Is the world really going to end on Dec 21st, 2012?

I have read on certain articles and on the internet that the world is gonna end on Dec 21st,2012. But my question is "Why choose that particulary day/year". One of the articles said that there is going to be a major change in the world in that year.The scientists are even saying that the earth is gonna do something that only happens every 26 000 years.

I think some of the information above is true but I think that the world is getting smarter. This means that the world is creating bigger and more advanced technologies like guns, mechanical bombs and etc. Isn't it obvious that the world is going to end because of these technologies and wars that are going on in Iraq, Afghanistan and other such countries.

The question is " Is the world really going to end on Dec 21, 2012"?