Solar eclipse and the first conspiracy theory

The total solar eclipse that will take place on Monday, April 8 will be a very impressive sight for the approximately 44 million people living in a narrow strip that will cover all of North America. It will not be possible to observe this in Ukraine and Europe.

As is often the case, YouTube and TikTok users have already come up with mind-blowing theories to attract viewers’ attention. They believe that April 8 could literally be the end of the world.

One of the most common claims floating around the internet in the last few months is this: The solar eclipse will pass over six, seven, or eight (depending on whom you ask) cities called Nineveh in the United States and Canada. TikTok users have even created maps over these cities that claim to show the path of the eclipse.

There are several modern cities named Nineveh in the United States. The path of the total eclipse passes over two such cities in Ohio and Indiana, but by no means more than six, seven, or eight.

Dan McClellan, a Bible scholar who frequently answers questions about religious history on TikTok, has created videos explaining why these prophetic claims make no sense, even from a Biblical perspective. His own map, based on NASA data, showing various U.S. cities named Nineveh shows that there are actually only two cities.

Anyone who says these cities are in the path of the total eclipse is either lying about where they are or changing the path of the total eclipse.
McClellan said in a recent video.

Critics of the theory ironically point out that the total eclipse will also occur in places like Santa Claus in Indiana. Does this mean Christmas will come early this year?

This is not the only fiction

Another issue that the authors of the videos on social networks worry about is the possibility of failure of electrical systems as well as mobile communication infrastructure. “They say be prepared for power outages and things like that. Cell phone outages. Buy essential supplies, monitor.”One of TikTok’s creators said he showed screenshots of various articles in a recent video. However, later in the video it becomes clear why this writer is interested in spreading the fear of power outages. turns out sells flashlights and cell phone chargers.

No solar panels, man, just a flashlight, obviously. You can charge your phone, play Angry Birds,
– says the scammer.

These people selectively quote actual articles and take their statements out of context. Yes, some small towns that promote themselves as places to watch the solar eclipse have in the past experienced problems with cell phone service during peak tourism days. But that’s exactly what can happen when cell towers are overloaded with more traffic than usual. Eclipse has no direct role here.

Conspiracy theorists also point to allegations that mayors of some small towns declared disasters ahead of the eclipse. But this is again an example of people taking things out of context. Dripping Springs, Texas, promotes the city as a great place to watch the solar eclipse, and last week its city council signed a disaster declaration. But the city made it clear that this was only a “reasonable step to mobilize resources in connection with the influx of tourists.” “While the city does not anticipate any significant issues and hopes this will be a great experience for residents and visitors, enacting a disaster declaration prior to the event will mobilize the city’s emergency management team, allowing for further assistance if needed, […] “It allows Dripping Springs to streamline the decision-making process, access additional resources, and coordinate emergency response efforts to effectively meet any needs that may arise.”the city of Dripping Springs said in a press release.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, Nearly a million people will visit Texas during the solar eclipse, and the influx could strain the infrastructure of small towns. The New York City Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management held a press conference Wednesday to address possible cell phone and power outages during the solar eclipse; because these systems were challenged due to the flow of visitors.

Campgrounds in New York state will be 93 percent full on Monday, officials said, meaning all those small towns could face overloaded communications systems.

Collapse of world simulation

There are also more “science fiction” prophecies about the end of the world, as some people claim that biblical prophecies are floating around. about the collapse of our “simulation”. These comments relate to the belief that our universe is actually one big computer simulation. This is a pretty old theory that even Elon Musk has expressed before.

The authors of these theories use strange mathematical calculations to claim that we are living in a simulation due to the specific time intervals in which the eclipse is supposed to occur.

The problem is that there is no way to test simulation theory. But what we know for sure is that eclipses occur at certain times due to the orbits of the Earth and Moon.