Swiss author whose 1968 book Chariots of the Gods? popularized the hypothesis that extraterrestrials visited Earth in ancient times and influenced early human civilizations, selling tens of millions of copies worldwide. His work spawned the History Channel series Ancient Aliens. Von Däniken died on January 10, 2026, at age 90.
Erich Anton Paul von Däniken was born on April 14, 1935, in Zofingen, Switzerland. Without formal academic training in archaeology or history, he developed his paleo-contact hypothesis while working as a hotel manager in Davos. Chariots of the Gods? (1968) argued that ancient structures reflect the intervention of advanced extraterrestrial beings. He authored over 40 books in total and died at a hospital in Interlaken, Switzerland.