Some of the greatest minds with the most irrational fears
Below are fifteen people from history that had documented fears of sometimes everyday things. Despite these fears they went on to leave their mark on the pages of history books.
1. George Washington
In the 18th century, this was a common concern due to the lack of advanced medical knowledge and reliable methods to confirm death. Washington was particularly explicit about his fear; on his deathbed, he requested that his body not be buried for at least three days after his death to ensure he was truly dead. This request reflects the broader anxieties of his time regarding premature burial.
2. Frederic Chopin
According to some accounts, Chopin requested that his heart be removed after his death to ensure he would not be buried alive. After his death in 1849, his heart was indeed removed and preserved, eventually being interred in the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, Poland.
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt
Roosevelt’s fear stemmed from his polio, which left him partially paralyzed and unable to move quickly. As a result, he was concerned about his ability to escape from a fire. He made sure that his bedroom was located on the ground floor of his home, Springwood, in Hyde Park, New York, and he took other precautions to ensure his safety in case of a fire.
4. Genghis Khan
According to some accounts, Genghis Khan was attacked by a dog when he was younger, which left a lasting impression on him. It didn’t help matters that Mongolian dogs were often quite large.
5. Kim Jong Il
The former North Korean dictator had an intense fear of flying. Due to this fear, he reportedly preferred to travel by train for his trips, both domestically and internationally. This phobia significantly influenced his travel arrangements and the logistics of his official visits abroad.
6. Aretha Franklin
This fear significantly impacted Franklin’s career, as she often chose to travel by bus or car for her performances and tours, even for long distances. Her fear of flying was well-known and persisted throughout her life, limiting her international performances and appearances.
7. Henry VIII
Having a fear of contracting the plague and other contagious diseases was not uncommon during his time, given the frequent outbreaks of deadly diseases. He took various precautions to avoid illness, such as isolating himself from those who were sick and frequently moving his court to different residences to escape outbreaks.
8. Julius Caesar
According to ancient sources, Caesar was particularly concerned about thunderstorms. Pliny the Elder, in his work Natural History, mentions that Caesar used to say that the only thing that could frighten him was a thunderstorm. To protect himself, it is said that he would wrap himself in his cloak and cover his head when a storm occurred.
9. Peter the Great
This fear likely stemmed from his upbringing in more modest and lower-ceilinged Russian architecture. When visiting European palaces and grand buildings with higher ceilings, Peter the Great often felt uncomfortable and preferred rooms with lower ceilings or would even have temporary ceilings constructed to reduce the height of the rooms he stayed in.
10. Winston Churchill
Once, as a young member of Parliament, Churchill began to speak in the House of Commons and froze for nearly three minutes. He eventually returned to his seat and covered his head with his hands. He only got over his fear of speaking via intense preparation before any public appearance.
11. Napoleon Bonaparte
This fear is believed to have developed from his experiences during the French Revolution, where he faced assassination attempts and plots against him. Napoleon often preferred doors to be closed and guarded, and he would become visibly uncomfortable or agitated if doors were left open.
12. Salvador Dali
The fear of bugs, particularly grasshoppers, was quite strong for him. His fear influenced his artwork, and he incorporated images of ants and other insects into some of his paintings, possibly as a way to confront or explore his fear through art.
13. William Shakespeare
This one is up for debate, but one of the earliest accounts of ‘phobias’ in the English language may be from William Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’ describing a supposed phobia for cats. Shakespeare mentions cats, in some way, over forty times in his plays.
14. Charles Darwin
According to Science.org, “Shortly after Charles Darwin returned to England from his famous Beagle voyage to the Galapagos and other islands in the southern oceans, he holed up as a virtual recluse for the rest of his life. What was wrong with him? Panic disorder and agoraphobia. When he was in his early 20s, Darwin led an active life of travel and exploration that culminated in the 5-year voyage on the Beagle. But by the age of 28, he began to experience attacks of fear and soon moved with his wife to a country house in Kent.”
15. Howard Hughes
This phobia became more pronounced as the great industrialist grew older, and it greatly affected his personal life. Hughes took extreme measures to avoid contact with germs, including wearing tissue boxes on his feet to protect them and storing his urine in jars rather than using bathrooms he deemed unsanitary. His mysophobia contributed significantly to his reclusive behavior in his later years.
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