There seems to be a subset of people who need to know the date and time, even though the Bible made it clear that this could not be known. It's one of those things that isn't even ambiguous, Jesus says no one knows the day or hour. The thought behind it is also pretty clear- always live a life that god will approve of, don't wait until the time is close to try and score enough points to earn salvation at the last minute.
But almost since the time those words were written, people have tried to figure out when the world will end. I don't think there is a number left in the Bible that has not been applied in some odd formula that, almost always, results in a date not far from when the 'researcher' is living in. It feels good to be the one who gets to see these things happen. It feels meaningful. "I was there when it happened" would be special.