2012
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226167205
2008-07-17T03:20:30Z
Portillo
506262
/* Music */
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{{year nav|2012}}
{{C21YearInTopic}}
{{Year in other calendars}}
'''2012''' ('''[[Roman numerals|MMXII]]''') will be a [[leap year starting on Sunday]] of the [[Gregorian calendar]].
==Predicted and scheduled events==
===January===
* [[January 1]] — [[Poland]], [[Bulgaria]], and [[Latvia]] are set to adopt the [[Euro]].
* [[January 15]] — Presidential [[elections in Finland]]
* [[January 31]] — [[433 Eros]], the second-largest [[Near Earth Object]] on record (size 13x13x33 km) will pass Earth at 0.1790 [[astronomical unit]]s (~26.8 million kilometers<!--26778018853 exact-->; ~16.6 million miles<!--16639089 exact-->). [[NASA]] studied Eros with the [[NEAR Shoemaker]] probe launched on [[1996-02-17]].<ref>[http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/neofact.html Near Earth Object Fact Sheet<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===February===
* [[February 5]] — [[Super Bowl XLVI]] will be played at [[Lucas Oil Field]] in [[Indianapolis, Indiana]].
* [[February 6]] — Queen [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]] will celebrate her [[Diamond Jubilee]]. A series of festivities across the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Commonwealth of Nations]] will likely run throughout the year.
===April===
* [[April 1]] — The [[United States Census, 1940|United States Census of 1940]] is released to the public.
* [[April 17]] — The United States will cede wartime control of the [[Military of South Korea|military]] of the [[Republic of Korea]] after 50 years and dissolve the Combined Forces Command. Two distinct military commands (South Korea and the United States) will operate in Korea during wartime, rather than one unified command under the Combined Forces Command.
<!-- Please do not add the anniversary of the Titanic sinking; anniversaries should not be added to year articles unless there is some anniversary observance notable enough to be included. -->
===May===
* [[May 20]] — Annular [[solar eclipse]], a Sunday.
* May - [[French President]]ial election (if the incumbent's term had normally finished in May).
* May - [[Irish general election]] is due to be held if the current government remains in office for a full term.
===June===
* [[June 6]] — Second and last [[Sun|solar]] [[Transit of Venus|transit]] of the planet [[Venus (planet)|Venus]] of this century; the next pair is predicted to occur in [[2117]] and [[2125]] (see [[Transit of Venus, 2012]]).
* [[June 9]]–[[July 1]] — [[2012 European Football Championship]] will be played in [[Poland]]/[[Ukraine]].
===July===
* [[July 1]] — Presidential Elections in [[Mexico]].
* [[July 27]] — Opening ceremony of the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] begins in [[London]] at 7:30 pm [[UTC]], 8:30pm BST.<ref>[http://www.london2012.com/ Homepage - London 2012<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===August===
* [[August 12]] — Closing ceremony of the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] in [[London]], [[United Kingdom]], a Sunday.
* [[August 29]] — Start of the [[2012 Summer Paralympics]]
===September===
* [[September 9]] — End of the [[2012 Summer Paralympics]]
===October===
* [[October 19]] — at 01:36 [[UTC]], the Earth will be home to 7 billion people, according to the [[United States Census Bureau|US Census Bureau]].<ref>[http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70238-0.html?tw=wn_index_29 Earth Hurtles Toward 6.5 Billion<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/worldpop.html Idb Page Redirect<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===November===
* [[November 6]] — The United States [[United States presidential election|Presidential]], [[United States Senate elections, 2012|Senate]], and [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] elections.
* [[November 6]] — [[Elections in Puerto Rico|Puerto Rico general election]]
* [[November 13]] — Total [[solar eclipse]] (visible in northern [[Australia]] and the South Pacific).
* [[November 16]] - The launch of the [[Boeing]] BSS-702, a [[DirecTv]] [[Satellite]]
* [[November 28]] — Penumbral [[lunar eclipse]]
===December===
* [[December]] - Presidential elections in [[South Korea]] to elect the 18th President.
* [[December 3]] — Jupiter oppositions.
