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What specific historical events did Edgar Cayce predict and when were they recorded?
Executive summary
Edgar Cayce produced roughly 14,000 trance “readings” between about 1901 and 1945, many of which included predictions about stock markets, earthquakes, Atlantis, pole shifts, and world wars; several of those specific predictions are dated in the record (for example, readings mentioning a 1929 crash in February 1925 and March 1929, and catastrophic California quakes in readings from the 1930s) [1] [2] [3]. Coverage of Cayce’s predictions is uneven across sources: the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.) highlights vindications such as the Bimini reference, while critics note high-profile misses (e.g., a predicted 1998 Second Coming) or ambiguous outcomes [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. Who Cayce was and when the readings were recorded
Edgar Cayce delivered more than 14,000 documented readings — trance Q&A sessions recorded between about 1901 and 1945 — producing a large body of dated material from which many “predictions” are cited [1]. The A.R.E., which curates Cayce material, reprints readings and contextualizes them as coming from his trance state [4] [5].
2. Stock market crash[8]: specific dates in the record
Multiple popular accounts credit Cayce with predicting the 1929 crash; Ripley’s and regional summaries report Cayce warnings about a “considerable break” and cite readings flagged in February 1925 and again in March 1929 as precursors to the October 1929 crash [2] [9] [10]. These references are used by proponents to argue he foresaw financial collapse, though original-reading context and exact wording vary across retellings [2] [10].
3. Earth changes and California catastrophe predictions
Cayce’s readings in the 1930s included warnings about catastrophic earthquakes affecting California — accounts note readings in January 1936 predicting destruction of Los Angeles and San Francisco, with subsequent threats to New York — and other “earth changes” and pole-shift scenarios that recur in his material [3]. Later writers and critics link those readings to popular “earth change” narratives, but sources differ on whether the readings were conditional warnings or firm dates [3] [6].
4. Atlantis, Bimini and the “Hall of Records” — dates and claims
Cayce repeatedly spoke of Atlantis and of records hidden in several places — readings cited by A.R.E. (for example reading 5748-6 and reading 378-16) place Atlantean records in locations including Bimini, Egypt, and the Yucatán and even suggest a timeframe for discoveries; one often-cited 1938 reading predicted a portion of temples might be found near Bimini by 1968–69, a date supporters point to after the 1968 discovery of the Bimini “road” [4] [11]. A.R.E. and Cayce enthusiasts emphasize these correspondences; skeptics note interpretive leaps in equating geological finds with the specific Cayce language [4] [11].
5. Later-date prophecies and high-profile misses
Some Cayce readings made explicit calendar claims that did not occur as literal events: critics cite a reading that placed the Second Coming in 1998 and other time-bound forecasts (for example, predictions about China becoming predominantly Christian by 1968) that did not materialize, and argue these are significant failures in his record [6] [7]. A.R.E. materials tend to present such future-oriented readings as conditional or symbolic, while critics treat them as disconfirming evidence [6] [7].
6. How sources treat “hits” versus “misses”
The A.R.E. and Cayce-friendly outlets compile lists of “prophecies that came true,” emphasizing apparent matches (stock market, Bimini, some archeological or cultural notes) and often citing specific reading numbers and dates [5] [4]. Independent and skeptical commentators — including Christian apologists and investigative journalists — highlight failed date-specific prophecies and the interpretive flexibility required to link vague statements to later events [6] [7]. Both perspectives use the same basic corpus (the 1901–1945 readings) but differ on how literal or conditional the readings should be read [1] [6].
7. What’s documented in the sources you provided and what’s not
The provided sources document: the time span of Cayce’s readings (1901–1945) and volume (~14,000) [1]; readings flagged as predicting the 1929 crash (Feb 1925 and Mar 1929) [2] [9] [10]; 1930s readings about major California destruction and pole shifts (Jan 1936 and 1930s material) [3]; and Bimini/Atlantis references including predicted discovery timing (1938 → 1968–69) [4] [11]. Available sources do not mention every supposed Cayce prediction in a single authoritative list; they reflect competing compilations and disagreements about interpretation [4] [6].
8. Bottom line for readers
If you want a precise catalog of “what and when” for Cayce’s predictions, the primary Cayce readings (as archived by A.R.E.) give reading numbers and dates; popular retellings pick out a handful of specific dated claims (1925/1929 for the market, 1936/1938 for earth-change and Atlantis-related readings), while critics stress notable failed time-bound forecasts such as 1998 and conditional language that undermines claims of strict prophecy [4] [3] [2] [6]. For rigorous work, consult the original reading texts (A.R.E. identifiers such as 5748-6 and 378-16 are cited by A.R.E.) and compare proponents’ interpretations with skeptical analyses [4] [5] [6].