"The Prophet of Doom", as Nostradamus was commonly referred to. His writings consist of 942 pure cryptic poetry that was grouped into sets of 100. Each verse is called a "quatrain" and 100 quatrains equals a Century. There are 10 Centuries in the collection of writings of Nostradamus. A quatrain is a poem that consists of 4 lines. Most of the rhymed quatrains of Nostradamus were written in French with a lot of Italian, Greek, and Latin added and many times mixed. Nostradamus intentionally, I'll use the word obscured, (since this is how the writings are usually referred to as), the quatrains he wrote and often even used symbolism and metaphor. In many instances he made changes of the words, switching and removing letters from some names or sometimes adding letters. As claimed, he did this to help avoid the chance of him being tried as a magician, as Nostradamus lived during the time of the Inquisition.
      Nostradamus was born on December 14, 1503, the 16th Century, in St. Remy de Provence, France. His real name is Michel de Nostradame. He was raised with 4 other brothers, Nostradamus being the oldest. Nothing is really known of the first 3 brothers but his brother Jean had become Procureur of the Parliament for the province at some point in his life. Nostradamus was educated by his grandfather who was also named Jean. He learned Latin, Hebrew, and Greek, mathematics and astrology from his grandfather until the time of his grandfathers death, where upon Nostradamus was sent to Avignon to continue his education where he studied in Liberal Arts. He then went to the University of Montpellier where he graduated from medical school. Nostradamus then started his own private practice where he gave treatment to victims of the plague and was successful.
      Known for many of his more famous predicted prophecies such as The great fires of London in the year 1666, the French Revolution, the rise to power of Hitler and Germany in World War II, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle, and the resent mass suicide of the cult Heaven's Gate.
      In 1534 Nostradamus took a wife and started a family, which were stricken with the plague and had died from the same plague he had treated. Pursued by the Inquisition afterwords, he fled and journeyed through Italy and France for the next 6 or 7 years of his life. In 1554 he remarried a women named Anne Ponsart Gemelle, settled in Salon, France, and had 3 boys and 3 girls.
      In 1555, Nostradamus began to write his prophecy written in Centuries, a set of 100 "quatrains." Over some years he would complete a collection of 10 Centuries. These writings would consist of war, conflict, earthly disaster, disease, famine, fires, floods, earthquakes, storms, arrivals and death.
      The last thing really known of Nostradamus before his death was that he was appointed as the Royal Physician of King Charles IX.
      Throughout history since Nostradamus wrote his prophecies, he has been debated by thousands of experts on his visions. Often revealing truth hundreds of years later, such as the above mentioned events. Whether Nostradamus' were either so obscured that his predictions could become true in any circumstance, or he truly received visions of the future, his prophecies continue to be revealed as truth and reality more and more as time passes. Can it be that Nostradamus really did know the future? I think with all the facts and proof of his tellings, one could certainly debate the point that Nostradamus indeed possessed a knowledge that far surpasses anyone who has ever lived.
      Nostradamus submitted his last prediction on July 1, 1566 in the company of his priest. In a response to the priest's farewell, Nostradamus is said to have answered this reply..."You will not find me alive at sunrise." ......On the morning of July 2, 1566, the next day, Nostradamus was found dead, having died that night in his sleep. Could it be that Nostradamus not only knew of fates destiny for all humanity but of his own as well?
      This article is a focus on the life of Nostradamus, his prophecies, the realization of death, the end of the world, but focused on the quote in the very beginning of this article from Century 10, Quatrain 72 of the prophecies for one of Nostradamus' predictions for this year we place ourselves in now, on the seventh month of 1999. Will this prediction come true? And if so will all really start to believe and take the prophecies of Nostradamus on a much more serious level? It is said in Century 3, Quatrain 34...