Three Days of Darkness? Why the Viral Rumor Never Happened

Published on Oct. 8, 2025 written By Ntokozo Mkhize

Every few months, social media stirs up panic with claims that the Earth will soon be plunged into three days of total darkness.

In the most recent wave, messages spread across WhatsApp and TikTok insisting that sometime in 2025, the world would go completely dark for 72 hours. People were told to prepare candles, stay indoors, and brace themselves for an unprecedented blackout. But here’s the truth: it never happened and it was never going to happen.

The Origins of the Rumor

The “three days of darkness” story isn’t new. It has been recycled for decades, often tied to vague prophecies, end-times predictions, or supposed secret NASA announcements. Each time, it gets dressed up with new dates and frightening warnings, spreading quickly through online communities. The latest version claimed that Earth would enter a blackout due to cosmic activity or divine judgment.

Why It Was Fake

Scientists quickly debunked the claims. There is no astronomical event that could cause Earth to go dark for three full days. Eclipses only last minutes, and even the most powerful solar storms disrupt satellites they don’t block sunlight. NASA never made any such announcement, and if such an event were even remotely possible, it would have dominated global news coverage. Instead, the date passed quietly, with the Sun rising and setting as it always does.

Religious and Cultural Roots

Some versions of the rumour draw on old religious prophecies about darkness as a symbol of judgment. Figures like Blessed Anna Maria Taigi are sometimes cited, though the Catholic Church has never endorsed these predictions as official teaching. These stories survive mostly as folklore and resurface whenever fear and uncertainty make people more receptive to apocalyptic narratives.

Why People Believe It

Fear, mystery, and the authority of “secret knowledge” give these rumours their viral power. On social media, dramatic claims travel much faster than corrections. People share them “just in case” or because they fit into their worldview, and soon enough, panic takes hold. But when the predicted dates come and go, the stories collapse under their own weight, leaving only a trail of confusion behind.

The Takeaway

The “three days of darkness” prophecy is a classic example of misinformation. It never happened, it’s not happening now, and it won’t happen in the future. What it does show is how quickly fear-based stories spread online, and why it’s important to double-check sources before hitting share. If the world really were about to go dark, you wouldn’t hear it from a forwarded message; you’d hear it from every credible scientific institution on the planet.