2012 Failed Psychic Predictions

Another year has come and gone, and with it, a slew of failed and forgotten psychic predictions.  Each year, the world’s “leading” psychics lay down their predictions in January, and then we review them one year later to see how they did.  Before reviewing their track record for 2012, let’s consider a handful of significant news items that were not predicted.

What the Psychics Didn’t Predict for 2012

Here’s what the leading psychics failed to predict in 2012:

• New York and New Jersey being hit with Hurricane Sandy.  Some warning to the victims would have been greatly appreciated.
• Century 16 movie theatre shooting where 12 people were killed and dozens injured
• One of the worst school shootings in American history which left 26 dead in Newtown, Connecticut.
• The crisis in Syria reaching new heights
• Discovery of the Higg’s Boson
• Cruise ship “Costa Concordia” running aground in Italy, killing 15.
• The death of Whitney Houston (despite the fact that Psychic Nikki listed 121 celebrities that need to “watch out” or may die in 2012)
• CIA Director David Patraeus’ affair and subsequent resignation

To see a comprehensive list of major news stories that occurred in 2012, visit HitoryOrb’s website.  There are many more that qualify as significant, and an equal number that were not predicted.  It’s only fair that psychics are judged not only on what they predicted, but what they failed to predict.

And now, let’s see how some of the world’s leading psychics, seers, and mentalists fared.

Year 2012 Psychic Predictions and Their Results

The psychic predictions below were compiled from the paranormal section on About.com, along with each Psychic’s individual websites.  The authors have made their best efforts to research the results, and their comments are in italics and red.  Feel free to add your own comments at the bottom of this article..

Judy Hevenly

Judy Hevenly is a teacher, astrologer, and writer, whose forecasts have appeared in many publications and newspapers worldwide. Her clientele includes royalty, former presidents, Hollywood movie stars, and heads of state. Judy was also called in to work at the O.J. Simpson trial. She is featured in the book, The 100 Top Psychics in America.

• Unemployment in U.S. to fall to about 9.5 percent. Jobs in demand will be healthcare, science, technology, senior caretakers and jobs overseas.  It’s actually at 7.7% at the time this article was written.
• An Emmy Award for Anderson Cooper TV talk show.  He did not win an Emmy.
• A baby boy for Kate Middleton and Prince William.  Now, Kate is indeed pregnant in 2012, but the sex of the baby is still unknown to the public.  Either way, this prediction has a 50% of being correct, and those odds ain’t bad.
• A tsunami in Hawaii; major wildfires in Canada.  There was a small tsunami in Hawaii after a strong earthquake of the coast of British Columbia, Canada.  As for the wildfires – there are always wildfires, and so “major wildfires” is ill defined.
• Gold bar, $2,000 an ounce; oil, $130 a barrel.  Gold hovered around $1,800, but never hit $2,000.  Oil did not hit $130, not even for a single day.
• World population hits 7.6 billion in 2012. Do the math and you can figure the number out – this shouldn’t count as a prediction.
• Iran to become Persian Gulf major refinery.  I thought they already were, at least since 2008 and at least since 2010 according to this article (see graph indicating gas and oil production).
• Barack Obama re-elected president.  50/50 chance on this one, and she got it.
• Russia to become a member of the World Trade Organization.  This happened in August 2012.
• Facial recognition software will add a new level of security to U.S. computers.  Whose computers?  Households?  Military?  Government?  This isn’t clear in the prediction.
• Breakthrough in the cure of Lyme disease.  This is highly subjective.  What constitutes a breakthrough?  By who?  Can any quack claim it for this prediction to be right?  Journalists will often use the term “breakthrough” to showcase positive results.
• Power outages in Paris, Las Vegas, London, New York, and Los Angeles.  Now, technically she got New York right due to Hurricane Sandy, but she did use the term “and” between all those cities, meaning they should have all been affected…
• Throwback to the 1960s with longer skirts for women in the fashion world.  Men will also wear shoes with black soles…
• Angels will actually be seen walking among us by some with extraordinary powers of perception.  Absolutely did not happen, since there’s still no scientifically valid evidence to suggest that angels exist.

