Michel de Nostradamus was born on December 14, 1503 in Provence, France. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in medicine from the University of Montpelier (France) in 1522. Nostradamus cured a lot of patients during the deadly plague outbreak in southern France. After Nostradamus treated and saved thousands of people, he then achieved his Medical Doctorate degree. Nostradamus married and had two children; unfortunately, his wife and children died from the plague. Soon after, he moved to Salon (a town in south France) and lived there until his death in 1566. He published his first almanac in 1550 and continued to write almanacs every year on the following year’s predictions. He spent two years writing a book called Centuries: a book of predictions from 1500 to the end of the world in 3797. Nostradamus wrote in quatrains of four-line poems and composed 1200 visions in addition to 942 quatrains. He often used anagrams such as Pau, nay, loron for Napoleon; actual names such as Hister suggesting Hitler; and word games such as Mabus, a mirror reflection of the name Sudam for Suddam. +Some academicians’ perspectives on Nostradamus’s prophecies think they are too vague. With the exception of one (Napoleon), I will point out several major events, catastrophes and accomplishments, associated with the United States in the last 100 years that Nostradamus predicted and later occurred.
First, I will address the one exception: Napoleon. In Century I, Quatrain 60, Nostradamus spoke of Napoleon’s birth: “An Emperor shall be born in Italy. Who shall cost the Empire dear, They shall say, with what peoples he keeps company! He shall be found less a Prince than a butcher.” (29, Roberts) In this Quatrain, Nostradamus predicted Napoleon’s birth, the wars he led, and the people he butchered in Europe. In Century VIII, Quatrain I, Nostradamus used the anagram Pau, nay, loron to refer to Napoleon: “Pau, nay, loron, more in fire their blood shall be, Seen to swim, great ones shall run to their surreys, The aggassas shall refuse the entry, Pampon, Durance shall keep them enclosed” (242, Roberts) David Ovason wrote about the anagram in his book The Secrets of Nostradamus: “This is probably the most famous anagram in the whole of the Nostradamus oeuvre, if only because it is so transparent. Almost from the day Napoleon’s name was written on the slate of history, the significance of the anagram has been recognized, for the three words may be reduced to the two: NAPAULON ROY. As a result, the first line of the quatrain translates: ‘Napoleon the King will be more fire than blood’—an almost perfect description of an Emperor who fought and manipulated his way to the French throne by war and not by the lineage of the bloodline which normally determined the succession of French kings.” (277, Ovason) This is just one example of how Nostradamus used anagrams.
Second, I will now talk about Nostradamus’s predictions affiliated with anyone with or against the United States. We went to war with Hitler because of the atrocities he committed against mankind. Nostradamus predicted Hitler’s birth in Century III, Quatrain 35: “Out of the deepest part of the west of Europe, From poor people a young child shall be born, Who with his tongue shall seduce many people, His fame shall increase the Eastern Kingdom.” (88, Roberts) In this Quatrain, Nostradamus predicted Hitler’s birth, what a great speaker he would be, and how he brainwashed German citizens with his propaganda. A disturbing example of Nostradamus’s predictions on Hitler was written in Century IV, Quatrain 56: “After victory over a raging tongue, The mind that was tempted shall be in tranquility and rest, The bloody emperor by battle shall make a speech, And roast the tongue, the flesh and the bones.” (129, Roberts) This prediction talked about Hitler’s bad temper and the heartbreaking concentration camps, the torturous extermination ovens, and the horrifying gas chambers. Another prediction about Hitler was so close to accurate on the spelling of his name that Nostradamus was off by only two letters. Equally important, his comment on Hitler’s fate is precise. Nostradamus’s Century II, Quatrain 24 read: “Wild beasts for hunger shall swim over the rivers, Most of the field shall be near the Ister, Into an iron cage he shall cause the great one to be drawn, When the child of Germany shall observe nothing.” (51, Roberts) Nostradamus’s Quatrain recorded Hitler’s name as “Ister.” To further defend Nostradamus’s ability, it is important to note that Nostradamus predicted Louis Pasteur’s real name and correct spelling accurately in Century I, Quatrain 25: “Lost, found again, hidden so great a while, A Pasteur as Demi-God shall be honored, But before the moon her great cycle ends, By other ancient ones shall be dishonored.” (27, Roberts) David Ovason wrote, “This quatrain mentions Pasteur by name.” (116, Ovason) Furthermore, to justify his astonishing and mysterious talent, Geoffrey Ashe commented, “Nostradamus sometimes gives place–names and references to individuals in terms that identify them precisely.” (169, Ashe)
Third, Nostradamus’s predictions on the antichrist are both about Hitler and Napoleon; the third, in both predictions, are unknown. Some scholars believe Suddam Hussain was the third antichrist and some believe Barrack Obama is. There also are some who believe the third antichrist has not come yet. Nostradamus foretold the third antichrist will come in 2035—from the past prophecies that I have read, enough prophecies have come true for us to believe the third antichrist has not come. Even though Napoleon and Hitler were antichrist like, let us all hope Nostradamus was wrong on the third antichrist.
