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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Slideshow Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Two Swedes jailed for life for Philippine Internet porn 9:04am EDT Earthquake fever hits Rome as some fear "the big one" 8:38am EDT Woody Allen comedy delights at Cannes opening | 10:34am EDT Man jumps to death off world's tallest tower in Dubai 10 May 2011 Facebook may have leaked your personal information: Symantec 12:46am EDT Discussed 144 Obama at U.S. base to pay tribute to bin Laden mission 124 Boehner demands trillion-dollar cuts in debt deal 97 Son says bin Laden sea burial demeans family: report Watched Exquisite chocolate source rediscovered through DNA testing Tue, May 10 2011 U.S. and China find common ground on currency Tue, May 10 2011 Japan refugees make brief trip home Tue, May 10 2011 Earthquake fever hits Rome as some fear "the big one" Tweet Share this By Philip Pullella ROME (Reuters) - A prediction that a huge earthquake would destroy Rome Wednesday prompted fear in some people and giggles of ridicule in others but officials assured the populace that the Eternal City would not be rubble by... Email Print Related News Romans gripped by fear of quake forecast for May 11 Mon, May 9 2011 BOJ believes Japan in recession, stands pat on policy Thu, Apr 28 2011 William and Kate in final royal wedding rehearsal Wed, Apr 27 2011 Analysis & Opinion How I became a pilgrim The China files, Part 1: How fast can China grow? Related Topics World » 1 / 2 A combination photo of shops with signs reading ''close for family reasons'' (L, top and bottom) or ''close for inventory'' (R, bottom) and ''close for a wedding'' in the Chinatown district in Rome May 11, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Alessandro Bianchi By Philip Pullella ROME | Wed May 11, 2011 11:41am EDT ROME (Reuters) - A prediction that a huge earthquake would destroy Rome Wednesday prompted fear in some people and giggles of ridicule in others but officials assured the populace that the Eternal City would not be rubble by midnight. The Internet-driven story of an impending tremor has dominated blogs, social networks and talk shows for days, so much so that authorities from the mayor down have issued statements saying earthquakes are impossible to predict. That did not deter thousands of people from staying away from work and heading for the countryside or the parks. According to some media reports, as many as 18 percent of city employees called in sick and Rome's notorious traffic did appear lighter than normal for a Wednesday in May. One neighborhood that came down with a bad case of earthquake fever was Chinatown, where many shopkeepers kept stores shuttered and put up signs saying they were closed for weddings, inventories or "serious family problems." "They have all gone away because they are scared of the earthquake," said Bangladeshi street seller Shouman who normally receives his cheap goods from a Chinese salesman. The fear was caused by one faction of the followers of Raffaele Bendandi, who died more than 30 years ago. The self-proclaimed scientist, who used a mix of seismology and cosmology and claimed to have forecast numerous earthquakes, calculated that a "big one" would hit Rome on May 11, 2011. The majority of Romans were skeptical and indeed by mid day the earth had not moved. "Nothing is going to happen," said delivery man Vittorio Giansanti, giggling as he went about his normal work in the Piazza Vittorio neighborhood. Bendandi, who died in 1979 at the age of 86, believed earthquakes were the result of the combined movements of the planets, the moon and the sun and were perfectly predictable. In 1923 he forecast a quake would hit the central Adriatic region of the Marches on January 2 the following year. He was wrong by two days but nearly precise prediction won him the nickname "earthquake predictor" in the media. Bendandi's fame grew and in 1927 he was awarded a knighthood by Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. During his long career his theories were studied by astronomers and seismologists but roundly debunked. To shake up the mood even more, another faction of Bendani's disciples said Bendani had never pinpointed May 11, 2011 as the date for the big one. They said that according to the positions of the planets, the actual earthquake would be on April 6, 2521. (Additional reporting by Gabriele Pileri; Editing by Barry Moody and Andrew Heavens) World Tweet this Share this Link this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. 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