Until the End of the World Trivia Quiz

Answer: Doomsday

The Science and Security board of "The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists" move the hands of the clock based on how they interpret the current condition of the world. It was first set in 1947 at seven minutes to midnight. Since then it has been shifted back and forth. The farthest it was from midnight was in 1991 at 17 minutes. It stayed there until 1995, a calm-seeming period. In 2020, the clock was set at 100 seconds to midnight.

Tick tock, goes the clock...

Answer: Mayan

The Mayan Calendar started August 11, 3114 BCE and ended December 21, 2012. While the Aztec calendar was based on the Mayan calendar, they were not the same. The calendar was based on a 5,126-year cycle and there were some loud voices that attempted to predict that there would be a spiritual or physical transformation to the human race. Mayans, however, pointed out that the calendar was merely that, and calendars cycle back to the beginning.

On December 21, 2012, when everybody woke up, the world was unchanged.

Answer: Rapture

The verses in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 describe a second coming of Christ. The Koine Greek word used specifically is 'harpazo' which means 'to be snatched away'. A modern view, not shared by many, is that the second coming of Christ will have all of the believers snatched up into the clouds to meet their saviour, a sort of rapture. They see it as a way to unite their souls with God at the end of days.

Many people, Christians included, do not subscribe to this interpretation as it leaves behind many in a state of tribulation.

Answer: Asteroid impact

In the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, there is sufficient geological evidence to support the cause of extinction of about 75% of the world's flora and fauna species as an asteroid impact. The crater in the Yucatán Peninsula, Chicxulub, has been studied and is almost certain to have been the cause of widespread death and destruction.

As a cause of the impact, ecological collapse was experienced not only on the land, but also in the waters around the globe. Drastic environmental changes meant that only the most adaptive of species could continue to exist. Many of the dinosaurs were wiped out and the ones that did survive were mostly avian. It, however, provided an opportunity for other species to take over what was left of the devastated planet leading to the rise of the Age of Mammals and the coming of humans.

So, say thanks, okay?

Answer: Y2K

Computers originally had the date coded as a two-digit number and the century was implied. At the time it was 19. When the year was to transition to 2000, the problem was that the year 00 would come well before 99. People then concluded that this would cause all sorts of chaos and many tech companies began creating patches and outright solutions to the problem. This problem was called Y2K, as in the 'year 2000 problem'. I remember that there was a concern that nuclear power plants would melt down because of this.

A relatively uninhabited island in Hawai'i was set forward to December 31, 1999, so that people could see what would happen. Unremarkably, not a lot. When people woke up safely on January 1, 2000, or when they realized that their celebrating at midnight had not been interrupted, the Y2K crisis was over.

Just wait until 2038... that's when the next digital crisis is set to happen.

Answer: Higgs boson

According to famed physicist Stephen Hawking, the Higgs boson, also referred to as the 'God particle', was described as having "the potential to destroy the universe". The Higgs boson was a much-debated elementary particle that was theorized in 1964 and discovered in 2012. It is very massive, meaning it has the potential to carry a lot of energy. Hawking proposed that the particle at very high energy could collapse upon itself and create a rapidly-expanding vacuum that would suck into it all of the universe.

Indeed, that would really suck. Good thing it didn't happen.

Answer: Battle

The word "Armageddon" itself refers to the Hebrew place "Har Meggido", which means the Mountain of Meggido. In the Book of Revelation, the plains next to Mount Meggido is the place where two armies will meet and battle at the end of days. According to some Christian scholars and traditions, this is where God's enemies, with Satan at their head, will fight against the believers, and Christ will return to give them strength.

In the Muslim tradition, the Armageddon battle will be as a result of Christians and Muslims working together, but then a religious division will cause them to turn on each other causing a greater battle. The forces of evil will be led by Dajjal (essentially like an Antichrist), and they will be met by the force led by a descendant of Isa (Jesus).

In my opinion, war is bad, and we can avoid the end of days by just getting along!

Answer: REM

"It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" was first released as a single in 1987 by the American alt-rock band REM. It was their second single off of their album "Document" after they had found some success with "The One I Love". It managed to get to number 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, however, a re-release in 1991 saw more success for the song. The Covid-19 pandemic also saw a resurgence of downloads of the song.

The song lyrics contain four names that all have the initials L.B. Song writer Michael Stipe said that the initials came to him in a dream where he was at a party with people with those initials.

At least we now know the soundtrack for the end of the world.

Answer: Electromagnetic pulse

A targeted attack on technology would leave the world in chaos. Financial systems would collapse, the power grid would shut down, communications would be impacted; in short, a return to the Stone Age might be a good comparison, only most modern humans would not be as adept as our ancient ancestors at manufacturing and using tools. The cybergeddon scenario combines elements of cyber terrorism, large-scale hacking, and electronic warfare. The Defense Technical Information Center has weighed the causes and thinks that a nuclear-induced electromagnetic pulse (EMP) would be the most likely cause of cybergeddon.

Possibly the worst problem with cybergeddon is that you would not be able to access Funtrivia.

Answer: 5 billion years

Not to create worldwide terror and bring on an age of anarchy with this quiz, but, yes, in about 5 billion years, the Sun, indeed that same Sun that gives us life on Earth, will reach the red giant stage of its existence. However, life on Earth may end well before the Sun ever gets to that stage. There are natural ice ages that the Earth goes through, the core of the planet will eventually cool off creating a much colder Earth and change the magnetic field around the planet, the axis of the Earth will wobble more and more eventually reaching up to 90 degrees, there may be a shortage of carbon dioxide on the planet as silicon overtakes carbon on the planet, killing off all plant life as we know it... and the list goes on.

My advice, start planning now.