In the 1840s, a group known as the Millerites believed the end of the world was imminent. They gathered on a mountain and waited for Christ to appear, Gardner said. When Jesus did not appear the first time, they simply reset the date, Gardner said. People are overburdened. They feel in their psyche alonging for something more eternal.
People have a fascination with the unknown, with where they are going and from where they came.
Looking for the end of the world is a way of seeking answers, she said. Some believe that computers will shut down on New Year's Day 2000 and wreak havoc on the world. The possibility that the world will descend into chaos because of a technological glitch reaffirms this belief, Gardner said. Even some survivalists who don't expect the Earth to literally end see the year 2000 as a turning point in history, Bartsch said. The end of the first millennium wasn't as big a deal, Gardner said.