Hi everyone and welcome back to that UFO podcast. As always, my name is Andy and today's episode is a little bit different to normal.

It's a moment to pause, reflect and acknowledge

the passing of one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern UFO and

alternative history culture. Now, the Swiss author Eric von Danikin, whose book in 1968, Chariots

of the Gods, helped popularise the idea that ancient civilizations

may have been influenced by visitors from beyond earth.

He sadly passed away in hospital on January 10th of 2026

at the age of 90, so on incredible innings for Mr. von Danakin.

Eric von Daniken was not a scientist, he was not an archaeologist and not a historian.

He was a writer, but few individuals have shaped the public conversation around ancient

mysteries and the possibility of extraterrestrial contact, quite like he did.

He was born in Switzerland in 1935 and von Dakin rose to global prominence in

1968 with the publication of chariots of the gods. The book explored the idea that ancient

civilizations may have been influenced by advanced non-human intelligences, a concept challenged

conventional interpretations of history and religion at the time.

von Danakin drew attention to ancient texts, monumental architecture, religious imagery and artifacts he believed were difficult to explain within traditional historical frameworks.

He suggested some of these could be reinterpreted as evidence of misunderstood technology or contact rather than purely symbolic or mythological accounts.

Mainstream archaeologists, historians and scientists strongly rejected those conclusions and still do.

His work was widely criticized for speculation, selective use of, and for underestimating the capabilities of ancient cultures.

Those criticisms were substantial and remained part of the historical record.

Von Danakin himself framed his work not as settled science, but as a challenge to established narratives, an invitation to ask provocative questions rather

than to offer definitive answers. What can't be disputed is impact. Chariates of the Gods

...