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I wonder if there is anyone out there over the age of 20 that hasn't heard of Erich von Daniken? Mr von Daniken has probably done more, single handedly, to make us aware of the mysteries of the universe than anyone else in our modern world. He has brought many ideas to the fore front about ancient man and aliens that most of us wouldn't have ever thought of. One of his most famous works, "Chariots of the Gods", was published in the 1970s and immediately became one of the most controversial works to hit the book stores. Were there ancient astronauts and did they leave evidence of their presence? This was discussed at length. Not everyone agreed with the premise of the book, but everyone was interested in giving their opinion. The book stirred some deeply buried interest in most of us and we just had to let it come out. Discussions were being held everywhere on the book. Mr. von Daniken had become a celebrity.

Erich von Daniken was born on April 14, 1935 in Zofingen, Switzerland. He attended Saint-Michel School in Fribourg. At the age of 19 he became an apprentice at a Swiss hotel. Things were not always rosy for Mr. von Daniken but he is doing fine now. He is now 70 years old but hasn't slowed down at all. His claims that aliens influenced our lives and maybe even our development have angered some in the scientific community. While most scientists have rejected many of his theories, not all have been dismissed out of hand. He has not endeared himself to the scientific community. This is not to say that he doesn't have many dedicated followers. He has submitted as evidence, many things that seem to be unexplainable if it weren't for the fact that ancient astronauts did come to the Earth and leave these clues. Let's take for example the map of the land below Antarctica. Where could this ancient map have have come?

Erich, I hope he doesn't mind me calling him that, postulated that the Mayas were contacted by aliens. For evidence he offered the facts that they were able to accomplish things that should have been far behind their abilities. He cited their calendar and the incredible astronomical calculations that they had made. They even knew how long the Venusian cycle was. He stated that aliens had landed in the Nazca Desert and they created the lines we see today. The theory goes on further to say that the natives of the area preserved the lines since they believed that the gods had made them and may have even extended some of them. He went on to state as proof the Mahabharata, the collection of ancient Indian tales that speak of a great battle in space and a description of weapons that seem to fit the way we would describe a nuclear weapon today, this from a work that some say is from 400 BC.

Not everyone is happy with van Daniken's evidence and he is criticized soundly by some while praised by others. Somewhere between 55 to 60 million copies of his books have been sold and printed in over 28 languages. That is a lot of books my friends. This just shows that some people must be interested in his theories. But what does Mr. von Daniken believe today? In an interview he expressed the idea that our very intelligence was created by a mutation introduced by aliens at the dawn of man. I guess if this was true that would explain all the ufo sightings, they are our 'parents' watching us. He also expresses his belief in God and doesn't feel that his theories conflict with this belief. He states that he prays every day. Society is made of many parts, Mr. van Daniken stated and some parts are very strong, such as religion, science and the few people of the government and that these people are preventing us from finding out the truth about alien visits. This is not a direct quote but can be assumed from his answers in a 1997 interview.

One thing that everyone has to admit (I hope), is that Erich von Daniken has made us think. Just listening to one of his theories has to make someone want to know more about the subject. Of course this doesn't mean that we will automatically agree with Mr. von Daniken but it does mean we will most likely do a little research on our own and better educate ourselves in that particular subject. After all what could be more fascinating then discerning where we came from? I salute Erich von Daniken for giving us many years of thought provoking reading and deep in my heart I hope that maybe he will be right on at least one of his theories, after all that would make the world a much more interesting place.