Is Erich von Daniken an alcoholic?
The latest issue of Skeptic Magazine includes a wonderful expose of a likely alcoholic imagination running wild in author Erich von Daniken, who is best known for "Chariots of the Gods?" He tried to show that only extraterrestrial beings could have brought the ancients the technology to build pyramids, among other un-earthly achievements. Skeptic rips such claims to shreds.
Skeptic also describes von Daniken's early personal life, which included convictions for fraud and embezzlement. It's possible that von Daniken's likely alcoholism, which took form in defrauding small groups of people early on, transmuted into a big-time fraud when he discovered a penchant for writing and story-telling. I wrote to Skeptic:
"Von Daniken dropped out of school to become a bartender. He was ...
