Harold Egbert Camping was an American Christian radio broadcaster, evangelist, and media executive. Beginning in 1958, Camping served as the president of Family Radio, a California-based Christian radio network that grew to broadcast in more than 150 markets across the United States. Through this platform, he reached a vast audience, eventually gaining international notoriety for his highly publicized predictions regarding the end of the world.
Camping first predicted that Judgment Day would occur in September 1994, later adjusting the date to October of that year. His most famous predictions centered on May 21, 2011, which he claimed would mark the Rapture, followed by several months of global plagues culminating in the destruction of the world on October 21, 2011. Supported by an extensive promotional campaign by Family Radio, these claims attracted global media attention, significant financial donations, and widespread public scrutiny.
Following the failure of his May 2011 prophecy, Camping suffered a stroke and subsequently scaled back his broadcasting duties, though he maintained a remote role with Family Radio. He eventually acknowledged that his attempts to calculate the date of the apocalypse were "sinful" and incorrect, agreeing with critics that biblical scripture states no one can know the specific day or hour of the end times. His failed prophecies led to a severe decline in Family Radio's assets, revenue, and staff before his death in 2013.