Psychic Nikki

In 2011, Nikki — “Psychic to the Stars” — says she predicted the Japan earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the Wall Street protests in New York City, the devastating Joplin, Missouri tornadoes, the deaths of Elizabeth Taylor and Amy Winehouse, and the trouble in Syria. Here’s what she sees for 2012 (note, this is only part of the list):

• Earthquake in Mexico City destroying most of the city.  Did not happen.
• Major breakthrough in the cure for breast cancer.  Again, define “breakthrough”.  In our research, nothing really qualified (using “revolutionary or epic” as a baseline).
• Giant earthquake in California.  Did not happen.
• Animals and birds, wild and domestic, will attack people leading up to the end of 2012.  This is a ridiculous prediction.  No comment.
• Weird weather conditions worldwide including snow in Hawaii, Las Vegas and in the Caribbean.  As far as I know, there was no snowfall in these locations, although Las Vegas would be the most likely candidate.
• Major earthquakes in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska.  Sneaky – pick a few major state/provinces along the Pacific Ring of Fire where earthquakes are common, and you’re bound to get one.  And she did – British Columbia.
• Giant prehistoric Sea Monsters under the sea.  Swing and a miss.
• Major UFO sightings all over the world. A possible landing of a space ship.  No space ships landed… unless if the government is covering it up…  but as usual, there were tons of UFO sightings around the world, just like there are every year.
• A Stock Market crash like 1929 worldwide.  This prediction was false, and, in fact, the economy showed continued improvement since the 2008 recession (generally speaking).
• North Korea attacks South Korea and Japan.  I guess I missed this in the news, if it happened.  Which it didn’t.
• An attack on the Vatican and the Pope.  Considering the Pope just set up a Twitter account and didn’t mention the “attack”, I think it’s safe to say this is another false prediction.
• Earth will fall off its axis a little more.  Shocking.  The Earth always goes off its axis “a little more”, and astronomer’s call it “axial precession”.
• The Holy Grail will be found.  It sure wasn’t.
• A plane crashes into the White House in Washington, DC.  A plane did not crash into the White House.  We would have all remembered this.
• A man attempts to go around the world in a hot air balloon.  Is this a real prediction?  The first man to do this was Steve Fossett, and he did it successfully in 2002, not 2012.
• The map of the world will change because of catastrophic events happening in the world.  Define “catastrophic”.  And define “change”. Will country borders change?  Will the geology of the map change?
• Ellen DeGeneres joining the army for one week.  She didn’t.
• Sylvester Stallone nominated for a Tony Award.  He didn’t.
• Madonna will break a leg.  Wrong appendage – she actually broke a finger.
• National Hockey League for women.  Considering this article said “don’t expect a league” in the title, I think it’s safe to say this prediction was wrong.
• Death and Health Watch  (121 of them!) Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Swarzenhagger, Annette Funicello, Penny Marshall, Hillary Clinton, Doris Day, Dario Franchaetti, Clint Eastwood, Willie Nelson, Paul Tracey, Brittany Spears, Latoya Jackson, John Walsh, Steven Harper, Burt Reynolds, David Hasselhoff (The Hoff), Bernard Madoff, Ex-President Mubarak of Egypt, Rupert Murdoch, Mickey Rooney, Phyllis Diller, Carol Channing, Lauren Bacall, Loretta Lynn, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Billy Graham, Jerry Lewis, Kirk Douglas, Joanne Woodward, Debbie Reynolds, Barak Obama, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Dick Clark, Nelson Mandela, Larry King, Jimmy Carter, Barbara Bush, The Duke of Edinborough, Shirley Temple, Bob Barker, Keith Richards, Barry Manilow, Jackie Stallone, Charles Manson, Nancy Reagan, Ryan Seacrest, Leaders in Syria and Iran, Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, Bill Clinton, Howie Mandel, Hugh Hefner, Danny Glover, Betty White, Prime Minister of Australia, Woody Allen, Daniel Craig, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sharon Osborne, Michelle Williams, Heidi Montague, Dick Cheney, John Travolta, George Bush Sr., Regis Philbin, Robin Williams, Natalie Portman, George Bush Jr., Taylor Swift, Tony Bennett, David Letterman, Justin Beiber, Ru Paul, Selina Gomez, Tippi Hendren, Melanie Griffith, Mick Jagger, Ed Asner, Sean Coombs (Puff Diddy), Karl Lagerfield, Michael Douglas, Kreskin, Donald Trump, Cloris Leachman, Queen Elizabeth, Chaz Bono, Madonna, Pink, Harry Belafonte, Mary Tyler Moore, Princess Fergie, Shia La Bouef, Alice Cooper, Carol Burnett, Steven Tyler, Mark Anthony, Gordon Lightfoot, Avril Lavigne, Prime Minister of England, Chris Angel (Mindfreak), Ronnie Hawkins, Alex Trebek, Jay Leno, Paul McCartney, Anderson Cooper, Robert Evans, Barbara Streisand, Sir Richard Branson, Prince William, Prince Harry, Nicole Richie, Simon Cowell, David Copperfield, Desi Arnaz Jr., Ralph Lauren, and Ernest Borgnine.

