Scientia Press

Approached from the right angle and with a little luck, the Past will upon occasion reveal its secrets to us. This book lays out evidence that the Earth originated in the outer solar system and argues that tidal forces during approaches of Mars caused the great mass extinctions of prehistory. The Knowable Past revises and enhances the Venus theory of Immanuel Velikovsky. It provides abundant new evidence that he was right that Venus had repeatedly neared the Earth, setting off the Bronze Age catastrophes. The Great Sphinx, Stonehenge, and newly adduced iconographic and linguistic evidence from around the world all fit this reconfigured Venus theory and its wonderful companion Theory of the Reversing Earth. While Velikovsky made some pioneer’s mistakes, he also made remarkable contributions. His scientific critics threw the baby out with the bathwater in the greatest ongoing instance of Scientific Rejectionism. The Knowable Past also investigates other cases from ancient and modern history, including the origin of the Etruscans, strategies of the world wars, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the John F. Kennedy assassination, the run-up to the 9/11 attacks, and the 2001 anthrax mailings case. It analyzes typical problems researchers encounter such as dealing with objections. It suggests how we might think about conspiracies and conspiracy theories. And it describes sources of insight as well as ways in which theories gain acceptance. This book is for historical and scientific detectives, but not just for them. Everyone who seeks a better understanding of the Past can find sustenance in it.