Velikovsky, Immanuel

Velikovsky, Immanuel
born June 10, 1895, Vitebsk, Russia
died Nov. 17, 1979, Princeton, N.J., U.S.

Russian-born U.S. writer.

He earned various degrees in Moscow and Edinburgh before moving to the U.S. in 1939. In his first book, Worlds in Collision (1950), he hypothesized, relying on legends of ancient peoples, that Venus and Mars had approached Earth closely с 1500 BC, disturbing its rotation, axis inclination, and magnetic field. His claim was widely discredited by astronomers, and the book's publication caused U.S. scientists to threaten a boycott of his publisher. Later works set out other controversial theories about ancient history and catastrophic occurrences.

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▪ American writer
born June 10, 1895, Vitebsk, Russia [now in Belarus]
died Nov. 17, 1979, Princeton, N.J., U.S.

      American writer, proponent of controversial theories of cosmogony and history.

      Educated at the universities in Edinburgh, Kharkov, and Moscow (M.D., 1921), he practiced medicine in Palestine and then studied psychology in Zürich and (from 1933) Vienna. After examining legends of the ancient Jews and other eastern Mediterranean peoples, he concluded that some tales described actual occurrences and were not mere myths or allegories. In the United States from 1939, he expanded the geographic scope of his study of ancient documents. In his first book, Worlds in Collision (1950), he hypothesized that in historical times an electromagnetic derangement of the solar system caused Venus and Mars to approach the Earth closely, disturbing its rotation, axis inclination, and magnetic field. His later works are Ages in Chaos (1952), revising the chronology of the pre-Christian Middle East; Earth in Upheaval (1955), adducing geologic and paleontological evidence supporting his belief that catastrophes have overwhelmed the Earth; Oedipus and Akhnaton (1960), linking Egyptian history with Greek mythology; and Peoples of the Sea (1977), identifying Ramses III with Nectanebo, pharaohs otherwise dated 800 years apart.

      The animosity of the American scientific community toward Worlds in Collision caused the original publisher, threatened with a boycott of its scientific-textbook division, to turn Velikovsky's work over to a firm not involved in textbook publishing.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Velikovsky, Immanuel — (10 jun. 1895, Vitebsk, Rusia–17 nov. 1979, Princeton, N.J., EE.UU.). Escritor estadounidense nacido en Rusia. Obtuvo varios grados en Moscú y Edimburgo, antes de trasladarse a EE.UU. en 1939. En su primer libro, Mundos en colisión (1950), expuso …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Immanuel Velikovsky — at the 1974 American Association for the Advancement of Science Conference in San Francisco Immanuel Velikovsky (Russian: Иммануил Великовский) (10 June [O.S. 29 May] 1895 – 17 November 1979) was a Russian born American independent scholar… …   Wikipedia

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  • Velikovsky — Immanuel Velikovsky Immanuel Velikovsky (ursprünglich russisch Иммануил Великовский bzw. Immanuil Welikowski; * 10. Juni 1895 in Wizebsk; † 17. November 1979 in Princeton) war Arzt, Psychoanalytiker und Autor vieler spekulativer Bücher. Seine… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Velikovsky — Immanuel Velikovsky Immanuel Velikovsky Immanuel Velikovsky est un psychiatre et écrivain russe né à Vitebsk le 10 juin, 1895 – mort à Princeton, États Unis le 17 novembre 1979). Après des études de médecine (en partie suivies à …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Immanuel Velikovsky — (ursprünglich russisch Иммануил Великовский bzw. Immanuil Welikowski; * 10. Juni 1895 in Wizebsk; † 17. November 1979 in Princeton) war Arzt, Psychoanalytiker und Autor vieler sp …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Immanuel Velikovsky — est un psychiatre et écrivain russe né à Vitebsk le 10 juin, 1895 – mort à Princeton, États Unis le 17 novembre 1979). Après des études de médecine (en partie suivies à Montpellier), il exerce à …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Immanuel Velikovsky — Este artículo o sección necesita referencias que aparezcan en una publicación acreditada, como revistas especializadas, monografías, prensa diaria o páginas de Internet fidedignas. Puedes añadirlas así o avisar …   Wikipedia Español

  • Immanuel — Emmanuel Emmanuel est un prénom masculin. Il est dérivé de Immanouel (imanou E l) qui signifie « Dieu est avec nous » en hébreu. Dans l Ancien Testament, Emmanuel est le nom par lequel le prophète Isaïe désigne le messie à venir,… …   Wikipédia en Français

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