15 Ridiculous Phobias of Celebrities and Historical Figures

Everyone’s scared of something. Heights, clowns, being attacked in the middle of the night by the crazy-eyed old man from down the street holding a rusty nail and shrieking — there are all kinds of fears out there. Plenty are very rational. Being uncomfortable in big-ass crowds makes sense. Worrying about losing your job does as well. But worrying that you might be buried alive, or a cat might eat your head, or just being scared of anything oblong? Those are irrational fears, or phobias.
That said, a shitload of germaphobes were proven right a few years ago. And there’s nothing irrational about claustrophobia — being squished in a little space should scare you, goddamn it, humanity isn’t meant to spelunk.
Anyway, a surprising amount of high-achieving, well-known figures have succeeded despite irrational fears. Are they a side-effect of genius? Or is it just that only really successful people have the confidence to say, “By the way, I’m absolutely fucking terrified of buttons”?
The Sphere-Fear of Nikola Tesla

Billy Bob Thornton Has a Crippling Fear of Antique Furniture

Revolving Doors Are Not Alright Alright Alright Alright Alright Alright Alright

FDR Had Nothing to Fear But Fire Itself…

…But You Can’t Spell Friday the 13th without FDR

The Master of Suspense Found Eggs to Be No Yolk

Taphophobia

Dentistry Wasn’t Part of the Nazi Flossophy

Steve Jobs Made His Fear into a Trademark

Nobody Likes Cats

Salvador Dali Was Bugged by Grasshoppers

Peter the Great Was Peter the Great Big Wuss About Cockroaches

Marcel Proust

The Founding Father with a Touch of the Shy Ronnies
