Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Thomas from Fontana , CA. Thomas Wonders, “Who was Nostradamus?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Thomas!

Have you ever read about the French Revolution? How about the rise of Adolph Hitler? Surely you know all about the Moon Landing. These were all major events in history. But would you believe that someone predicted these events many years before they happened?

Over the years, many people have said they could see into the future. But among all these would-be soothsayers, one stands out. Many people today still trust his predictions. Who are we talking about? Nostradamus, of course!

Nostradamus was born in France in 1503. At the age of 14, he began to study medicine. As a doctor, he treated people who had bubonic plague. He helped many people survive the disease. However, Nostradamus is better known for what he did after his time as a doctor.

In 1538, Nostradamus left France. He traveled in Italy, Greece, and Turkey. At one point, Nostradamus stopped at an Italian monastery. There, he made his first of many predictions. He said that one of the monastery’s monks would one day become the Pope. In 1585, that’s exactly what happened. That monk became Pope Sixtus V. 

Later, Nostradamus went back to France. He married a wealthy widow and started a family. He also spent a lot of time meditating. That’s when he started having visions. Nostradamus believed these visions told him the future. He started writing them down in almanacs.

These books became very popular. They were read by everyone from peasants to the queen of France. This made Nostradamus want to write more. Later, he completed a set of texts called Les Propheties. This is where people read all of his major predictions today.

Did Nostradamus really predict the future? Many believe so. They link Les Propheties with many major events. Some people believe Nostradamus predicted the 1945 atomic bombs and the events of September 11, 2001. Many even say Nostradamus predicted when the world will end. Two lines from his text read, “The lost thing is discovered, hidden for many centuries.

"Pastor will be celebrated almost as a God-like figure.” Many read this as a prediction of Louis Pasteur, who saved lives by inventing pasteurization.

However, others are less sure. Many don’t believe Nostradamus could tell the future. They say his writing was too vague to predict anything. What do you believe? Do you think it’s possible to tell the future? Maybe you should take a look at what Nostradamus had to say!

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