As this list below shows, humanity has survived natural disasters throughout our history. So, why should 2012 be anything different? Well it appears that plenty of civilisations do find this date significance and believed that it will be the end of our world as we know it, and the beginning of a new.
Pompei, 79: Volcanic eruption
Antioch, Syria, 526: Earthquake (250,000 dead)
Costantinopole, 542: Bubonic plague
Beirut, Lebanon, 551: earthquake and tsunami (tens of thousands dead)
Japan, 1181: famine (100,000 dead)
Holland, 1228: sea flood (100,000 dead)
Chihli, China, 1290: Earthquake (100,000 dead)
Europe and Asia, 1346-52: Bubonic plague or "black death" (one third of the European population dead plus millions in Asia and North Africa for a total of 25 million)
Brazil, 1555: smallpox (? dead)
Mexico, 1555-76: smallpox (more than one million dead)
Shensi, China, 1556: earthquake (800,000 dead)
Russia, 1601-03: famine (one million dead)
Northern Italy, 1629-31: plague (120,000 dead)
Napoli, Italy, 1631: Mt Vesuvius erupts (3,000 dead)
Havana, 1648: Yellow fever epidemic
Sevilla, Spain, 1649: Plague (80,000 dead)
Russia, 1654-56: plague (200,000 dead)
Napoli, Italy, 1656: plague (150,000 dead)
Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1663: plague (50,000 dead)
London, Britain, 1665: plague (150,000 dead)
Turkey, 1668: earthquake (8,000 dead)
Bengal, India, 1669: famine (3,000,000 dead)
Korea, 1671: famine (? dead)
Vienna, Austria, 1679: plague (76,000 dead)
Prussia, Sweden and Finland, 1709-11: plague (300,000 dead)
Hokkaido, Japan, 1730: Earthquake (140,000 dead)
Lisbon, 1755: earthquake and tsunami (30,000 dead)
Calcutta, 1737: Earthquake (300,000 dead)
Bengal, India, 1769: famine (10 million dead)
Russia, 1770-71: plague (200,000 dead)
India, 1775: Tsunami (60,000 dead)
Northamerica, 1775-82: Smallpox (130,000 dead)
Iran, 1780: earthquake (200,000 dead)
Caribbeans, 1780: Hurricane (22,000 dead)
Korea, 1784: Famine (500,000 dead)
Philadelphia, 1793: Yellow fever epidemic (5,000 dead)
Prussia, 1813-14: typhoid (200,000 dead)
Sumbawa, Indonesia, 1815: Mt Tambora erupts (88,000 dead)
Japan, 1826: Tsunami (27,000 dead)
Russia, 1830-31: cholera (500,000 dead)
Hungary, 1831: cholera (100,000 dead)
Cairo, 1831: Cholera epidemic, which spreads to London
London and Paris, 1832: Cholera epidemic (25,000 dead)
Concepcion, Chile, 1835: earthquake (5,000 dead)
Ireland, 1845: famine (one million dead)
Russia, 1847-51: cholera (one million dead)
Mapoli, Italy, 1857: earthquake (11,000 dead)
India, 1864: Cyclone (70,000 dead)
Russia, Prussia, Austria, Hungary, 1867: cholera (225,000 dead)
France and Germany, 1870-71: Smallpox (500,000 dead)
Germany and Austria-Hungary, 1873: cholera (230,000 dead)
India, 1875-78: Famine (10 million dead)
Bangladesh, 1876: Cyclone (200,000 dead)
China, 1876-78: Famine (9 million dead)
China, 1881: Typhoon (300,000 dead)
Indonesia, 1883: Tsunami (36,000 dead)
Huayan Kou, China, 1887: Yang-tse Kiang flooding (one million dead)
Mino-owari, Japan, 1891: earthquake (7,000 dead)
Russia, 1891: famine (500,000 dead)
Germany, 1892: cholera (140,000 dead)
Yunnan, China, 1894: plague (?)
