ATLANTA A wave of teenage suicides and airline crashes last year coincided with the appearance of Halley’s comet, the “evil star” herald of death and disaster since ancient times, a researcher said Sunday.

“The reappearance of Halley’s ‘comet brings forth the realization of larger cycles that interplay with the phenomenon of suicide,” said Loren Coleman, director of a suicide prevention project at the University of Southern Maine in Portland.

He said the word “disaster” evolved from “evil star” or “bad star” as comets were often termed. He said an analysis of suicides or other disasters corresponding with the appearance of comet’s chronological connection between the appearance of comet and suicides, deaths and disasters. His historical study represents research going back to the 1960’s, Coleman said.

Halley’s Comet, which repairs every 76 years, returned last fall and will be visible until end of April. It is expected to be at its brightest April 11.

Colman said the appearance of the comet Kohoutek in 1973-74 coincided with the Watergate scandal and President Richard Nixon’s fall, besides assassination and earthquakes in Mexico and Pakistan that killed 5,500 and drought in Africa and India that left 200,000 dead.

“These kinds of associations of comets and disasters are still around,” said Coleman,

“In 1985, the year of the reappearance of Halley’s comet, the United States held its first National Conference on Youth Suicide in ‘Washington D.C.” Coleman said,

When Halley’s comet appeared 76 years ago, in 1910, “Sigmund Freud addressed a conference in Vienna, on Suicide, Particularly ‘Among Children.” The year 1985 also marked a large number of airline disasters with a death toll in the thousands, he said,

“Halley’s comet appeared like a ‘sword’ over Jerusalem in 66 A.D,, foreshadowing for the city’s residents their destruction at the hands of the Romans. Many records of mass suicides are associated with this time Simon of Scythopolis, Jotapata soldiers and citizens … and finally ending the Masada, 960 dead,” Coleman said in his paper.

Coleman said there was clear evidence of a connection between Halley’s Comet and suicides in 1910. On May 18, 1910, the Earth was to have passed through the Poisonous tale of the comet.

“The only solution for many was suicide, Records of waves of suicides in Japan, Italy and Spain are known,” he wrote.

Coleman said “Comet Halley frames these events but does not cause them. Other spectacular comet appearances, however, seem to have influenced some people and they committed suicides. Further historical research should be undertaken.”

Article extracted from this publication >> April 11, 1986