Fourth, more recently in history with significantly immense impact for the United States was Nostradamus’s prediction on John F. Kennedy’s assassination. In Century I, Quatrain 26: “The great man falleth by lightning in the day, An evil foretold by the postulant one, According to the forecast, another falls in hours of the night, A conflict at Rheims and London, and a plague in Tuscany.” (27, Roberts) In this prediction, Kennedy, who was a charismatic President, was assassinated in 1963. He also talked about another falling which is a reference for Robert Kennedy’s assassination in 1968.
Fifth, Nostradamus’s incredible prediction occurred in 1969: Apollo 11 moon landing. Nostradamus forecasted in Century IX, Quatrain 65: “He shall come into the corner of Luna, Where he shall be taken and put in a strange land, The green fruits shall be in great disorder, A great shame, to one shall be great praise.” (299, Roberts) President Kennedy expanded the space program so the United States could land a man on the moon. Apollo 11 landed on the moon during the Nixon administration. The last line in the Quatrain refers to Nixon and Watergate and the great shame it brought to our country.
Sixth, Nostradamus predicted the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City on 9/11. It is disgraceful and deplorable that this prediction took place during our lifetime. Nostradamus wrote, “The heaven shall burn at five and forty degrees, The fire shall come near the great new city, In an instant a great flame dispersed shall burst out, When they shall make a trial of the Normans.” (211, Roberts) New York City is at almost 45º latitude and the Twin Towers burst into flames when hit by the planes. Nostradamus also cautioned us about the bombing of the Twin Towers in Century I, Quatrain 87: “Ennosigee, fire at the center of the earth, Shall make an earthquake of the New City, Two great rocks shall long time war against each other, After that Arethusa shall color red the fresh river.” (38, Roberts) Some scholars believe the two great rocks refer to the United States and either Iraq or Iran. Mario Reading explained it this way in his book Nostradamus: The Complete Prophecies for the Future: “An uncanny foretelling of the Twin Towers disaster, even down to a paralleling of the two rock-like towers with a war between the ‘two great rocks’ of Christianity and Islam. The towers are brought down by fire drawn from the earth’s core, an extraordinary leap of the imagination for Nostradamus when one bears in mind that the explosive catalyst used in the attacks was oil-based aviation fuel. Another extraordinary coincidence links the myth of Arethusa, with her legendary springs at Ellis, to that of Ellis Island, the immigration gateway to New York – a buried clue left by Nostradamus which pinpoints exactly to which New City he is referring in his text.” (19, Reading)
Last, Nostradamus occasionally used word games. A solid example was used in Century 2, Quatrain 62: “Mabus shall come, and soon after shall die, Of people and beasts shall be a horrible destruction, Then on a sudden the vengeance shall be seen, Blood, hand, thirst, famine, when the comet shall run.” (63, Roberts) Mabus is a mirror image of the name Sudam which is one letter short of Suddam.
In conclusion, Nostradamus’s writings were vague at times and could be interpreted differently, depending on the times and the events taking place. Although some people may disagree, I believe that Nostradamus possessed an unusual, unexplainable gift with some of his predictions. The examples I have presented, I believe, are convincing and are argumentatively unquestionable. One last powerful quote to support my argument on Nostradamus’s prophecies was written by Henry Roberts: “Some have claimed that his ‘prophecies’ were no more than ‘ambiguous guesswork,’ but many of the prophecies that are included in this book seem too precise and accurate to be dismissed as mere guesswork. Four centuries after they were written, we can judge for ourselves whether they have proved true and whether they will continue to anticipate events yet to occur.” (xvii, Roberts) As shown, Nostradamus predicted some major events that changed the world forever.
Works Cited
Ashe, Geoffrey. Encyclopedia of Prophecy. California: ABC-CLIO Inc., 2001.
Ovason, David. The Secrets of Nostradamus. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2001.
Reading, Mario. Nostradamus The Complete Prophecies For The Future. London: Watkins Media Limited, 2015.
Roberts, Henry C. The Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus. New York: Crown Publishers Inc., 1982.
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