From the Fortune Sellers by W. Sherden
In autumn 1989, earthquake prognosticator Iben Browning predicted that on December 3, 1990 (plus or minus forty-eight hours), a devastating earthquake would strike New Madrid, Missouri, very near the epicenter of an 1811 earthquake classified as the most severe to strike North America in recorded history. As December 3 approached, the town of New Madrid was seized by mass panic. Schools and factories closed; shopping centers taped up their windows; many residents left town, and others called the American Red Cross in tears of hysteria; and rumors spread that the town's reservoir had dropped fifteen feet (and New Madrid does not even have a reservoir). Radio and television media invaded New Madrid from as far away as Poland to cover the impending disaster. But the earthquake never happened. Browning had convinced everyone otherwise, including highly credible media such as the New York Times.
The building of Browning's credibility explains how everyone was fooled. The press referred to him as "Dr. Browning" and described him as a Ph.D. specializing in earthquake prediction, with a great track record. Also, David Stewart, a Ph.D. in geophysics at Southeast Missouri State University's Earthquake Information Center, attested that Browning's prediction was sound and said, "Here's a man who has hit several home runs."
As it turns out, Browning's Ph.D. is in zoology, his stated profession is actually "business consulting," and his backer Stewart is a believer in the use of psychic powers to predict earthquakes.
