The Planets Will Puncture the Sun on December 17, 1919
The Planets Will 'Wound' the Sun on Dec. 17, 1919, Forecaster Warns. The Sun Shrugs It Off.
Albert Porta promised a gigantic solar explosion and 'the most terrific weather cataclysm experienced since human history began'. December 17 brought ordinary weather.
What was said
“The sunspot that will appear December 17, 1919, will be a vast wound in the side of the sun. It will be a gigantic explosion of flaming gases, leaping hundreds of thousands of miles into space.”
— Albert F. Porta, syndicated weather forecaster (Oakland Tribune syndicate) · said 1919 · due December 17-20, 1919
The planets lined up; the sun stayed intact; the weather stayed typical. In Ann Arbor, engineering students threw an impromptu party at the Michigan Union.
The Story
Porta's forecasts were syndicated from the Oakland Tribune in 1919, and wire stories wrongly styled him 'Professor Porta of the University of Michigan'.
He said an alignment of planets would puncture the sun (paraphrase), followed by 'storms, eruptions and earthquakes ... tremendous in their strength and scope. Remember the date - December 17 to 20, and after.'
On December 17 itself he told reporters: 'The world is not going to end ... Only those who have distorted my original prediction are responsible for the seemingly widespread fear that the end of the world has come.'
Receipts
As of Oct 9, 2026
since it didn't happen
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