birth rates—which have currently dropped to slightly less than half of 1960 levels—invalidate the apocalyptic timeline, rendering the 13 November doomsday claim entirely baseless.
Historical context of Cold War-era doomsday theories
The 1960s were characterized by a proliferation of apocalyptic models. Among them was former US Air Force serviceman and UFO researcher Chan Thomas's book The Adam and Eva Story, which hypothesized that cyclical disruption in Earth's magnetic poles occurring every 6,000 years could trigger global cataclysms.
The manuscript, long classified by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) due to its sensitive nature concerning Earth crust displacement theories, was ultimately declassified and released to the public in 2013, adding to the historical archive of speculative theories from the era.
-SA
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, 01550707296
E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]. [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], Online-email: [email protected]
