Nostradamus was born in mid-December 1503, in the village of St. Remy, Provence, France - an event he predicted himself. We’re not sure if it was December 13th or 14th, but such is the imprecise nature of reading the future. His early education came from his grandfather Jean (future namesake of Ms. Dixon), who taught him Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Astrology, and Good Oral Hygiene.
During the Plague he practiced medicine and became well-known for his ability to help those with incurable ailments, such as halitosis. He got married and had some kids, but lost them to the plague - an event he had not predicted. He got married again, had more children, and began studying the occult - presumably hoping to get some warning this time.
In 1550 he published his almanac of rhyming predictions grouped in centuries (units of 100). These predictions became very popular with the masses, and he soon had a hit program, "The Nostradamus Show." It featured a group of perky pre-teenagers called the Propheteers. Their theme song was soon in the Top 10 and everyone was singing:
N, O, S (Es-timates the future),
T, R, A (A priori knowledge of events),
D, A, M, U, S.
Nostradamus (Nostradamus)
Nostradamus (Nostradamus)
One-size-fits-all predictions ever apply....
The show featured many future greats. His music host, John Quatrain’s theme "These’ll Be a Few of My Favorite Things" won all of the top awards in its début year. And of the Propheteers, Tiresias (the Androgynous) and Li’l Sibyl of Cumae went on to the Soothsayer’s Hall of Fame.
Tired of hearing "I told you so" and "I knew that was going to happen," Nostradamus’s friends abandoned him in the end. His last predictions included the future success of mouthwash and that the winning lottery number would be: 3, 11, 13, 27, 34, and 40 - though he neglected to specify which drawing.