Nostradamus - Quick facts

His full name was Michel De Notre Dame.

His most famous work is known as 'Centuries' (part of the greater work 'Prophecies')

A lot of his work is supposed to have foretold events which have subsequently happened and others which are due to happen in future.

In addition to astrology and medicine, Nostradamus knew his way around a kitchen. In 1555, he published a book of recipes for cosmetics, perfumes and fruit preservatives.

While living in Salon in the 1550s, Nostradamus invested heavily in an ambitious canal project designed by engineer Adam de Craponne to bring an irrigation system to the arid region. The canal was a success and still stands today.

Nostradamus predicted the world will end in 3797.

Nostradamus once encountered a young Franciscan monk herding pigs in Italy. To the surprise of onlookers, Nostradamus respectfully addressed the lowly monk as "Your Holiness." In 1585, years after Nostradamus died, that monk, Felice Peretti, became Pope Sixtus V.