For those interested, here’s the complete list of psychic predictions from Psychic Nikki for the year 2012.  You can decide for yourself whether they’re valid…

LaMont Hamilton

LaMont “Monte” Hamilton is an ordained minister, Reiki Master healing practitioner, registered hypnotherapist, and holds multiple degrees in business, psychology, and education, and has worked in the paranormal field full time for over 25 years.

• With many questions surrounding the coming mystical events of 2012, I do not see any overriding one day cataclysmic event that will destroy or kill most people like those prophesies or being portrayed in the media.  Whew!  A pretty safe bet to start off his list.
• 2012 will be a year of spiritual fulfillment for most countries and people that want positive changes for their lives and futures. Many empires and ruling families that have created hardships for millions of people will fold and crumble during this historic year including Russia, China, Thailand, and North Korea.  None of these countries fell or crumbled, although the vagueness of prediction could be interpreted that way, I suppose.
• Accident seen around U.S. President Obama as he trips or falls in the early months of 2012.  Didn’t happen, or at least, couldn’t find anything to suggest that it did.
• An Iranian revolution is seen before late summer, where spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei or President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are removed from power.  Didn’t happen, though it would have been nice.
• Japan is seen embroiled in another dispute, possibly with China, where military action will be threatened against Japan, or a partial naval blockade will occur.  This was a pretty safe prediction, as the dispute between Japan and China has been going since 1970.  In fairness, China did amp up the dispute in the later part of 2012.
• Threats or a rumor of a planned assassination attempt against French President Nicolas Sarkozy in a foreign land will be reported.  There was a report in February of 2012 that there was an attempt.
• Exciting discoveries of two new planets with possible life forms will be announced by NASA this year, with one being a blue planet.  Many new planets were discovered, but that was to be expected.  As for one being “blue”, we’re still waiting.
• Russia will encounter two setbacks in its space program in 2012 due to accidents or explosions within their launch vehicles.  The Russian Space Program continuously encounters setbacks, though nothing specific seems to have occurred in 2012 that relates to explosions.
• President Barak Obama will face conservative Republican Mitt Romney as the U.S. Presidential choice after the 2012 primary elections.  This was true, though not especially difficult to predict.
• Israel will encounter several assaults and explosions in or near military bases in 2012 after two countries gang up on them.  Israel was once again involved in a military conflict, but again, this is a pretty safe prediction.
• Iran will see a nuclear-related explosion to one of its two reactors this year due to an accident or apparent sabotage.  This did not happen.
• A conflict or battle in outer space will occur this year between two countries, most likely involving Russia or Iran when communications satellites are attacked.  Absolutely did not happen.  Note:  Star Wars is still not real.
• Illness seen around former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger this year relating to a heart attack.  Illness around him?  He’s 89.  It’s a pretty safe bet that someone in his social circle may fall ill.

