WRITER

Erich von Däniken

1935 - Today

Photo of Erich von Däniken

Icon of person Erich von Däniken

Erich Anton Paul von Däniken (; German: [ˈeːrɪç fɔn ˈdɛːnɪkən]; born 14 April 1935) is a Swiss author of several pseudoscientific books which make claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, including the best-selling Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968. Däniken is 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. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Erich von Däniken is the 470th most popular writer (down from 396th in 2019), the 44th most popular biography from Switzerland (down from 29th in 2019) and the 4th most popular Swiss Writer.

Erich von Däniken is most famous for his theory that ancient cultures were visited by aliens.

Memorability Metrics

Loading...

Page views of Erich von Däniken by language

Loading...

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Erich von Däniken ranks 470 out of 7,302Before him are Alejandro Jodorowsky, Harper Lee, Mahmoud Darwish, Eugene O'Neill, Alessandro Manzoni, and Charles, Duke of Orléans. After him are Tulsidas, Mo Yan, Françoise Sagan, Lactantius, André Maurois, and Karl Barth.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1935, Erich von Däniken ranks 24Before him are Julie Andrews, Michel Aoun, Theo Angelopoulos, David Prowse, John Saxon, and Ágota Kristóf. After him are David Harvey, Françoise Sagan, Omar Sívori, Edward Said, Fairuz, and John Cazale.

Others Born in 1935

Go to all Rankings

In Switzerland

Among people born in Switzerland, Erich von Däniken ranks 44 out of 1,015Before him are Johann Jakob Balmer (1825), Paul Hermann Müller (1899), Jacques Necker (1732), Carl Spitteler (1845), Aga Khan IV (1936), and Benjamin Constant (1767). After him are Karl Barth (1886), Albert II, Duke of Austria (1298), Adelaide of Italy (931), Eugen Bleuler (1857), Lys Assia (1924), and Daniel Bovet (1907).

Among WRITERS In Switzerland

Among writers born in Switzerland, Erich von Däniken ranks 4Before him are Johanna Spyri (1827), Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921), and Carl Spitteler (1845). After him are Karl Barth (1886), Robert Walser (1878), Max Frisch (1911), Alejo Carpentier (1904), Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (1784), Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741), Gottfried Keller (1819), and Annemarie Schwarzenbach (1908).