Worlds in Collision reached bestseller status in the United States in 1950, despite triggering a furious controversy that eventually led to a major publisher transferring the work to another house. This polarizing volume, which drew heavily on ancient literary sources and comparative mythology, served as the primary catalyst for the widespread public debate surrounding the author's unconventional historical theories.
Early Life and Education
Born in 1895 in Vitebsk, Russian Empire, Immanuel Velikovsky was the son of Shimon and Beila Grodensky. He completed his secondary studies at the Medvednevskaya gymnasium in 1913, graduating with a gold medal. After traveling through Europe and visiting Palestine, he pursued medical training at Montpellier and the University of Edinburgh. He eventually returned to Russia, enrolling at Lomonosov Moscow State University, where he earned a medical degree in 1921.
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Following his graduation, Velikovsky relocated to Berlin. Supported by his father, he edited two volumes of scientific papers titled Scripta Universitatis Atque Bibliothecae Hierosolymitanarum, recruiting Albert Einstein to oversee the mathematics and physics sections. In 1923, he married the violinist and sculptor Elisheva Kramer. Between 1924 and 1939, he lived in the British Mandate of Palestine, working as a general practitioner and psychoanalyst after studying under Wilhelm Stekel. During this time, he authored several papers for medical and psychoanalytic journals, including Freud’s Imago.
Theoretical Development and Academic Conflict
Velikovsky moved to New York City in 1939 to research a study on Pharaoh Akhenaten. The outbreak of World War II redirected his focus toward catastrophist cosmology and a revised chronology for the ancient Near East. He proposed that electromagnetic effects influenced celestial mechanics and that catastrophic planetary events occurred in ancient history. After publishing private pamphlets, including Theses for the Reconstruction of Ancient History, his work faced intense opposition from the academic community, notably astronomer Harlow Shapley. Following the success of his later books, such as Ages in Chaos and Earth in Upheaval, Velikovsky transitioned from being a social outcast in academia to a popular public lecturer by the 1970s.
Fast facts
- Born: 1895, Vitebsk
- Died: 1979, Princeton
- Medical degree: Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1921
- Notable works: Worlds in Collision, Ages in Chaos
- Citizenship: United States, Russian Empire, Mandatory Palestine
- Fields: Catastrophism, historical revisionism
Questions readers ask
What was the main premise of Worlds in Collision?
Velikovsky argued that Earth experienced catastrophic close contacts with other planets, specifically Venus and Mars, based on ancient literary sources and mythology.
Why was there a controversy regarding the publication of his books?
Critics and academics, such as Harlow Shapley, disputed his scientific claims, leading to boycott threats against publishers who circulated his work.
Achievements
- Notable work: Worlds in Collision
- Notable work: Ages in Chaos
