What Did Cheiro Predict?

Cheiro's most famous prediction involved the Titanic. According to historical records, he predicted a major maritime disaster involving a ship called the Titanic. He reportedly warned a friend not to sail on it.

The story goes that Cheiro had read the hands of William Pirrie, chairman of Harland and Wolff, the shipyard that built the Titanic. Pirrie had asked Cheiro to predict the future of his company. Cheiro reportedly saw a vision of a great ship sinking on its maiden voyage.

Whether this story is entirely accurate is debated. But the prediction became one of the most famous episodes in palmistry history. The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, killing over 1,500 people.

Cheiro predicted the disgrace of Oscar Wilde, one of the most famous playwrights of the era. Wilde had consulted Cheiro before his fame peaked. Cheiro reportedly warned him of a scandal involving a younger man that would destroy his reputation.

Wilde was famously convicted of gross indecency in 1895, imprisoned, and died in disgrace. He had once said to a friend: "My palmist warned me of this tragedy."

The prediction became legendary, though some historians note that Wilde's lifestyle was already an open secret. Cheiro may have been reading the social context as much as the palm.

Mark Twain visited Cheiro incognito, hoping to test the palmist's skills. Cheiro read his hand and predicted that Twain would become a world famous writer and that his real name started with an "S."

Twain was astonished. He was already a famous writer, and the "S" reference pointed to his birth name: Samuel Langhorne Clemens.

Twain wrote in Cheiro's guest book: "Cheiro has exposed my character to me with humiliating accuracy." It remains one of the most famous endorsements of any palmist in history.

Cheiro predicted that the Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria's eldest son, would become King Edward VII and that he would die in his 69th year.

The prediction came true. Edward VII was crowned in 1901 after Victoria's death and died on May 6, 1910, at the age of 68. He had been 69 years old in his final year.

The prediction was widely reported and cemented Cheiro's reputation as a palmist who could predict the deaths of royalty.

Cheiro predicted that the Prince of Wales would give up his crown for a woman he loved, years before the abdication crisis of 1936.

When Edward VIII abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson, the world was stunned. Those who knew Cheiro's prediction were less surprised.

The prediction was documented in Cheiro's writings and in the memoirs of those who had known him. It remains one of the most specific and accurate predictions in palmistry history.