Erich von Daniken’s book ‘Chariots of the Gods’, quickly became a worldwide success when it hit the bookshops in 1968. He used religious texts and his own explorations to claim humanoid extraterrestrials visited us in our distant past and inspired us to create the Great Pyramids, Stonehenge, the Nazca lines, Stone Age cave paintings and Mexican temples.

Such ideas were expressed before in Science Fiction literature and in UFO books and magazines, but he was able to package the concept just at a time when the Space Race to the Moon was at its peak. Erich’s ideas about E.T.’s breeding with ancient Earthlings and leaving behind evidence of their space technology hit a nerve beyond the ranks of sf readers and ufologists. The logic was that if we could go to the Moon, advanced aliens could well have gained the ability to visit us in the past.

Since then his books have sold over 70 million copies and they have inspired Hollywood blockbuster movies, TV series like The X-Files and numerous documentaries expounding his ideas and have become a cultural phenomenon far beyond his greatest expectations.

In a two hour presentation at the Princess Anne Theatre, Bafta, London on Saturday 15 October 2016, Erich used video clips, computer animations, slides and diagrams to back-up his claim that thousands of years ago there was a war in heaven. He said:

‘The E.T.’’s know about us because we are part of their DNA. The Bible speaks of the daughters of men having intercourse with these visitors, and many worldwide myths and legends repeat the same story. These stories always say the E.T.s will return to us.’

Erich thinks this could be in the next twenty years.

After his talk he was presented with the Stella Citizen Award by Ancient Aliens TV regular Giorgio A. Tsoukalos.