* [[December 21]] — 11:11 [[UTC]]. [[Winter Solstice]] in the [[Northern Hemisphere]], [[Summer Solstice]] in the [[Southern Hemisphere]].<ref name="USNO"> {{citeweb|title=Earth's Seasons: Equinoxes, Solstices, Perihelion, and Aphelion, 2000-2020|author=United States Naval Observatory|url=http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/EarthSeasons.php|date= 2007-01-28}}</ref>
* [[December 21]] — The [[Mesoamerican Long Count calendar]], notably used by the [[Maya civilization]] among others of [[pre-Columbian]] [[Mesoamerica]], completes its thirteenth ''[[baktun|b'ak'tun]]'' cycle since the calendar's mythical starting point (equivalent to [[3114 BC]] [[August 11]] in the [[proleptic Gregorian calendar]], according to the "GMT-correlation" [[Julian Day Numbers|JDN]]= 584283).<ref>See Finley (2002), Houston (1989, pp.49–51), Miller and Taube (1993, pp.50–52), Voss (2006, p.138), Wagner (2006, pp.281–283). Note that Houston 1989 mistakenly writes "3113 BC" (when "-3113" is meant), and Miller and Taube 1993's mention of "2 August" is a (presumed) erratum.</ref> The Long Count ''b'ak'tun'' date of this starting point (13.0.0.0.0) is repeated, for the first time in a span of approximately 5,125 [[solar year]]s. The significance of this period-ending to the pre-Columbian Maya themselves is unclear, and there is an incomplete [[Maya script|inscription]] ([[Tortuguero (Maya site)|Tortuguero]] Monument 6) that records this date. It is also to be found carved on the walls of the Temple of Inscriptions in [[Palenque]], where it functions as a base date from which other dates are computed.<ref>Wagner (2006, p.281; also ill.443).</ref> However, it is conjectured{{who}} that this may represent in the [[Maya mythology|Maya belief system]] a transition from the current Creation world into the next.
* [[December 23]] — The alternative date for the completion of the thirteenth ''b'ak'tun'' cycle in the Maya calendar, using a version of the GMT-correlation based on a JDN of 584285 (a.k.a. the "astronomical" or "[[Floyd Lounsbury|Lounsbury]] correlation"), which is supported by a smaller number of Mayanist researchers.<ref>After a modified proposal championed by [[Floyd Lounsbury]]; sources that have used this correlation include Houston (1989, p.51), and in particular Schele and Freidel (1990, pp.430 ''et seq.''). See also commentary by Finley (2002), who although making an assessment that the "[584285 correlation yielding end-date of December 23] is now more popular with Mayanists", expresses a personal preference for the 584283 correlation.</ref>
* [[December 31]] — Expiration of the [[Kyoto Protocol]].
===Unknown dates===
* [[Trinidad and Tobago]] will hold their [[general elections]].
* [[Jamaica]] will hold its [[general elections]].
* The Replacement Eastern Span of the [[San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge]] will open to traffic, replacing the old Eastern cantilever span that was damaged in the [[Loma Prieta Earthquake]] in 1989, almost a quarter century (23 years) after the span was damaged<ref>[http://www.newbaybridge.org NewBayBridge.org - The New East Span: History in the Making<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* [[India]]'s 11th [[Five-Year Plans of India|Five-Year Plan]] ([[2007]]–2012) ends and the 12th one (2012–[[2017]]) starts.
* The [[United Kingdom]] will complete a 5-year process to cease [[analog television|analogue television]] broadcasts region-by-region, with [[Meridian Broadcasting]], [[ITV London]], [[Tyne Tees Television]] and [[UTV]] being the last areas to switch off analogue.<ref>[http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/en/when.html When is the Digital TV Switchover? The different regions and dates<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*[[Australia]] and [[Ireland]] will cease analogue television broadcasts.
* California's ban on the production of [[foie gras]] will take effect.
* [[NASA]]'s new [[Orion (spacecraft)|Orion spacecraft]] will become fully operational for [[International Space Station]] support flights.
* [[China]] will launch the [[Kuafu]] spacecraft
* [[Freedom Tower]] in New York City: Construction will be finished.
