Nostradamus (December 14,
1503 – July 2, 1566), Latinized name of Michel
de Nostredame, was one of the world's most
famous publishers of prophecies. He is best
known for his book Les Propheties, the first
edition of which appeared in 1555. Since the
publication of this book, which has rarely been
out of print since his death and has always
been hugely popular across the world,
Nostradamus has attracted an almost cult
following.
His many
enthusiasts, to say nothing of the popular
press, credit him with predicting numerous
major world events. In contrast, most of the
academic sources listed below maintain that the
associations made between world events and
Nostradamus' quatrains are largely the result
of misinterpretations or mistranslations
(sometimes deliberate) or else are so tenuous
as to render them useless as evidence of any
genuine predictive power.
Moreover, none of
the sources listed offers any evidence that
anyone has ever succeeded in interpreting any
of Nostradamus' quatrains specifically enough
to allow a clear identification of any event in
advance.[1] Nevertheless, interest in the work
of this prominent figure of the French
Renaissance is still considerable, especially
in the media and in popular culture, and the
prophecies have in some cases been assimilated
to the results of applying the alleged Bible
Code, as well as to other purported prophetic
works.