In the Philippines, China moves to take over or influence the area. Civil war breaks out between competing gangs or political forces in the Southern region.  While this has been a threat for a long time, it doesn’t appear that gang-related civil war has broken out.

Sidney Friedman

Sidney “SidneySeer” Friedman claims a documented predictions accuracy of 71%, and a near 100% success rate with his Oscar predictions, missing only twice. His predictions have been covered by all the major television networks as well as hundreds of radio programs.

• Mitt Romney eventually will emerge as the Republican candidate for president.  Correct!
• President Obama will be re-elected. Correct!  But roughly 50/50 odds ain’t that bad to start with.   Mitt Romney will not win his home state of Massachusetts.  True, but it was assumed he would not win his home state.
• Jennifer Aniston will get engaged in 2012 or early 2013.  This turned out to be true.
• Oprah Winfrey’s return to TV with her new show on her OWN network does not boost the network’s ratings with any significance.  Fair enough – I’ve read many reports that OWN is not doing all that well.
• In North Korea, new leader Kim Jong-un by year’s end or early 2013 will be seen enacting several key reforms for his country and also engaging in some talks with outside countries.  Even though many political experts agreed that reforms might come into place in 2012 – even knowing this – the prediction is still incorrect, because no significant reforms were announced.
• Upsetting earthquake activity on the U.S. West Coast (most likely northern). Also, volcanic activity becomes prominent in Iceland again.  Iceland is a volcanic island, so one would expect there to be volcanic activity.  The US west coast frequently has earthquakes, since it’s located within the Pacific Rim of Fire, so again, this is simply stating the obvious.
• The doctor’s bag and bowling bag as handbags become “in” accessories for women.  Without going into too much detail, these bags made a comeback in 2010, which has continued through 2012, so this isn’t exactly a shocking prediction.
• In music, former Idol star Ruben Studdard will make a comeback with his most successful album and single to date.  While Studdard did release an album in March of 2012 (which wasn’t a surprise), it was actually his worst release to date.  It ranked 73^rd on the US chards, and did not receive any significant certifications or sales numbers (certainly not even close to his first two albums).
• George Clooney will become a father!  No, he won’t!  Not in 2012 at least.
• Woody Allen wins an Oscar with Best Original Screenplay for Midnight in Paris. Octavia Spencer wins the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Help. He got both of these right.
• An unusual bug is found in Brooklyn.   Does he literally mean an insect, or is he talking about a germ that causes sickness? 
• With bumps along the way and reactive drops relating to European economic news, overall the stock market will climb.  Generally, the market did climb, which was a pretty safe bet… but I supposed hindsight is 20/20.
• Contrary to numerous statements by interpreters of the Mayan calendar and such, the world will NOT end in 2012.  Well, if he were wrong, then no one would be around to prove it, now would they? This is the safest of all predictions.
• And, hmm, the CUBS. Yes, year after year, I always predict they’ll be in the World Series. So yes, this year they will finally make it. …And I predict I’ll be wrong again.  Glad he’s got a sense of humor…

Michel Hayek

Lebanese psychic Michel Hayek says he discovered his psychic abilities when he was very young, and his predictions go as far back as 1985 when he predicted the Space Shuttle Challenger tragedy. Other successful predictions included the Rachid Karameh’s assassination, Lady Diana’s death in 1996, and the 1999 earthquake in Turkey.

• An international conspiracy against the dollar.   What does this even mean?
• Gold disappoints.  Michel Hayek disappoints.
• The Israeli-Lebanese border dispute continues.  Fair enough –will it ever really end?
• Some areas of land disappear.  What does this even mean?
• A heavenly body seen from the earth.  Seriously?  Look up at the sky on a clear night.  There you go, some heavenly bodies.
• New spacial truths.  What does this even mean?
• Pope visit to the Islamic states.  Does Lebanon count?  Because this was a planned event.  
• A nuclear project in the Middle East.  Where?  There are suspected nuclear projects in Iran. Is there somewhere else you had in mind?
• Al-Qaeda is active without bin Laden.  No kidding.
• The strongest sandstorm in the history of the Arab world.  On Feb 25^th, there was a significant sand storm, though I can’t confirm if it was the strongest in the history of the Arab world.
• Tourism in Egypt again.  I guess? 
• The United Arab Emirates (UAE) hide internal problems.  I guess we’ll never know, since they’re hiding them.
• The truth behind the death of Amy Winehouse.  Ok – what’s the truth?
• David Letterman is in danger.  Is Leno after him?  Be more specific.  Mr. Letterman can’t do anything useful with this prediction.