* [[Sight & Sound]] magazine will conduct its Top Ten Films of All-Time poll for the seventh decade since 1952.
* The [[Hallandsas Ridge Tunnel]] will be completed, 17 years behind the original plan.
* The [[Canberra class]] light aircraft carriers/large amphibious ships, the largest ships ever to be operated by the Royal Australian Navy, will be in service.
* The sun will reverse its own magnetic poles during 2012 as result of reaching the end of the current 11-year [[sunspot cycle]].<ref>[http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast15feb_1.htm The Sun Does a Flip<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* The [[Canadian Navy]] receives the delivery of the first [[Joint Support Ship]].
*[[BHP Square]], a 270 metre office building in [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], [[Western Australia]] will be completed.
==Major religious holidays==
* [[January 7]] — [[Christmas Day]] by [[Julian Calendar]] (Celebrated by [[Eastern Orthodox]] Christians)
* [[February 1]] — [[Imbolc]], a [[Cross-quarter day]] (Celebrated on [[February 2]] in some places)
* [[February 5]] — Mawlid an Nabi - [[Islam]]
* [[March 8]] — Purim - [[Judaism]]
* [[March 20]] — [[Spring Equinox]], also known as [[Ostara]]
* [[April 7]] — Passover - [[Judaism]]
* [[April 8]] — [[Easter]] - [[Christianity]]
* [[May 1]] — [[Beltane]], a [[Cross-quarter day]]
* [[May 27]] — Shavuot - [[Judaism]]
* [[June 17]] — Lailat al Miraj - [[Islam]]
* [[June 20]] — Summer [[solstice]], also known as [[Midsummer]] or [[Midsummer|Litha]]
* [[July 20]] — [[Ramadan]] Begins - [[Islam]]
* [[August 1]] — [[Lammas]], a [[Cross-quarter day]]
* [[August 19]] — Id al Fitr - [[Islam]]
* [[September 17]] — Rosh Hashanah - [[Judaism]]
* [[September 21]] — [[Equinox|Fall Equinox]], also known as [[Mabon]]
* [[October 1]] — Sukkot - [[Judaism]]
* [[November 1]] — [[Samhain]], a [[Cross-quarter day]], [[Neopaganism|Neopagan]] new year and [[Christianity|Christian]] All Saints' Day
* [[November 15]] — New Year - [[Islam]]
* [[December 9]] — Hanukkah - [[Judaism]]
* [[December 21]] — Winter [[solstice]], also known as [[Yule]]
* [[December 25]] — [[Christmas]]
==Metaphysical predictions==
2012 is sometimes claimed to be a [[great year]] of spiritual transformation (or [[apocalypse]]). Many esoteric sources interpret the completion of the thirteenth [[Baktun|B'ak'tun]] cycle in the [[Maya Long Count Calendar|Long Count]] of the [[Maya calendar]] (which occurs on [[December 21]] by the most widely held correlation) to mean there will be a major change in world order.{{Who|date=July 2008}}
Accordingly, several eclectic authors claim that a major, world-changing event will take place in 2012:
* The 1997 book ''[[The Bible Code]]'' claims that, according to certain algorithms of the [[Bible code]], an [[asteroid]] or [[comet]] will collide with the Earth.
* The 2006 book ''2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl'' by [[Daniel Pinchbeck]] discusses theories of a possible global awakening to psychic connection by the year 2012, creating a [[noosphere]].
Other prophecies and apocalyptic writings and hypotheses for this year include:
* [[Terence McKenna]]'s [[numerology|numerological]] [[novelty theory]] suggests a point of [[Technological singularity|singularity]] in which humankind will go through a great shift in consciousness.
==References to 2012 in the arts ==
===Literature===
* ''[[Methuselah's Children]]'' (1941/1958) and ''[[Time Enough for Love]]'' (1973) by [[Robert A. Heinlein]]: A crucial meeting of the [[Howard Families]] takes place, following the election of [[Nehemiah Scudder]] for [[president of the USA]]. In both novels, viewpoint character [[Lazarus Long]] is asked what happened at this meeting as he is the last living eyewitness; in both novels he declines to answer. Nehemiah Scudder establishes a religious dictatorship in the USA.
