Let's take, for example, a widely quoted Nostradamus prediction that some followers believe foretold the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy. Nostradamus wrote that "The great man will be struck down in the day by a thunderbolt. An evil deed, foretold by the bearer of a petition. According to the prediction, another falls at night time (Nostradamus Predictions, No Date)." Nostradamus followers point out that John Kennedy was assassinated during the day, while Robert Kennedy was assassinated at night.

Of course, Nostradamus never writes that the two characters in the prophecy are related, and there are numerous alternate fits. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, for example, was killed during the day in a hail of gunfire while observing a military parade and his counterpart in the Camp David Peace Accord, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, died in the middle of the night of heart failure (Menachem Begin, No Date). In fact, one could argue that this is a much better fit for the prophecy, as both Israel and Egypt are ancient lands that existed during Nostradamus' life, while the United States had barely been discovered.

The problem with Nostradamus' predictions is that most of them are hopelessly vague and can be applied to several scenarios. In fact, it is often the case that after a major world event people will dig through Centuries and conclude that completely dissimilar prophecies foretold the event. Such has been the case with the tragedies of Sept. 11, 2001, as Nostradamus followers have tried to attach several different prophecies to the attacks. One of those prophecies is "At forty-five degrees the sky will burn. Fire to approach the great new city. In an instant a great scattered flame will leap up. When one will want to demand proof of the Normans (Yafeh, 2003)." But clearly the Normans are a European reference and this prophecy could just as likely refer to the World War II bombing of London (or several other cities). In fact, a recent Stanford study found that participants thought as many as three...

11, although participants did not feel strongly about any of them.
Conclusion

Whether Nostradamus was a great man or a con man is largely in the eye of the beholder. Because his prophecies were typically vague, supporters will never be able to say for certain that he accurately predicted world events. Conversely, detractors will never be able to claim for certain that he did not. In the end, we can definitively say that the controversy is not likely to ever be resolved. Perhaps what Nostradamus really created was a unique mirror - we can look into his words and, in the context of world events and our own personal beliefs, we are free to see reflected back to us whatever we want.

Works Cited

Menachem Begin: 6th Prime Minister of Israel" (No Date). Retrieved Nov. 25, 2006 from the Web site for the Orthodox Union at http://www.ou.org/chagim/yomhaatzmauth/begin.html.

Nostradamus" (2006). Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved Nov. 25, 2006 at http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568156/Nostradamus.html.

Nostradamus" (No Date). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved Nov. 25, 2006 at http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9373679.

Nostradamus Predictions - What is the accuracy?" (No Date). Retrieved Nov. 25, 2006 from the Web site for All About Popular Issues at http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/nostradamus-predictions-faq.htm.

Quatrain 2-24" (2006). The Nostradamus Society of America. Retrieved Nov. 25, 2006 at http://www.nostradamususa.com/html/quatrain_2-24.html.

Williams, Lindsey (2001). "Phony Predictions - Nostradamus and the World Trade Center." Sept. 23. Retrieved Nov. 25, 2006 at http://ezinearticles.com/?Phony-Predictions-Nostradamus-and-the-World-Trade-Center&id=288209.

Yafeh, Maziar (2003). "Nostradamus's Clever Clairvoyance." Skeptical Inquirer, Sept.-Oct. Retrieved Nov. 25, 2006 at http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2843/is_5_27/ai_108114812.