Ignatius L. Donnelly

Ignatius L. Donnelly

Ignatius Loyola Donnelly (November 3, 1831 – January 1, 1901) was a U.S. Congressman, populist writer and amateur scientist, known primarily now for his theories concerning Atlantis, Catastrophism (especially the idea of an ancient impact event affecting ancient civilizations), and Shakespearean authorship, all of which modern historians consider to be pseudoscience and pseudohistory. Brother to Eleanor C. Donnelly, Donnelly's work had important influence on the writings of late 19th and early 20th century figures such as Helena Blavatsky, Rudolf Steiner, and James Churchward and has more recently influenced writer Graham Hancock. Donnelly's concept of Atlantis as an antediluvian civilization became the inspiration for the 1969 pop song hit Atlantis by Donovan and the 2009 film 2012 by Roland Emmerich.