Nostradamus Prediction Comes to Pass

New York Times: For immediate release, 5PM EST, 11/21/2007

Nostradamus Prediction Comes to Pass

Michael O’Brien of New Canaan, CT, has just entered his 66th year on planet Earth and has thus fulfilled one of the major predictions of Nostradamus in 1507 (age four). In one of his many lyrical writings the famous prognosticator predicted that 500 hundred years later a prominent man with surname O’Brien would complete 65 years on Earth.

What is so startling about this prediction is that the life expectancy in 1507 was only 38 years for men. So, this prediction really foretold unheard of increases in life expectancy over the intervening 500 years. Furthermore, the surname O’Brien was non-existent when he made this prediction. Those who have studied Nostradamus came to think of this prediction as ‘The O’Brien Gambit’ and as recently as 1784 placed it in the least possible category (probability of occurrence less than 0.005%). By then there were roughly 1.5 million individuals using the surname of O’Brien but life expectancy had only increased to 39 years for men.

Here is the original prediction:

"The O’Brien Gambit"
With a great deal of strife
He will reach 65 years of life
It will take 500 years to occur
But his age will be only a blur
The man will master many a deed
And O’Brien will be the name of the breed.

Submitted by Dominic Cardace