Five Historical Figures With Silly Phobias
You know what they say: Well-adjusted people rarely make history. It takes a certain eccentricity to do things bold enough to be remembered, but that same derision for convention can lead to some strange habits, quirks and even fears.
Napoleon Feared Open Doors
It makes sense, as a powerful commander, that Napoleon Bonaparte would be attentive to the dangers of someone getting the drop on him, and through an open door is probably the easiest way to do that, but he took it a little too far. He insisted on leaving doors no more ajar than the tiniest crack, and any guests had to slip through the smallest opening possible, all for a strategy easily thwarted by an attacker who knows how to use a doorknob.
Lovecraft Fainted From the Cold
You would think a writer capable of such horrors as H.P. Lovecraft would have no fear, but his stories were actually fueled by a profound fear of everything: shellfish, people who aren’t white men and even the cold. He took drastic steps to avoid the cold, and when he couldn’t, he often fainted until he warmed up again. It’s unclear if he had some strange malady or it was all in his head, but given, you know, his whole deal, we’re going with “big ol’ drama queen.”
Tesla Couldn’t Stand Pearls
Likewise, it’s unclear why Nikola Tesla hated pearls so much. It might just be because he hated round objects in general, but if his secretary wore pearls, he sent her home, and he refused to speak to any woman wearing them. To be fair, he was never big on speaking to women to begin with.
Hitchcock Was Revolted By Eggs
Unlike Lovecraft, Alfred Hitchcock probably could have handled more fear, but one thing he found truly abhorrent was eggs. “Have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid?” asked a man who has clearly never had a perfectly cooked over-easy on some sourdough. In fact, he claimed to have never tasted it, but he did eat quiche regularly, so it was apparently just the egg’s natural state he found so objectionable. “That white round thing without any holes, and when you break it, inside there’s that yellow thing, round, without any holes... Brr!” he said. Maybe he, too, just hated round things.
Steve Jobs Hated Buttons
Most people have the sense to be ashamed of their silly phobias, but Steve Jobs turned his into a whole aesthetic. In addition to his signature buttonless turtlenecks (too good for T-shirts, guy?), he insisted that Apple products bear as few buttons as possible, even if it meant leaving customers in perpetual confusion. We live in a touchscreen world all because one asshole hated buttons.