* "Domain" and "Resurrection" by author [[Steve Alten]]: A fictional series that tells the events of the Gabriel twins after discovering the mystery behind 2012.
* ''2012: The War for Soul'' by author [[Whitley Strieber]] is a fictional novel about three [[Parallel universe (fiction)|parallel earths]] and the occurrences leading up to December 21, 2012 in each as the walls between them begin to thin and allow passage through gateways to the others. A film adaptation is in the works with [[Michael Bay]] at the helm.<ref>{{cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Michael Bay Confirmed for ''2012'' |url=http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=5922 |work= |publisher= |date=[[2007-09-24]] |accessdate=2008-07-11 }}</ref>
===Comics===
* ''[[The Invisibles#The Invisible Kingdom|The Invisibles]]'' ("[[The Invisibles#The Invisible Kingdom|The Invisible Kingdom]]," 1999–2000): The Invisibles' "fictional" universe expands into the meta-context of the "higher universe," possibly our own.
===Music===
* "A Certain Shade of Green," a song from the [[Incubus (band)|Incubus]] album ''[[S.C.I.E.N.C.E.]]'', references 2012 in the following lines: ''Are you gonna stand around till 2012 A.D.? / What are you waiting for, a certain shade of green?''. December 21, 2012 also appears to be the date when the video for the song "Warning" is supposed to take place.
* [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]]'s song ''Get'em Out By Friday'' from their 1972 album ''[[Foxtrot (album)|Foxtrot]]'', sets "18/9/2012" (on the printed operistic-dialog lyrics) as the date when "Genetic Control" would set a height restriction on human beings so that twice as many people could fit on real estate properties.
* "Pesky Solar Flares", by Angie Strange has lyrics relating to coronal mass ejections occurring during the Winter Solstice of 2012. The song was available as a free download on the website of the popular American conspiracy talk radio show Coast To Coast Am.
* The [[Hed PE]] song "I.F.O." (to be found on their [[Hed PE (album)|''self-titled album'']]), which is about UFO sightings and governmental conspiracies to cover them up, references the year 2012: "Prepare to meet your maker in the skies over the pyramids / Check Stonehenge / Go ask the Mayans / 2012 soon come / I will be waitin' sayin' I told you so / When the skies are ripped open / And the mothership lands on your cynical ass". [[Hed PE]] also references 2012 in "Killing Time" from their second album [[Broke (album)|''Broke'']]. ''Come Twenty Twelve, come twelve tribes, come twelve strands, come twelve lives Twelve steps, twelve months, twelve drug dealers''
* [[Stones Throw Records]] artist [[Dudley Perkins]] released his LP, entitled '[[Expressions (2012 A.U.)]]', in 2006
* The instrumental song "December 21, 2012" by [[Frodus]], which appears as a B-side to their best-selling 7" vinyl single of their [[Devo]] cover "Explosions" (Released 1997).
* The [[Anaal Nathrakh]] song "Timewave Zero" is about the apparent end of the world on December 21, 2012. The lyrics are translated as "The 21st Of December, 2012, The time will come"
* The [[A Day To Remember]] song "[[Fast Forward to 2012]]" refers to the world ending in 2012 as a warning for friends to do something to prepare.
* British nu-rave outfit [[Klaxons]] sing about apocalyptic horsemen in their song "Four Horsemen Of 2012" from the 2007 album [[Myths of the Near Future (album)|Myths of the Near Future]].
* The song "2012 — Demise of the 5th Sun" by the melodic death metal band [[Scar Symmetry]] is a reference to the year 2012. "''For the lines on the fractal wave / Fit the course of history / They're created to work as one till the end / When the winter solstice comes / Actualizing the prophecy / The demise in 2012 realized''"
*The [[Testament (band)|Testament]] song "3 Days in Darkness", off of The Gathering album is a song about 2012, and speaks of the earth being swallowed in molten fire.
* [[VNV Nation]]'s album Praise The Fallen" has the subtitle "PTF 2012", which is also the name of a track in the album, which seems to be predominantly about an upcoming war. The song, "Honour" starts with the line, "Passive fields, January 2012..."
