This episode looks at a belief held by Millerite believers in 1844. They expected Christ to return on October 22 of that year. The date was important to them because they…
Transcript
Welcome to Slow English FM. This is Today in History, where we explore one event from the past and explain why it is remembered. This episode looks at a belief held by Millerite believers in 1844. They expected Christ to return on October 22 of that year. The date was important to them because they expected this event to happen then. But their expectation was not fulfilled. The failed expectation became known as the Great Disappointment. That name describes the failure of the prediction, not a confirmed event. The account is about what the believers expected and what followed when their expectation was not fulfilled. Their belief is part of the historical record; the return itself is presented here as something they expected, not as an established fact. The Great Disappointment is remembered through that gap between expectation and outcome.
Vocabulary in this episode
- not fulfilled
But their expectation was not fulfilled.
It means what they expected did not happen.
- not fulfilled
The account is about what the believers expected and what followed when their expectation was not fulfilled.
It means their expected event did not happen.
- prediction
That name describes the failure of the prediction, not a confirmed event.
A prediction is a statement about what someone thinks will happen in the future.
- historical record
Their belief is part of the historical record; the return itself is presented here as something they expected, not as an established fact.
It means the information kept about events and beliefs from the past.
- established fact
Their belief is part of the historical record; the return itself is presented here as something they expected, not as an established fact.
It means something accepted as true based on evidence, rather than only something people expected.
- gap between expectation and outcome
The Great Disappointment is remembered through that gap between expectation and outcome.
It means the difference between what people thought would happen and what actually happened.