Nostradamus is the Latinized form of Michel de Nostredame, the French physician and astrologer, who lived from 1503 to 1566. Nostradamus was born Jewish but his family converted to Catholicism when he was 9 years old. December 14, 2003 was the 500th birthday of Nostradamus.

One would be hard pressed to find someone who has more of an effect on western culture. It is said people have gone as far as to commit suicide because a Nostradamus prophecy was translated to mean the end of the world was coming. Aum Shinrikyo, the group that poisoned the Tokyo subway system are said to be devout followers of Nostradamus and his teachings. I think it would be more accurate to say they are devout followers of what they think the teachings of Nostradamus are.

Many people thought the end of the world was coming in the year 2000 because they thought Nostradamus had predicted it. Well I guess they were wrong as are most people who interpret his predictions. After all you not only have to interpret the language they are written in, but you have to try and figure out the meaning since they are written almost in riddle form.
Here is what is commonly believed about Nostradamus, take it for what it is worth.
When Nostradamus was a young man, he came across a monk in Italy and immediately went to his knees and called him 'your holiness'. This monk became Sextus V in 1585, long after Nostradamus died. Everyone knows about the book of prophecies he published, but in the same year he published 'Excellent er Moult Utile Opuscule a tous necessaire qui desirent avoir connaissance de plusieurs exquises recettes' (A cook book)

One of the problems with the predictions of Nostradamus is the interpretation into English. People seem to try and make the words fit what they think they should mean. Another problem is Nostradamus wrote in quatrains, a series of four line verses, which are vague, to avoid problems with the church, least he be accused of witchcraft. He wrote in French, but heavily loaded with Latin, Greek, and other odd linguistics.

Some of the interpretations seem really crazy to me, here is an example:
VII I.14
Le grand credit, d'or d'argent l'abondance
Aveuglera pair libide l'honneur :
L'offense Cogneu sera d'adultere,
Qui parviendra to the sound grand deshonneur.
Interpretation:
The great proportionate credibility for
abundance of the economic features
It will make the moral values to be dimmed for
those of the libido:
Known it will be the offence of the adultery one
That it will supervene for its great dishonor
This is supposed to mean Bill Clinton will be dishonored for having sex with Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky.
Google's language translation gives us this:
The great credit, of money gold abundance Will plug even libide the honor: Cogneu offence will be of adultere, Which will arrive to the sound great dishonour.
It’s a little garbled but you can see it’s a stretch to say this refers to Bill Clinton.

Another allegation states some of the prophecies were written after the fact. This we will never know for sure.

It’s funny in a way, during World War II, England stated that Nostradamus had predicted the fall of Germany, while Germany was stating he had predicted the fall of England.
To maintain the great troubled cloak
The reds march to clear it.
A family almost ruined by death,
The red reds strike down the red one.”
What does the above mean ? According to the faithful, this tells us about the fate of the Kennedys. Can anyone really believe this?

Nostradamus was given a pension for life for his work as a physician in combating the plague, yet he wasn't able to save his wife and two children. He wandered Europe for many years after their deaths and ten years later remarried and had 6 children (some say four). Under cover of night, he would retire to his study where he would sit before the tripod upon which simmered the brass bowl filled with water and herbs. Could these herbs have been some sort of hallucination causing drug which he inhaled? In 1550 he produced an almanac every year for his life that contained vague predictions for the coming year. He began work on The Centuries, in 1554. These prophecies consisted of ten volumes of 100 quatrains each are were his most famous work.

No one can prove the meaning of any quatrain with certainty, the world remains fascinated with Nostradamus. One has to just type his name in any search engine and view the myriad of returns. There must be hundreds of books written on the subject and at least one movie about his life.

When his assistant wished him good night on July 1, 1566, Nostradamus replied, "You will not find me alive at sunrise." As one might expect, he had predicted his own death.
In his last almanac, Nostradamus had written:
On his return from the Embassy, the King's gift put in place, He will do nothing more. He will be gone to God. Close relatives, friends, brothers by blood (will find him) Completely dead near the bed and the bench.

On the morning of July 2, the assistant escorted family and friends to the study, where Nostradamus had spent the previous night. They found his body on the floor between the bed and a bench he had placed there for aid in getting out of bed.

His wife carried out his last wishes, that he be interred standing upright and that his coffin be enclosed within the walls of the Church of the Cordeliers of Salon. The translation from Latin of the inscription on his tomb reads: "Here rest the bones of the illustrious Michel Nostradamus, alone of all mortals, judged worthy to record with his near divine pen, under the influence of the stars, the future events of the entire world. He lived sixty-two years, six months and seventeen days.
His resting place became a pilgrimage site soon after his entombment, and for centuries, a rumor circulated the prophet had a secret document, giving the keys to deciphering the quatrains, buried with him. In 1700, city officials decided to move his body to an area behind a more prominent wall of the church. While they had the tomb open, they couldn't resist a careful peek inside the coffin. No papers were found, unfortunately. However, a medallion hung around the skeleton's neck. This medallion had been inscribed with the date 1700.