Ignatius Donnelly was an American politician and writer who served as lieutenant governor of Minnesota and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 1882 he published Atlantis: The Antediluvian World, arguing that Atlantis was a real continent and the source of ancient civilizations around the world, such as Egypt and the Maya. The book became a bestseller and started the modern Atlantis boom. He also wrote Ragnarok, which argued that a comet impact brought catastrophe to the Earth.
