Who was Nostradamus and why are people paying attention to him today? Michel de Nostredame, usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, physician and reputed seer, who is best known for his book Les Prophéties, a collection of 942 poetic quatrains 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 … Continue reading Who was Nostradamus and why are people paying attention to him today?