Blair Robertson

Blair Robertson’s predictions of world events are read each Monday morning by 20,000 readers globally. The Washington Times called him their “favorite prognosticator.”  Here’s his psychic predictions for 2012:

• I predict that the Republicans will win the Presidential election.  Nope, Democrats did.
• A horrifying premonition: spandex will make a comeback near the end of 2012.  The author reserves the right to not research useless predictions like this…
• Volcanic activity in the Northwest will be big news and I feel there will be a very good chance of a large eruption.  There were no large eruptions in 2012 in the northwest (I am assuming, of North America).
• There will be a bombing on a cruise ship this year.  There was no bombing.
• I predict North Carolina will be slammed and heavily damaged by storms in April.  November would have been more accurate.
• I predict Jennifer Aniston will marry.  Not married, but engaged. But seriously, she’s always getting engaged…
• Watch for major riots to occur in Miami and London in the spring.  Nope.
• A train crash in Southern Europe within the next 120 days that will be caused by sabotage.  There were many rail crashes this year, but I could not find one that was specifically in Southern Europe where sabotage was suspected.
• In spite of persistent rumors, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will remain together in 2012 and adopt another child.  They have like 56 adopted kids, so what’s one more?  In fact, they got engaged in April.  Why wasn’t that predicted?
• A member of royalty will die in a car crash within 6 months.  Don’t think this happened…
• A dam will burst, causing much damage, within the year.  Where?  This is completely vague.  Dams burst almost every year, so this is more of a statement than a prediction.
• A major oil spill in the North Atlantic within the first five months.  This did not happen, though a clearer definition of “major” might help to clarify.
• A ferryboat capsizing in the Philippines with more than 60 lost in February.  If by Philippines he meant Papa New Guinea, then he’s right – a ferry did collapse in South East Asia.
• Volcanic activity in Italy – affecting the Amalfi Coast this year.  No information could be found describing the effect on the Amalfi Coast due to a volcano.
• Watch for a tsunami in the spring that will threaten the island kingdom of Tonga.  There was no tsunami that threatened Tonga.
• A baby for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge this year.  For you non British… this is William and Kate, and yes, they are expecting a baby in 2013 (not 2012).
• Middle East tensions will greatly escalate in the fall.  No kidding… case and point, Syria.
• Tiger Woods will win the U.S. Open this year.  He didn’t, the honor went to Webb Simpson.
• Vladimir Putin will survive as Russian president.  This is true, though it will likely be a very long time before he is NOT president, as he tends to find ways to control the country whether he has the title or not.

Concetta Bertoldi

Concetta Bertoldi says she has been communicating with spirits since childhood.  She consults regularly with Britain’s Royal family, Hollywood stars, and politicians.  Here are her predictions for 2012.

• Medical breakthroughs will happen in 2012 and beyond. Stem cell research will provide us with cures and progress that is almost unbelievable; however, people need to get out of the way of stem cell research.  This is completely vague, and almost guaranteed to be true.  Medical breakthroughs occur every year, so that’s nothing special.  Stem cell research will likely always face opposition from religious leaders, and the gains from stem cell research have always been extremely promising and exciting.  This, to me, is a non-prediction.
• Foreclosures, financial ruin, the currencies are falling, but in this arena there will be some resolution. The smaller banks will fail, and then banks will consolidate to two or three top banks and it will be easier for everyone to receive their fair share.  Ok?
• Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will have another baby in 2012.  Oooh, when psychics collide… Psychic Blair Robertson thinks they’ll adopt, but Concetta thinks they’ll have their own.  Which is it?
• Movies will come out of Hollywood that will change the world, unite the world, and create a futuristic vision of oneness, bringing down divisions by countries. I have yet to see a movie that accomplishes all of these things.
• Politicians will continue to make changes. A woman will come up through the ranks who is not well known right now, but she will bring positive change; she may not be elected in 2012 but she will be rising.  Who?  Give a name, at least. Maybe a location?
• The economy will be improving in 2012 and America will be healing; the excesses have been washed out and America will survive and be strong again.  It’s pretty common knowledge that the economy is improving, so this is a useless prediction.

