WRITER

Erich von Däniken

1935 - Today

Photo of Erich von Däniken

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Erich Anton Paul von Däniken (; German: [ˈeːrɪç fɔn ˈdɛːnɪkən]; born 14 April 1935) is a Swiss author of several books which make claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, including the best-selling Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968. Von Däniken is one of the main figures responsible for popularizing the "paleo-contact" and ancient astronauts hypotheses. The ideas put forth in his books are rejected by virtually all scientists and academics, who categorize his work as pseudohistory, pseudoarchaeology, and pseudoscience. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Erich von Däniken has received more than 1,876,423 page views. His biography is available in 45 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 44 in 2019). Erich von Däniken is the 396th most popular writer (down from 377th in 2019), the 29th most popular biography from Switzerland (up from 30th in 2019) and the 4th most popular Swiss Writer.

Erich von Däniken is most famous for his theory that ancient cultures were visited by aliens.

Memorability Metrics

  • 1.9M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 68.40

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 45

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 8.39

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.95

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Erscheinungen
Bible
19745 / 5
Odyssey of the gods
Body, Mind & Spirit
Legendary UFO expert von Däniken’s research into both ancient mythology and current archeology leads him to suggest that stories about centaurs and Cyclopses, the lost continent of Atlantis, and wars among the deities may be artists’ impressions of never-before-seen phenomena. Dozens of color photos depicting ancient sculptures and temple decorations document hitherto unexplained objects.
20004 / 5
Erinnerungen an die Zukunft
Government publications
1968
Reise nach Kiribati
1981
Jüngste Tog hat Längst begonnen
Social Science
With more than 140 photographs, maps, models, and drawings, Von Dniken applies the same fact-filled analysis to Nazca—an ancient, isolated settlement deep in the Peruvian desert—that launched his 1968 bestseller Chariots of the Gods. He analyzes aerial views and closeups of extraordinary markings that stretch for miles, forming complex designs noticeable only from the air.
1997
Zurück zu den Sternen
1970

Page views of Erich von Dänikens by language

Over the past year Erich von Däniken has had the most page views in the with 229,826 views, followed by German (149,994), and Spanish (38,640). In terms of yearly growth of page views the top 3 wikpedia editions are Uzbek (210.17%), Slovenian (45.73%), and Latvian (28.68%)

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Erich von Däniken ranks 396 out of 7,302. Before him are Alice Munro, Aulus Cornelius Celsus, Sándor Márai, Ali-Shir Nava'i, Ghalib, and Sándor Petőfi. After him are O. Henry, Jacques Prévert, Raymond Chandler, Pietro Aretino, Ismail Kadare, and Ágota Kristóf.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1935, Erich von Däniken ranks 17. Before him are Donald Sutherland, Françoise Sagan, Isao Takahata, Hussein of Jordan, Michel Aoun, and Arvo Pärt. After him are Ágota Kristóf, Julie Andrews, Omar Sívori, Omar Bongo, Faisal II of Iraq, and Fairuz.

Others Born in 1935

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In Switzerland

Among people born in Switzerland, Erich von Däniken ranks 29 out of 1,015. Before him are Élie Ducommun (1833), Bruno Ganz (1941), Arnold Böcklin (1827), Conrad Gessner (1516), Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921), and Jacob Burckhardt (1818). After him are Jacques Necker (1732), Joan Gamper (1877), Heinrich Rohrer (1933), Carlo Maderno (1556), Hermann Rorschach (1884), and K. Alex Müller (1927).

Others born in Switzerland

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Among WRITERS In Switzerland

Among writers born in Switzerland, Erich von Däniken ranks 4. Before him are Johanna Spyri (1827), Carl Spitteler (1845), and Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921). After him are Karl Barth (1886), Robert Walser (1878), Alejo Carpentier (1904), Johann Ludwig Burckhardt (1784), Max Frisch (1911), Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741), Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz (1878), and Gottfried Keller (1819).

Swiss born Writers

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