Nostradamus Effect
GenreSensationalist
apocalyptic
Religion
paranormal
Narrated byPhil Crowley
Theme music composerScott Cruz
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Running time45 minutes
Production companyWorkaholic Productions
Original release
NetworkHistory
ReleaseSeptember 9 (2009-09-09) –
December 16, 2009 (2009-12-16)

Nostradamus Effect is an American sensationalist television series that premiered on September 9, 2009, on the History channel. The program detailed various historical apocalyptic prophecies, such as the 2012 phenomenon. The show was named after reputed French seer Michel de Nostredame, more commonly known as Nostradamus. The series ran for a single season.

It presented itself in a "documentary style" but it was not a documentary. The show's disclaimer stated that it does not take sides regarding the apocalyptic prophecies. In the introduction of each episode, the narrator states, "We will neither refute, nor endorse, these theories; merely, present the evidence." Despite this claim, prophecies are often exaggerated or presented incorrectly.[1][2][3] For example, the show repeatedly claims that the Mayan Long Count calendar predicts the end of the world for December 21, 2012 while in reality it marks the first day of the 14th b'ak'tun era and not any belief in the end of the world.[4][5][6][7]

The series was described as full of misleading suggestions supported by vague, unattributed weasel phrases such as "some think that", "many believe that", and "scholars suggest that",[8] while in his book 2012: It's Not the End of the World Nostradamus specialist Peter Lemesurier describes its Nostradamian aspects as "largely fiction" and "lurid nonsense".[9]

The series was also released on DVD in 2010.[10]

Episodes

No. Title Original air date
1"The Third Anti-Christ?[13]"September 9, 2009 (2009-09-09)
Examines prophecies from Nostradamus that reportedly predict three evil dictators that are referred to as anti-christs.[11] The first is widely asserted (though not by reputable Nostradamus scholars such as those listed in Wikipedia's article on the seer) to be Napoleon, the second Hitler, and the third is unknown.[12]
2"Da Vinci's Armageddon"September 16, 2009 (2009-09-16)
Examines claims that the paintings, sketches, and writings of Leonardo da Vinci may predict a great apocalyptic flood, even though the sketches are of the biblical Flood and the writings are merely a humorous exercise in making everyday processes seem 'apocalyptic'.[14]
3"Extinction 2012[16]"September 23, 2009 (2009-09-23)
Examines prophecies about December 21, 2012 allegedly based on doomsday scenarios from Mayan, Chinese, Hopi, and Hindu sources, in addition to Terence McKenna's Timewave Zero theory, and Web Bot predictions.[15]
4"Hitler's Blood Oath[19]"September 30, 2009 (2009-09-30)
Links between Hitler and prophecies, including Nostradamus,[17] Erik Jan Hanussen, and the roles the occult had in the creation of the Third Reich.[18]
5"The Apocalypse Code"October 7, 2009 (2009-10-07)
Isaac Newton's conclusions about the date of the end of the world, based on his personal analysis of the Bible's books of Daniel and Revelation.
6"Son of Nostradamus"October 14, 2009 (2009-10-14)
Investigating reports that Nostradamus's son, Cesar, may be the actual author of what the History Channel calls a 'lost book' of prophecies discovered in 1994.[20]
7"Secrets of the Seven Seals[21]"October 21, 2009 (2009-10-21)
The Book of Revelation from the New Testament, and the breaking of the Seven seals.
8"Fatima's Lost Prophecy[22]"November 4, 2009 (2009-11-04)
Investigating the Three Secrets of Fatima.
9"Satan's Army[23]"November 11, 2009 (2009-11-11)
Investigating John the Apostle's visions of Satan's final war.
10"Doomsday Hieroglyphs[25]"December 2, 2009 (2009-12-02)
Investigates the Giza Plateau of Egypt in connection with the eschaton, and in particular the Great Pyramid (notwithstanding the fact that, according to Lemesurier's The Great Pyramid Decoded (inter alia) it contains only one or two rough, painted, workmen's hieroglyphs in its topmost chamber, plus some carved hieroglyphs at its entrance that were carved by a 19th-century German expedition).[24]
11"Armageddon Battle Plan[26]"December 9, 2009 (2009-12-09)
Asserts that the War Scroll discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls contains prophecies that are being fulfilled today and that the War Scroll's prediction of an armageddon could be true.
12"Rapture[28]"December 16, 2009 (2009-12-16)
Considers the Christian doctrine, The Rapture, to be true and investigates what it considers to be signs and warnings of the truth and veracity of the Rapture doctrine, which seems to have first arisen in the 17th or 19th century.[27]

References

  1. ^ Lemesurier, 2012: It's Not the End of the World, Derwen Publications, Pembroke, 2011, pp. 91-7, and compare The History Channel's 'The Nostradamus Effect' Archived July 16, 2012, at archive.today
  2. ^ Gregory, Sara (October 16, 2009). The end is near: beware of 2060, Western Courier
  3. ^ (28 June 2010). The Story of Us on History channel—an attempt to revive the myths of American capitalism, World Socialist Web Site ("History, first launched 15 years ago, is sometimes known as "The Mystery Channel" or "The Pseudo-History Channel," according to online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Last year it premiered "Nostradamus Effect," in which it gave serious treatment to various apocalyptic prophecies.")
  4. ^ Susan Milbrath, Curator of Latin American Art and Archaeology, Florida Museum of Natural History, quoted in USA Today, Wednesday, March 28, 2007, p. 11D
  5. ^ Schele, A. and Freidel, D., A Forest of Kings: The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya, Quill, New York, 1990, p.430
  6. ^ Aveni, A., The End of Time, U. of Colorado Press, 2009, passim
  7. ^ Lemesurier, P., 2012: It's Not the End of the World, Derwen, Pembroke, 2011, p.161
  8. ^ For critiques, plus supporting links, see The History Channel's 'The Nostradamus Effect' Archived July 16, 2012, at archive.today
  9. ^ Lemesurier, Derwen Press, 2011, p.91
  10. ^ Douglass, Jr.., Todd (18 April 2010). Nostradamus Effect: The Complete Season One, DVD Talk
  11. ^ Nostradamus in fact does not directly mention or predict three antichrists.
  12. ^ See the detailed research on this subject here.
  13. ^ Nostradamus Effect - The Third Antichrist?
  14. ^ See here Archived July 16, 2012, at archive.today
  15. ^ See 2012 phenomenon and refer to this page for a list of reputable sites contradicting this view
  16. ^ Nostradamus Effect - Extinction 2012
  17. ^ Even though Nostradamus, contrary to popular tradition, in fact makes no direct reference to Hitler
  18. ^ See the detailed research on this topic here.
  19. ^ Nostradamus Effect - Hitler's Blook Oath
  20. ^ Actually a copy of an "emblem book" of prophetic paintings known to date from long before his time.
  21. ^ Nostradamus Effect - Secrets of the Seven Seals
  22. ^ Nostradamus Effect - Fatima's Lost Prophecy
  23. ^ Nostradamus Effect - Satan's Army
  24. ^ See The History Channel's 'The Nostradamus Effect' Archived July 16, 2012, at archive.today
  25. ^ Episode:4 - The Nostradamus Effect - History Television
  26. ^ Nostradamus Effect - Armageddon Battle Plan
  27. ^ See details here Archived April 4, 2014, at archive.today
  28. ^ Nostradamus Effect - The Rapture

External links

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