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Erich von Däniken

Erich Anton Paul von Däniken (/ˈɛrɨk fɒn ˈdɛnɨkɨn/; German: [ˈeːʁɪç fɔn ˈdɛːnɪkən]; born 14 April 1935) is a Swiss author of several books which make controversial claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, including the best-selling Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968. Däniken is one of the main figures responsible for popularizing the "paleo-contact" and ancient astronauts hypotheses. The ideas put forth in his books are largely rejected by scientists and academics, who categorize his work as pseudohistory and pseudoarchaeology.Däniken later became a co-founder of the Archaeology, Astronautics and SETI Research Association (AAS RA). He designed Mystery Park (now known as Jungfrau Park), a theme park located in Interlaken, Switzerland, that opened on May 2003.