The "Mars Effect"
A French Test of over 1,000 Sports Champions
Claude Benski, Dominique Caudron, Yves Galifret, Jean-Paul Krivine, Jean-Claude Pecker, Michael Rouzé, Evry Schatzman
With a Commentary by Jan Willem Nienhuys
Prometheus, 1996, 157 pp, €26.90, ISBN 0-87975-988-7. 
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About the Book
Noted French writer Michel Gauquelin was a strong critic of traditional astrology, but he maintained that there was a direct correlation between the planetary positions at the time of a person's birth and that individual's personality and eventual achievement. He claimed to find a relationship between Jupiter and military prowess, Venus and artists, Mars and sports greatness - the last of which resulted in the term "Mars Effect". Gauquelin labeled this theory "Astrobiology".
The French Committee for the Study of Paranormal Phenomena convened to test his claim and gathered data on 1,066 famous sports figures. The data from the French test is now available for review. Is Gauquelin correct in his claims for an astrological impact on some gifted athletes, or might there be other explanations? Now you can decide for yourself.
Contents
- Preface
- Part One: On the So-Called "Mars Effect"
- Description of the Experiment
- Genesis of the Experiment
- Criteria of the Test Group
- Establishing the List of Champions
- Gathering Information from the Registry Offices
- Determining the Geographical Coordinates of the Birthplaces
- Calculating Legal Time and Universal Time
- Constitution of Control Group
- Astronomical Calculations and the Chi-Square Test
- Conclusion
- Part Two: Is the "Mars Effect" Due to Selective Bias
- Table I: Modifications Proposed by M. Gauquelin
- Analysis of the Modifications Proposed by M. Gauquelin
- Births Not Mentioned by M.Gauquelin
- Appendix 1: Protocol of the Experiment
- Appendix 2: Details of the Statistical Calculations
- Appendix 3: The List of 1,066 Sports Champions
- Appendix 4: Letter from Michel Gauquelin, 6 December 1990
- Appendix 5: Letter from Michel Gauquelin, 7 February 1991
- Commentary on the CFEPP Report, by Jan Willem Nienhuys
- The CFEPP Data
- Analysis of Gauquelin's Responses
- The Eminence Effect
- Appendix to the Commentary