In entertaining and sharp prose, historian Sharan Newman explores theories of world destruction from ancient times up to the present day; theories which reveal as much about human nature as they do about the predominant historical, scientific and religious beliefs of the time. Readers will find the answers to many questions, including: did the Mayans really say the world will end in 2012? When did Nostradamus predict that the last days would come? Does the I Ching reference 2012? And why didn't the world end in Y2K?