Michel de Nostradamus, better known as Nostradamus, published his first book of predictions, The Prophecies of Michel Nostradamus, on March 1, 1555. MIR 24 decided to check which of them came true and which do not belong to it at all.
Who is Nostradamus
The fashion for divination, occultists and alchemists in the 16th century reached the point where the craze for magic was not just encouraged, but commonplace. Every self-respecting king simply had to keep an astrologer and a fortuneteller at court, so as not to stand out among the rulers of other countries.
But it cannot be said that the predictions of the court magicians are somehow especially believed. They were not taken very seriously and sometimes even with disdain. But fashion is fashion.
Michel de Nostrdam was born in France. And from childhood he demonstrated his unusual abilities. According to legend, once at a reception with an important person, he predicted the fate of two pigs: a white pig will be eaten by a wolf, and a black pig will be served for dinner. To challenge the prophecy, the owner ordered the cook to roast the white pig, but it turned out that he had already been eaten by the wolf. And the chef served black on the table.
After leaving school, Nostradamus decided to become a doctor in order to find a cure for the plague. Perhaps this was also one of his predictions - a few years later, his wife and child died from this disease. As is known, he did not find a cure.
Glory at court came to him after Michel predicted the death of King Henry II of France in a duel.
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Every year from 1550 until his death, Nostradamus published almanacs with prophecies. Already during his lifetime, prophecies such as the siege of Hungary by the Turks, the discovery of Canada and the Portuguese reaching the shores of Japan came true.
In addition, it is believed that Nostradamus predicted the discovery of Australia, the independence of the United States, the invention of the steam engine, the revolution in France, the discovery of electricity, the defeat of Napoleon in Russia, the beginning of the First World War, the October Revolution, the appearance of television, the Second World War, the landing in space and on the Moon and many many others.
So, at least, it is customary to think. One thing confuses: Nostradamus never said such things directly. All in all, his poetic predictions were very vague and relied on the search for some "hidden meaning" in them.
Obvious predictions
For example, in the words of Nostradamus about the independence of the United States there is no reason to doubt.
Or about the emergence of the Romanov dynasty in Russia:
And this is how the fortuneteller described Napoleon's defeat in Russia:
It is believed that Nostradamus foresaw the popularity of socialist ideas and the revolution in Russia, which turned into terror:
Nostradamus's prediction for 2015 can also be considered fulfilled. The civil war in Syria, the migration crises in Europe and terrorist groups trying to upset the global balance.
False predictions
But the fact that Nostradamus is credited with the prophecy of the birth of Hitler is a very doubtful fact. History knows many tyrannical personalities who could fit this description.
Many interpreters saw in the words of the astrologer a prediction of the September 11 terrorist attack in the United States. However, the authenticity of such a decryption is also in doubt:
The alien invasion, the end of the world and the cataclysms that the interpreters of Nostradamus promised us in 1999, as you know, did not happen either. This is probably for the best.
In addition, according to the predictions of Nostradamus, in 2010 we were to face the third world war, and in 2016 - devastated Europe. But by 2043, according to the decryptors of the works of the French predictor, Islamist rule will be established in empty Europe.
Ekaterina Degtereva