Nostradamus

Nostradamus was a sixteenth-century French chemist who predicted a lot of odd stuff. As with all visionaries, his success rate has been found to be perfect in hindsight. This is mostly due to the fact that he wrote his predictions in such broad and obtuse language that they can be forced to fit nearly any set of events:

"The river that tries the new Celtic heir Will be in great discord with the Empire: The young Prince through the ecclesiastical people Will remove the sceptre of the crown of concord."

"In the sacred temples scandals will be perpetrated, They will be reckoned as honors and commendations: Of one of whom they engrave medals of silver and of gold, The end will be in very strange torments."

Some predictions by Nostradamus suggested that the world would end in 1999. That didn't happen. Now they suggest 2012. And they want you to pay for the news. "Available as a Book Download ($14.95) or Softcover ($19.95)"

Perhaps they hope people won't remember 1999. When that doesn't happen they'll update it further.

Cecil Adams, himself no slouch as a seer, put it best: "Nostradamus did for bullshit what Stonehenge did for rocks."

Adapted from RationalWiki