Baba Vanga
A blind Bulgarian mystic received thousands of visitors, and predictions attributed to her still go viral every year.
What was reported
Vangeliya Gushterova, known as Baba Vanga, lost her sight as a child, she said after being caught up in a storm. From the 1940s she became famous across Bulgaria and beyond as a healer and clairvoyant, receiving visitors at her home near Petrich, including officials and people from abroad.
Since her death in 1996, lists of prophecies attributed to her, stretching far into the future, have spread online, and new ones appear every January.
Explanations offered
Researchers note that there are few reliable records of what she actually said, and that most 'predictions' circulating online can't be traced to her at all. Some claimed hits were reported only after the events. Her house in Petrich is now a museum.
- When
- 1911–1996
- Where
- Rupite, near Petrich, Bulgaria
- Witnesses
- Thousands of visitors, including officials
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.