Who is Nostradamus?
The 16th-century French doctor Michel de Nostradamus, and his obscure yet hypnotic prophecies, have cast their spell on the world over the last four-and-a-half centuries. He has become a wellspring for wisdom and waggishness for a broad range of diverse historical figures and colorful characters. He is a brunt of jokes by Jay Leno of NBC’s Tonight Show and was the theatrical device of a cigar-waving Orson Welles, giving one of his better melodramatic performances as the host in a documentary, uttering facts, fables, and smoke rings as captivating and cloudy as Nostradamus’ own writings.
Nostradamus was a French seer living in the 16th century. His predictions of the future are some of the most famous in history, and continue to enjoy widespread popularity to the current day. With the exception of Biblical prophets, his visions are by far the most well-known of the many seers who have existed over the past few centuries. Nostradamus was born Michel de Nostredame at the dawn of the 16th century, to a notary and grain dealer. In his early adult years, Nostradamus practiced as an apothecary. He attended medical school for a period, but was expelled when his past as an apothecary was discovered. The next few years of his life were spent battling the plague in France and Italy. In his late forties, Michel de Nostredame changed his name to the Latin Nostradamus, and began publishing occult tracts. He began writing yearly almanacs, which contained among them thousands of prophecies. These almanacs began to do quite well commercially, and their success prompted many distinguis
