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The Prophet Hen of Leeds was a doomsday hoax involving the Second Coming in 1806.
History
In Leeds, England in 1806 a hen began laying eggs on which the phrase "Christ is coming" written on the eggs. Eventually it was discovered to be a hoax. The hoaxster had written on the eggs in a corrosive ink so to etch the eggs, and reinserted the eggs back into the hen.
References
- "10 failed doomsday predictions". Retrieved 2009-11-12.
History has countless examples of people who have proclaimed that the return of Jesus Christ is imminent, but perhaps there has never been a stranger messenger than a hen in the English town of Leeds in 1806. It seems that a hen began laying eggs on which the phrase "Christ is coming" was written. As news of this miracle spread, many people became convinced that doomsday was at hand — until a curious local actually watched the hen laying one of the prophetic eggs and discovered someone had hatched a hoax.
- Charles Mackay (1980). Extraordinary popular delusions & the madness of crowds. Random House. ISBN 051788433X.
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