Who was Erich von Daeniken? All about Swiss author who died at 90

The death of Erich von Daeniken has also focussed public attention on the controversial writer in 20th-century history. Erich von Daeniken is a writer from Switzerland, who is renowned for his theories on alien visits influencing ancient civilisations, and the writer attained the age of 90 at the time of his death.

The news of his death spread quickly as readers went back to his writings in book and television form and his various theories that went against the conventional understanding of historical events, although his work had long been debunked by many historians.

Who is Erich von Daeniken

Erich von Daeniken was born in Switzerland in 1935, and international fame came his way as he published ‘Chariots of the Gods?’ in 1968. His book proposed that the knowledge and structures of the ancient world couldn’t be explained in the absence of the hypothesis of visits by aliens from outer space. This led to his book being a tremendous success worldwide as millions of people read it.

The viral nature of the announcement of his death has a lot to do with the impact that von Daniken has had on popular culture. His writing influenced a public interest in ancient astronauts, UFOs, and archaeological sites that remain inexplicable. Erich von Daeniken was, for many readers, the first author to propose that a site, like the pyramids of Egypt or the Inca city, could have a history that is beyond human explanation.

Nevertheless, because of his popularity, the opinions he had on archaeology, astronomy, and history had been disputed numerous times by professionals with claims of him being highly speculative with little evidential support for his ideas. Books were written to disprove his claims, and the work he did was labelled as pseudoscience. Erich von Daeniken accepted the criticism but remained firm on his stance.

Also, before pursuing a career as an author, the individual had working experience in the hospitality sector in Switzerland. Moreover, the individual had issues with the law when younger, spending some time in jail for fraud. Yet, the individual's success in writing kept surging even after jail, with over 40 books to his name and sales of tens of millions of copies.

Later in his life, von Däniken continued to participate in public debates on extraterrestrial life. He showed interest in government briefings on unidentified flying objects and thought there would be evidence to support his theories in the future. He also founded a theme park based on world mysteries, which shut down after a few years. Ultimately, Erich von Daeniken is left with a complicated legacy. Though his theories were never adopted as scientific facts, they ignited the spark of curiosity in the minds of many who continue to be fascinated with the origin of humankind. Erich von Däniken's passing marks the end of one chapter, but his questions continue to intrigue the minds of many around the globe.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback