Nostradamus, The Oracle
Michel de Nostredame (depending on the source, 14 or 21 December 1503 – 1 or 2 July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus , [a] was a French astrologer , physician and reputed seer , who is best known for his book Les Prophéties , a collection of 942 poetic quatrains [b] allegedly predicting future events. The book was first published in 1555. Nostradamus's father's family had originally been Jewish, but had converted to Catholic Christianity a generation before he was born. He studied at the University of Avignon , but was forced to leave after just over a year when the university closed due to an outbreak of the plague . He worked as an apothecary for several years before entering the University of Montpellier , hoping to earn a doctorate, but was almost immediately expelled after his work as an apothecary (a manual trade forbidden by university statutes) was discovered. He fir...