Want to create an interactive transcript for this episode?
Podcast: Dispatch Ajax! Podcast
Episode: We're Not Saying It's Erich Von Däniken, But...
Description: ...It's Erich Von Däniken. In the 1960's a Swiss hotelier wrote a book that changed how millions see the pastâand how pop culture tells stories about it. We revisit the wild trajectory of Chariots of the Gods, the âancient aliensâ hypothesis it popularized, and the uncomfortable roots that made its rise possible. Then we pull the camera back: how the Space Age, New Age mysticism, and a collapsing trust in old narratives set the stage for infotainment, speculative nonfiction, and a meme that just wonât die.