January
12
/ 2026
Swiss author Erich von Däniken, whose groundbreaking 1968 book Chariots of the Gods? spawned the modern ancient astronaut movement and sold over 70 million copies worldwide, has died at age 90. His representatives announced his death on his website, stating that he passed away on Saturday, January 11, 2026, in a hospital in central Switzerland. Von Däniken's radical theories about extraterrestrial visitors shaping human civilization brought him both fame and fierce criticism, but his influence on popular culture remains undeniable. Revolutionary Book Challenged Scientific Orthodoxy Born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, in 1935, von Däniken rose to prominence when he published Chariots of the Gods? while working as a hotel manager in Davos. The book posed a provocative question that would define
