Erich von Däniken
Notes
Erich von Däniken (born 1935), Swiss author of Chariots of the Gods? (1968), the book that made the ancient astronaut idea a mass phenomenon. Convicted of fraud and embezzlement in Switzerland in 1970, which has no bearing on his arguments but is worth knowing. His method is to present a monument, declare that the people of the time could not have built it, and conclude that aliens did, which is Personal Incredulity with a publisher.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_von_D%C3%A4niken