* Heavy metal band [[Burnt by the Sun (band)|Burnt By The Sun]]'s two albums both deal with prophecies concerning the year 2012.
* "2012" is the name of the 2005 album by the experimental rock band [[Old Time Relijun]], and several songs make references to ancient Mayan culture, such as "Burial Mound" and "The King of Lost Light."
* On the band [[Hella (band)|Hella]]'s album [[There's No 666 in Outer Space]] there is a track called "2012 and Countless" in which the only words are "There's no 666 in Outer Space" repeated.
* Metal band [[Ewigkeit]]'s album [[Radio Ixtlan]] has a track entitled "Live at Palenque 2012" referencing both the Mayan calendar date and the site at which the Temple of Inscriptions where it is carved.
* Canibus mentions the year 2012 and December 21, 2012 on his Poet Laureate Infinity vocals and on his 2007 album [[For Whom the Beat Tolls]].
* Industrial metal band [[Hanzel und Gretyl]]'s fifth album is called [[2012: Zwanzig Zwölf]] referencing the belief that the world will end in this year, as foretold in the [[Mesoamerican Long Count calendar]].
*On [[DJ Muggs]] & [[Sick Jacken]]'s album ''[[Legend of the Mask and the Assassin]]'', they "prophetize" armageddon and other catastrophic events occurring in "2012 (feat. Cynic)."
===Film===
* ''[[I Am Legend (film)|I Am Legend]]'': The events of the [[2007]] film take place in this year.
* ''2012'': An upcoming [[2009]] film based on significance of [[Mesoamerican Long Count calendar]].
===Television===
* ''[[Doctor Who]]''
** "[[Dalek (Doctor Who episode)|Dalek]]," 2005: A [[Dalek]] breaks loose under the [[Utah]] salt plains, and plans to kill every living thing on [[Earth (planet)|Earth]].
** "[[Fear Her]]," 2006: The episode is set during the lead-up to the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] in [[London]].
* ''[[Futurama (TV series)|Futurama]]''
** [[Xmas Story]]," 1999: The War of 2012 occurs, during which talk-show host [[Conan O'Brien]] lost his "freakishly long legs."
** [[Jurassic Bark]]," 2002; [[Philip J. Fry|Philip J. Fry's]] dog [[Seymour (Futurama)|Seymour]] dies in this year.
* ''[[The X-Files]]'' ("[[The Truth (The X-Files)|The Truth]]," 2002): On [[December 22]], Aliens invade Earth.
===Games===
* ''[[Shadowrun]]'': With the [[Mayan Calendar#2012|sixth Mayan world beginning]], magic returns to the world in an event called "The Awakening."
* ''Escape 2012'': The player's mission is to escape from alien captivity.
* In [[Dark•Matter]], a campaign setting for the [[Alternity]] and [[D20 Modern]] roleplaying games, the institute that the protagonists belong to believe that 2012 will be the end of the world.
* [[Stalker - Shadow of Chernobyl|''S.T.A.L.K.E.R — Shadow of Chernobyl'']] is set in this year
* ''[[Psychic Force 2012]]'' is set during this year.
* In ''[[Universe at War: Earth Assault]]'', the Hierarchy invasion on Earth begins.
* An in-game document from ''[[The Secret World]]'' contains the date 2012 circled and underlined but the significance of this is yet unknown.
* In ''[[Shattered Union]]'', U.S. president David Jefferson Adams accepts his second term in office after the [[SCOTUS|Supreme Court]] disqualifies all other presidential candidates.
* Events of [[Mega Man III]], [[Mega Man's Soccer]], [[Wily and Right's RockBoard]] and [[Mega Man V]] are set in this year.
* One of the puzzles later on in [[La Mulana]] (A freeware PC game based on many of the older MSX games released) states you need to 'walk the end year of the Aztec's Fifth Age.' The player must then light only the torches of the gates that correspond to the numbers in the year '2012'.
*The setting of ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'' is September, 2012.
==See also==
* [[Paradigm shift]]
==Notes==
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