Sanriku, Japan, 1896: Tsunami (27,000 dead)
India, 1897: earthquake (1,500 dead)
Shantung, China, 1898: famine (? dead)
Galveston, 1900: Hurricane (8,000 dead)
Martinique, 1902: Volcano (38,000 dead)
San Francisco, 1906: earthquake and fire (3,000 dead)
Colombia, 1906: earthquake (1,000 dead)
Valparaiso, Chile, 1906: earthquake (20,000 dead)
China, 1907: famine (20 million dead)
Messina, Italy, 1908: 7.5 earthquake (70,000 dead)
Ukraine, 1910: cholera (110,000 dead)
Mexico City, 1911: earthquake
Guatemala, 1917: earthquake (600 dead)
Worldwide, 1918: Influenza pandemic (25-100 million dead)
Gansu, China, 1920: 8.6 earthquake (200,000 dead)
Hebei, China, 1920-21: famine (500,000 dead)
Ukraine, 1921: Famine (5 million dead)
Lower Volga, Russia, 1921-22: Famine (5 million dead)
Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan, 1923: 8.3 earthquake (143,000 dead)
Nanshan, China, 1927: 8.3 earthquake (200,000 dead)
China, 1928-30: Famine (3 million dead)
Florida, USA, 1928: Hurricane (1800 dead)
China, 1931: Flooding (3.7 million dead)
Ukraine and Russia, 1932: Famine (5 million dead)
Gansu, China, 1932: 7.6 earthquake (70,000 dead)
Sanriku, Japan, 1933: 8.4 earthquake (3,000 dead)
Bihar, India, 1934: 8.1 earthquake (10,700 dead)
Quetta, Pakistan, 1935: 7.5 earthquake (60,000 dead)
China, 1936: Famine (5 million dead)
New York, USA, 1938: Rains (600 dead)
Erzincan, Turkey, 1939: 7.8 earthquake (33,000 dead)
Santiago, Chile, 1939: earthquake (30,000 dead)
Henan, China, 1941-43: famine (3 million dead)
Bengal, India, 1943: famine (3.5 million dead)
Tonankai, Japan, 1944: 8.1 earthquake (1,200 dead)
Nankaido, Japan, 1946: earthquake (1,330 dead)
Ukraine and Russia, Soviet Union, 1946-47: famine (one million dead)
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 1948: earthquake (100,000 dead)
Assam, India, 1950: earthquake (1,526 dead)
Holland, 1953: Sea flood (1,794 dead)
Iran, 1953: Rain flood (10,000 dead)
Louisiana, USA, 1957: Hurricane (400 dead)
Worldwide, 1957: Influenza pandemic (about four million dead)
Japan, 1958: Typhoon (5,000 dead)
Ethiopia, 1958: Famine (100,000 dead)
China, 1958-61: Famine (38 million dead)
Morocco, 1960: earthquake (10,000 dead)
Valdavia, Chile, 1960: 9.5 earthquake (most powerful of the century) and tsunami (5,700 dead)
Mt Huascaran, Peru, 1962: Volcano eruption (3,000)
Skopje, Yugoslavia, 1963: earthquake (1,066)
India, 1965: Famine (1.5 million dead)
Worldwide, 1968: Influenza pandemic (about 750,000 dead)
China, 1969: Famine (20 million dead)
North Peru, 1970: 7.8 earthquake (66,000 dead)
Bangladesh, 1970: Sea flood (200-500,000 dead)
Vietnam, 1971: Red River flood (100,000 dead)
Managua, Nicaragua, 1972: earthquake flood (10,000 dead)
Bangladesh, 1974: floods (28,000 dead)
Honduras, 1974: hurricane (5,000 dead)
Ethiopia, 1974: famine (200,000 dead)
Haicheng, China, 1975: 7.0 earthquake (10,000 dead)
Tangshan, China, 1976: 8.0 earthquake (750,000 dead)
Guatemala, 1976: earthquake (23,000 dead)
Cambdia, 1976-78: famine (700,000 dead)
Andhra Pradesh, India, 1977: cyclone (10,000 dead)
Caribbeans, 1979: Hurricane (2,000 dead)
Mexico, 1982: volcanic eruption (1,800 dead)
Yemen, 1982: earthquake (3,000 dead)
Bhopal, India, 1984: Chemical pollution (3,800 dead)
Mozambique, 1984: famine (100,000 dead)
Ethiopia, 1984: Famine (900,000 dead)
Ciudad de Mexico, 1985: 8.1 earthquake (9,500 dead)
Colombia, 1985: Volcano (25,000 dead)
Armenia, 1988: earthquake (55,000 dead)
Colombia, 1985: eruption of Nevado del Ruiz (23,000 dead)
Bangladesh, 1988: Monsoon flood (1,300 dead)
