Nostradamus

Born Michel de Nostradame in December 1503 in Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France, Nostradamus is considered to be one of the most famous prophets in history. His best-known work, “Les Propheties” (The Prophecies), recorded his prognostications in four-line poems, which were organized into groups of 100 quatrains known as “Centuries.” Obscured by the use of Greek, Latin and 16th-century Provençal, these deliberately obtuse predictions have enabled devoted followers to claim accuracy—from foretelling the death of King Henry II of France in a jousting accident in 1559 to the attacks on September 11, 2001—after the pivotal events have already occurred. Explore a few little-known facts about this wildly popular seer below.