Erich von Däniken, who was born in Switzerland in 1935, is known as the father of the theory of aliens in ancient times, also known as the ancient astronaut theory. He published the first of his 26 books in 1968, while he was the manager of a 5-star hotel.
In “Chariots of the Gods,” Däniken put forward his controversial hypothesis that thousands of years ago space travelers from other planets visited Earth and influenced ancient religions by teaching people technology.
As evidence, he cited religious texts that talk about otherworldly beings with superpowers descending from the sky. He also claimed that extraterrestrials with advanced engineering knowledge also built ancient wonders such as Stonehenge, the Pyramid of Giza, and the Maoi statues on Easter Island.
Erich Anton Paul von Däniken (born 14 April 1935) is a Swiss author of several books which make claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, including the best-selling Chariots of the Gods, published in 1968. Von Däniken is one of the main figures responsible for popularizing the "paleo-contact" and ancient astronauts hypotheses.
Space and aliens were popular in 1969
Chariots of the Gods was published at a time when aliens and space travel were widely featured in movies, books, and popular culture. At that time, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek, and Frank Herbert's Dune series were very popular. In this atmosphere, the ideas put forward by Däniken were very successful and his book quickly became a bestseller in countries such as America and Germany. Däniken's books have been translated into 30 languages and some have been published 40 times. Däniken has gained many followers over the years, many of whom have published their own research.
Erich von Däniken has been saying and writing for more than 40 years that humanity and aliens crossed paths in the distant past. His works have captured the imagination of many generations around the world and inspired many documentaries and TV programs.
Who is Erich Von Daniken?
Erich Von Daniken was born on April 14, 1935 in Zofingen, Switzerland. While studying at College Saint Micleh, he began to ponder sacred scriptures and unsolved archaeological riddles. His first and most famous work, "Cars of the Gods", was published in 1968 and sold 600 thousand copies in 30 editions in two years.
This book, which created a worldwide incident, started the "Danikenism" epidemic, according to Time magazine. His book "Return to the Stars", published in 1969, entered the bestseller list all over the world within two weeks. He published the books "Seed and Universe" in 1972 and "Miracles of the Gods" in 1974. "Footprints of the Gods", released in 1979, made Daniken famous. His books have been translated into 32 languages and sold over 54 million copies.
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