The Psychic Twins (Terry and Linda Jamison)

Terry and Linda Jamison, otherwise known as the Psychic Twins, claim to be the world’s most documented psychics. They are most famous for their predictions of the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attacks, the Pentagon attacks, and the May 2000 stock market crash, all made on Art Bell’s Coast to Coast AM radio show on November 2,1999.

• Terrorist attack planned for New York, Washington, Boston, Texas and Florida, but most of them will be thwarted.  Impossible to verify, since they were “thwarted” and likely under government wraps.
• Home-grown terrorists target schools.  Prove it?  Where?  Which schools? There are over 100,000 schools in America.  If children are in danger, and you have the gift/ability to predict a terrorist attack at a school, isn’t it your duty to be more specific?  On Dec 14^th, there was a tragic shooting at an elementary school, but there was no prediction of this. 
• Economic growth (true); no recession (we’re still in one, but it’s getting better, generally); unemployment stays about the same (It went down from 8.3%.  It’s actually at 7.7% at the time this article was written.)  Major stock correction in Summer.  (In early June, the DJIA dropped after 4 months of consistent increases.  But it fully recovered in Sept, surpassing the May levels.  Depending on how you define a “major stock correction”, then this could be interpreted as true).
• Letting go a negative patterns; more acceptance of positive patterns and choices.  What does this mean?  It can be interpreted as anything.
• Earthquakes in Mexico, eastern and western China, and in Los Angeles in April.  Mexico, China, and Los Angeles always have earthquakes… this is such a safe bet that anyone could have predicted it.
• More college sex abuse and scandal in the headlines.  This was a pretty hot topic when it broke in 2011, so of course it would continue to make headlines in 2012, especially when the Sandusky case was closed.

Carmen Harra

Carmen’s psychic “predictions” are littered with astrology, numerology, and other pseudosciences.  You can read the whole thing here, but there’s one clear prediction in the whole essay, which I’ll place first:

“Barack Obama will be a one-term President.”  And he wasn’t – he clearly won a second term in 2012.

Conclusion:  Why are you so hard on psychics?

After all, what’s the harm?  What’s the harm in dropping $20 for a psychic reading?  Here’s the real issue:  some  psychics prey on the weak and the vulnerable.  They take advantage of human’s fallible minds (for example, our tendency to “remember the hits and forget the misses”).   Some are frauds or cranks who have mastered the art of cold reading.  Some legitimately believe in their “powers”, but many are out to make a quick buck, like any capitalist, by selling books, DVDs, lectures, guest appearances.

Worst of all, many psychics (and to be clear, not all) are opportunists who provide false hope to victims who have lost loved ones.  Sometimes, they even waste police time and resources.  They provide vague predictions that are difficult to interpret, and their predictions fail miserably when they try to be specific.

Benjamin Radford, a regular contributor to many science based blogs, has this to say about psychics and their so-called predictions:

People should also ask themselves some simple questions when they hear psychics’ claims. If psychics can really find missing people, why aren’t they in Iraq, rescuing kidnapped hostages?  Why haven’t psychics caught serial killers before they kill again?  Why do different psychics give contradictory information?  Why do we need Amber Alerts to find kidnapped children?  And where are Osama bin Laden, Natalee Holloway, Lisa Stebic, Madeleine McCann, and the thousands of other people whom searchers are desperate to find?  On these questions, psychics are as silent as the missing persons they fail to find.

And that, everyone, is why we’re so hard on psychics.