Nostradamus is world-famous thanks to a series of predictions and prophecies he wrote over his life.
A hugely famous name while he was alive centuries ago, his notoriety has continued to grow ever since, with people marvelling at just how many of his predictions have come true.
His full name was Dr Michel Nostradamus, and he died in 1566 at the age of 62.
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Before you nervously go scrolling through some of his other predictions to see if you can get a heads up on what's to come, it's worth noting that Nostradamus wrote most of his prophecies in 'quatrains', cryptic poems of four lines.
They are open to interpretation, with different people drawing several meanings from the same poem and questioning the accuracy or whether we are just picking and choosing the bits that apply (usually just the good bits).
Here are some of the predictions which have come true - so far!
The death of Henry II
Nostradamus was a friend and supporter of the king, and referred to him as 'The most invincible Henry King of France'.
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but it turns out that old Henry wasn't invincible at all, and Nostradamus accurately predicted he would die at just 40 years old.
In 1559, King Henry II hosted held a tournament, and instead of just watching, he took part in a joust against a young soldier.
During the joust, the young soldier's lance broke and shattered into pieces, causing splinters of wood to go into the king’s eye and skull. Ouch.
It wasn't a quick death either, with history records saying it was a slow and painful decline from sepsis.
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The quatrain Nostradamus had written said: 'the young lion will overcome the older one', as he will 'pierce his eyes through a golden cage', and 'two wounds' will ensure a 'cruel death'.
However, critics of the prediction note that the quatrain claims the injury will happen 'on the field of combat in a single battle', instead of during a friendly joust.
Still, it's very close!
The Great Fire of London
One of the most terrifying events in UK history, the Great Fire of London's reprotedly claimed six lives and many great buildings.
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Nostradamus had written:
'The blood of the just will be lacking in London,
Burnt through lightning of twenty threes the six:
The ancient lady will fall from her high place,
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Several of the same sect will be killed.'
At first glance, it doesn't seem obvious, but more mathematically-minded folk noticed a pattern.
They interpret 'twenty threes the six' to mean 66 (20 x 3 + 6), and the Great Fire happened in 1666.
However, the fire was believed to have been started by a flame at a bakery, not by lightning, and the reference to the 'ancient lady' is also missing.
Hitler's rise to power
'From the depths of the West of Europe, a young child will be born of poor people, who by his tongue will seduce a great troop' was another of the predictions which many believe refers to the rise of Adolf Hitler.
Another quatrain refers to his fame spreading far beyond Europe, while another refers to fighting 'close by the Hister'.
Some interpret this as a reference to Hitler, but it could also be the old name of the Danube river.
The full quatrain reads:
'Beasts ferocious with hunger will cross the rivers,
The greater part of the battlefield will be against Hister.
Into a cage of iron will the great one be drawn,
When the child of Germany observes nothing'
Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Nostradamus penned: 'Within two cities, there will be scourges the like of which was never seen.'
That certainly fits the horrifying events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which were decimated by atomic bombs.
The rest of the poem predicts 'famine within plague' and 'people put out by steel', which many believe points to the starvation that followed and the planes which dropped the bombs.
It could also have referred to any of the plagues which hit many cities, and which Nostradamus himself spent a lot of time researching.
The assassination of Kennedy
Many historians searched through the writings of Nostradamus to see if anything predicted the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and some found this one line intriguing: 'From on high, evil will fall on the great man'.
The 'on high' reference has been interpreted as meaning the distance he was shot at from.
The same quatrain also ends with 'A dead innocent will be accused of the deed', which some believe refers to suspect Lee Harvey Oswald who was killed soon after, as many believe is innocent.
Nostradamus wrote that the true offender who killed JFK will 'remain in the mist'.
September 11, 2001
There are also those who believe Nostradamus predicted the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
The quatrain reads:
'The sky will burn at forty-five degrees.
Fire approaches the great new city.
By fire, he will destroy their city,
A cold and cruel heart, blood will pour.
Mercy to none.'
This is claimed to refer to the moment hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
The reference of forty-five degrees is interpreted by scholars as a reference to New York City's nearness to the 45th latitude.
It is also thought that it was a prediction that the burning buildings would fall at a 45 degree angle to the ground.
Topics: Events, Life, World News, Nostradamus
Jen Thomas