Erich von Däniken (14 April 1935 – 10 January 2026) was almost born a rebel. A Swiss citizen born to a Catholic father he got into trouble from his earliest years. This was at his school in Fribourg, the Saint-Michel International Catholic School, for disagreeing with the standard interpretation of the Bible. He was a flying saucer enthusiast from the beginning, and used his time in Egypt to pen Hatten unsere Vorfahren Besuch aus dem Weltraum? (“Were Our Ancestors Visited by Extraterrestrials?”, December 1964, Der Nordwesten). This prefaced Chariots of the Gods? (1968), leading to such an international sensation that Der Spiegel later described this phenomenon in 1970 as ‘Dänikitis’. This began a series of books that have been published in 32 languages across the globe.

You can find the original classic on the streets of Cairo and he is well-known in the world of sci-fi entertainment. Ridley Scott has confessed to being influenced by Däniken in the making of Prometheus (2012) and the same for Roland Emmerich’s Stargate (1994). He didn’t invent the concept of ancient aliens, but he gave it a face and a market value. Debunkers accuse him not only of logical and factual fallacies and willful interpretation of Holy Scripture, but of plagiarism – his criminal record notwithstanding. But his legacy cannot be questioned.

Dänikitis tapered off with time in the publishing world but his work has found a second life on Youtube. For the original 1970 documentary of Chariots of the Gods please see:

For one of his last interviews, please see this 2020 session with fellow ancient aliens researcher Paul Wallis:

A man whose life was mired in controversy, he passed away peacefully at Interlaken Hospital in Unterseen, Switzerland on 10 January 2026 at the ripe old age of 90.