Sir Isaac Newton is a well-known scientist. He is famous for establishing the laws of gravity and is considered the father of modern physics and calculus. Interestingly, he also attempted to predict the end of the world using mathematics. According to his calculations, the world is supposed to end by 2060, which means we have less than 40 years left.

Isaac Newton Predicted The World Will End In 2060

Newton's passion for science was extraordinary, and he was often described as a mad professor. He was willing to risk his eyesight to conduct experiments, like putting a needle in his eye to study light or observing a solar eclipse for an extended period to understand its effects on our eyes. Some might call him a little crazy, but no one disputes his undeniable brilliance.

Even though he is renowned for his contributions to mathematics, his true passion was alchemy. He dedicated much of his time to studying it, attempting to create something like the philosopher's stone from Harry Potter, which could transform materials into gold or multiply gold. He also used his alchemy studies to make predictions about the end of the world. Based on his calculations, the world is destined to meet a fiery end in the year 2060.

Why 2060?

Newton delved deeply into biblical and religious texts. Using these writings and combining them with mathematics, he attempted to predict the timing of the world's end or, as he called it, "when the kingdom of God would prevail on Earth." He saw it as a reset rather than a complete destruction of the world. Nevertheless, his predictions don't seem to suggest a pleasant outcome for any humans living on Earth during that period.

"Newton spent a great deal of time with the study of religious texts and tried to build a chronology of past events to get all those stories sorted and into . . . Order," Florian Freistetter wrote in his book Isaac Newton: The Asshole Who Reinvented The Universe. "He was convinced that future events were already ordained by God. From the Bible, Newton extracted some 'prophetic' time periods. For him, 2060 [would be] a new beginning; maybe accompanied by war and catastrophes but ultimately the start of a new divine era."

In March 1727, Newton passed away. Back then, predicting the world's end nearly 300 years later didn't seem like a big deal; it was a distant future. However, now we are less than 40 years away from that supposed date, which has raised concerns for some.

Not The First Doomsday Predictions

Isaac Newton is not the first to predict the end of days. In 1999, there was the Y2K scare when many believed the world would end at the turn of the millennium. The Mayans also had a prediction-gone-wrong when their calendar ended in 2012, leading some to believe it meant the end of the world. Nevertheless, it is now believed that the Mayan calendar simply stopped because their civilization came to an end, and the writers may have grown weary.

Unlike these other predictions based on beliefs, Newton's forecast was grounded in science and mathematics. He made this prediction in 1704 and jotted it down on what seems to be a scrap of paper, much like his other experiment results and research notes. While many of those scraps were lost over time, some wonder if this particular one was preserved for a reason.

The Basis of His Theory

Isaac Newton's theory is rooted in the Bible's book of Daniel. According to his belief, doomsday would occur precisely 1260 years after the Holy Roman Empire was formed. Additionally, he claimed that the world would only end after the Jews returned to the Holy Lands, which happened in 1948 with the establishment of Israel. Newton also suggested that while the end might come later, it certainly wouldn't occur before 2060.

Is any of this accurate? Well, nobody can say for sure. Part of his prediction is based on the Bible, which means you need to have some level of belief in its teachings to accept Newton's theory. So instead of dwelling on when the world might end, perhaps we should concentrate on living well and making the world a better place while we still have the chance.