December 27, 2001: Predictions for 2002

Art Bell opens a full night of listener predictions for 2002, beginning with a review of last year's forecasts. Of 18 predictions scored, seven proved accurate, a hit rate Art considers remarkable for specific, non-obvious calls. He notes that his audience may be growing more psychic over the years, with each season producing slightly better results than the last.

The predictions rolling in reflect a nation still reeling from September 11th. Callers forecast suicide bombers in Times Square on New Year's Eve, a biological attack at the Winter Olympics, and China invading Taiwan by July 4th. A 13-year-old from Oregon predicts terrorists will release smallpox on American soil. Among the few optimistic voices, callers predict a great spiritual revival, increasing appearances of angels, and the merging of alternative medicine with mainstream practice.

Art intersperses the predictions with news of the growing India-Pakistan nuclear standoff, a record seven feet of snow burying Buffalo, extreme weather events across the globe, and the bizarre story of a pilotless airplane that flew for two hours over Sonoma County after its owner accidentally left the throttle forward. He also takes a call from a professional asteroid hunter who predicts 2002 will bring the discovery of a near-Earth object requiring active mitigation.