Renowned British scientist Sir Isaac Newton, the father of modern physics and astronomy, predicted the world would end in 2060 in a 1704 letter. His letter was exhibited in a show in Jerusalem on Sunday.
Newton while writing his science theories, he got a royal exemption from the ordination in the Church of England, which was normally expected of academics of his day, so he would not be restricted to follow its teachings. But Newton nevertheless based his prediction about the ending of the world on a Biblical text.
He based his findings in the Book of Daniel, he argued that the world will end 1,260 years after the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe in 800 A.D.
The letter, which is on show at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, is part of an exhibition titled “Newton’s Secrets”. It is part of a group of papers of the British Scientist bequeathed to the institution by a wealthy collector of scientific manuscripts.
The university said it was the first time the letter had been put on public show since 1969.
Newton's late 17th century work at Cambridge University was the foundation stone of modern science until the discovery of relativity and quantum mechanics in the last century.
But it has long been known that the ground-breaking physicist from Grantham, England, also took a keen interest in superstitions of his day that have long since fallen foul of modern science.
Newton also spent four years in the 1670s preparing a work on alchemy, with a belief that he can turn base metals into gold.
There has been number of theories that the world will end soon, it will end one day but whether it will be in this century or not, there is no clear evidence. Do you believe this Newton’s prediction?