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Erich von Däniken
Erich von Däniken · Sven Teschke, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, Wikimedia Commons
Person

Erich von Däniken

1935 – 2026 · aged 91

Swiss pseudoscientific writer and ufologist (1935–2026)

Born
14 Apr 1935 · Zofingen
Died
10 Jan 2026 · Unterseen
Part ofSwitzerland218 BCE – today

Life timeline

Their life from birth to death. On the timeline, world events of the time are shown faintly.

Showing 105 years
  1. 14 Apr 1935BornBorn in Zofingen
  2. 1991AwardIg Nobel Prize
  3. 2006AwardBoulder Prize
  4. 2012AwardGoldenes Brett
  5. 10 Jan 2026DiedDied in Unterseen

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Meanwhile in the world

Major world events during their lifetime (1935 – 2026).

  1. 19361936 Summer Olympics
  2. 1937 – 1945Second Sino-Japanese War
  3. 19381938 FIFA World Cup
  4. 1938Munich Agreement
  5. 1939 – 1940Winter War
  6. 1939 – 1945World War II
  7. 1940 – 1945Auschwitz concentration camp
  8. 1941Attack on Pearl Harbor
  9. 1941 – 1945Eastern Front
  10. 1941Operation Barbarossa
  11. 1942 – 1943Battle of Stalingrad
  12. 1945Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
  13. 1945 – 1946Nuremberg trials
  14. 19501950 FIFA World Cup
  15. 1950 – 1953Korean War
  16. 1953 – 1959Cuban Revolution
  17. 19541954 FIFA World Cup
  18. 1955 – 1975Vietnam War
  19. 1956Hungarian Revolution of 1956
  20. 1956Suez Crisis
  21. 19581958 FIFA World Cup
  22. 1959Antarctic Treaty System
  23. 19621962 FIFA World Cup
  24. 1962Cuban Missile Crisis
  25. 19661966 FIFA World Cup
  26. 1966 – 1976Cultural Revolution
  27. 1968Prague Spring
  28. 1969Apollo 11 Moon landing
  29. 19721972 Summer Olympics
  30. 19741974 FIFA World Cup
  31. 19781978 FIFA World Cup
  32. 1978 – 1979Iranian Revolution
  33. 1979 – 1989Soviet–Afghan War
  34. 1980 – 1988Iran–Iraq War
  35. 19841984 Summer Olympics
  36. 1985Schengen Agreement
  37. 19891989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre
  38. 1989Fall of the Berlin Wall
  39. 19901990 FIFA World Cup
  40. 1991Dissolution of the Soviet Union

Biography

Erich Anton Paul von Däniken (German: [ˈeːrɪç fɔn ˈdɛːnɪkən]; 14 April 1935 – 10 January 2026) was a Swiss author of several pseudoscientific books which made claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, including the best-selling Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968. Däniken was one of the main figures responsible for popularizing the "paleo-contact" and ancient astronauts hypotheses.

The ideas put forth in his books are rejected by virtually all scientists and academics, who categorize his work as pseudohistory, pseudoarchaeology, and pseudoscience. Early in his career, he was convicted and served time for several counts of fraud or embezzlement, and wrote one of his books in prison.

Däniken was the co-founder of the Archaeology, Astronautics and SETI Research Association (AAS RA). He designed Mystery Park, a theme park located in Interlaken, Switzerland, that opened in May 2003.

Text from the Wikipedia article Erich von Däniken, CC BY-SA 4.0

About this information

Dates and life events come from this person’s Wikidata entry.

We only show events that the sources give a date for. Anything without a date is left out rather than guessed.