Gilan and Zanjan, Iran, 1990: 7.7 earthquake (35,000 dead)
Bangladesh, 1991: tsunami (138,000 dead)
Latur, India, 1993: earthquake (22,000 dead)
Kobe, Japan, 1995: earthquake (5,500 dead)
Niger, 1995: meningitis epidemic (3,000 dead)
Chicago, USA, 1995: heatwave (739 dead)
North Korea, 1995-98: Floods and famine (3.5 million dead)
West Africa, 1996: meningitis outbreak (25,000 dead)
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 1996: earthquake (??,000 dead)
Papua New Guinea, 1998: Tsunami (2,200 dead)
Yangtze Kiang, China, 1998: flooding (3,600 dead)
Central America, 1998: Hurricane Mitch and floods (12,000 dead)
Afghanistan, 1998: Earthquakes (10,000 dead)
Colombia, 1999: earthquake (1,185 dead)
Izmit, Turkey, 1999: earthquake (17,000 dead)
Taiwan, 1999: 7.6 earthquake (2,400 dead)
Orissa, India, 1999: Cyclone (7,600 dead)
Venezuela, 1999: Floods (20,000 dead)
Vietnam, 1999: Floods (750 dead)
Gujarat, India, 2001: earthquake (20,000 dead)
El Salvador, 2001: earthquake (850 dead)
Afghanistan, 2002: earthquake (2,500 dead)
Algeria, 2003: earthquake (2,266 dead)
Asia, 2003: SARS (744 dead, mostly in China)
Andhra Pradesh, India, 2003: Heat wave (1,300 dead)
France, Spain and Italy, 2003: Heat wave (50,000 dead)
Bam, Iran, 2003: earthquake (26,300 dead)
Al-Hoceima, Morocco, 2004: earthquake (571 dead)
Haiti and Dominican Republic, 2004: rains (2,400 dead)
Philippines, 2004: typhoon (1,000 dead)
China, 2004: floods (1,300 dead)
Southeast Asia, 2004: tsunamis caused by 9.0 earthquake (245,000 dead of which111,000 dead in Indonesia, 31,000 in Sri Lanka, 10,700 in India, 5,400 in Thailand, 68 in Malaysia, 82 in the Maldives, 300 in Myanmar and 150 in Somalia, including 1,500 Scandinavian tourists, and dozens of Germans, Italians, Dutch, etc)
Zarand, Iran, 2005: earthquake (500 dead)
Nias, Indonesia, 2005: 8.7 earthquake (1000 dead)
Mumbai, India, 2005: monsoon (1,000 dead)
China, 2005: floods (567 dead)
Louisiana and Mississippi, USA, 2005: "Katrina" hurricane (1,836 dead)
Niger, 2005: famine (10,000? dead)
Kashmir, 2005: earthquake (80,500 dead, of which 79,000 in Pakistan and 1,350 in India)
Central America, 2005: floods (1,400 dead, of which 1,200 in Guatemala)
Philippines, 2006: mudslides (1,800)
Java, 2006: earthquake (4,300)
Java, 2006: tsunami (520)
India and Pakistan, aug 2006: floods (300)
Southern Ethiopia, aug 2006: floods (800)
Fujian, China, aug 2006: typhoon (260)
Indian subcontinent, june 2007: storms (228 in Pakistan, 500 in India, 600 in Bangladesh, unknown in Afghanistan)
Hungary, july 2007: heatwave (500)
North Korea, august 2007: floods (1,000?)
Peru, august 2007: earthquake (540)
Bangladesh, november 2007: cyclone (4,000)
Afghanistan, february 2008: cold wave (926)
Myanmar/Burma, may 2008: cyclone (135,000)
China, may 2008: earthquake (70,000)
Haiti, august 2008: hurricane (500)
India and Bangladesh, september 2008: floods (635)
Abruzzo, Italy, april 2009: earthquake (300)
Taiwan, august 2009: typhoon (700)
Sumatra, Indonesia, september 2009: earthquake (1200)
Philippines, october 2009: storms (189)
USA, 2009: swine flue (10,000)
Haiti, january 2010: earthquake (230,000)
Conception, Chile, february 2010: 8.8 earthquake (452)
Qinghai, China, april 2010: earthquake (760)
Russia, july 2010: drownings following heat wave (1200)
Pakistan, july 2010: flooding (1,313)
Zhouqu, Gansu, China, august 2010: landslide (700)
Indonesia, october 2010: tsunami (500)
South-east Brazil, january 2011: flooding and mudslides (500)
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