4. Halley’s Comet returned in 1986, a trying year for the United States
In 1986, the Iran-Contra Scandal emerged into public consciousness. The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred, bringing the first deaths to American astronauts during spaceflight, among them the first American teacher designated to fly in space. The Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred. It seemed as if the technology which drove the modern world, and the gateway to the future, were irretrievably breaking down. As Halley’s Comet approached its 1986 rendezvous with the Earth, Leland Jensen, the leader of a small sect of Baha’i followers, predicted the comet would be pulled into the Earth’s orbit. According to the convicted child molester and nationally known charlatan, the comet would break apart and the descending pieces would destroy life on Earth.
Jensen’s group of followers likely never exceeded 200 to 300, but his prediction received widespread notice and was echoed by others claiming the series of disasters and brush wars signaled the end was nigh. The comet’s return, in the end, was anticlimactic, with it being less than visible due to its angle to the sun, and urban pollution, including light pollution, which rendered it invisible to the naked eye for most of its visit. Halley’s Comet is expected to return in 2061, assuming life still exists on Earth four decades from now. Whether it does or not, the comet is likely to show up.