20 Strange Obsessions of Famous Historical Figures

Augustus Caesar was so afraid of lightning that he always carried a piece of sealskin as a talisman to protect himself from it. He would even rush into an underground bunker during thunderstorms to avoid being struck by lightning. It’s hard to imagine that someone who built such a vast empire could have been afraid of electricity.

The inventor would walk around the buildings three times before entering them and insisted that the towels be folded in groups of eighteen. He suffered from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder and would only stay in hotel rooms whose numbers were divisible by three. These were strangely specific demands for a man who was literally a pioneer in the field of electricity.

A famous Danish astronomer owned a tame moose that lived in his castle and, according to rumor, followed him everywhere like a big dog. This unusual companion met a tragic end when he had a little too much to drink at a dinner party and fell down a flight of stairs. One wonders what his guests thought of spending their evening in the company of such an imposing woodland animal.

Dalí had many unusual pets throughout his life, but his favorite was a wild cat named Babou. He would walk this ocelot on a leash and even take it to fancy restaurants. When asked about it, he would tell his guests that it was simply an ordinary cat on which he had painted spots.

This British monarch was so passionate about snuff that he is said to have owned more than five hundred different snuffboxes during his lifetime. He even had a dedicated “snuff room” in his palace, where he could test various blends and aromas to find the perfect combination. It was a very expensive and dusty hobby for a man already known for his extravagant lifestyle.

Ben Franklin used to sit shirtless in front of an open window for hours on end, as part of what he called an “air bath.” While most people took showers or baths to clean themselves, Franklin preferred to simply let the air do the job. Fortunately for him, he lived in Revolutionary-era America and not in today’s America, with its hygiene standards.

The longest-reigning Russian ruler would ask her maids to sing and massage the soles of her feet every day. She found this practice incredibly soothing and would often fall asleep while they entertained her. It’s not the worst kind of eccentricity.

Lord Byron used to bring his pet bear to school, since animals weren’t explicitly prohibited there. He also owned monkeys, peacocks, and a pack of foxes throughout his aristocratic upbringing. I’m almost certain that Lord Byron broke every noise ordinance there is.

The 36th president of the United States loved to play pranks on unsuspecting guests by driving his car into a lake while shouting that the brakes had failed. He didn’t tell them that the vehicle was actually an Amphicar, designed to float and navigate on water. It was a rather radical way to show his sense of humor to his terrified political colleagues.

The mockingbird was the president’s favorite companion; it was often seen perched on Jefferson’s shoulder while he worked at the White House. The bird even followed him up the stairs and hopped alongside him throughout his daily activities. It seems that the author of the Declaration of Independence actually had a soft spot for his feathered friend.

Michelangelo was so passionate about his art that he refused to take a break or change his clothes, sometimes for weeks on end. When he finally changed his shoes, he had grown so attached to them that his skin was stuck to the leather. It’s gross, but pretty incredible.

Every morning, Queen Victoria would ask her servants to lay out her husband’s clothes and fill his glass with water. She remained in mourning until the end of her days and, in a way, made him a long-lost correspondent. It’s deeply moving.

Pythagoras hated beans so much that he ordered his disciples never to touch them, under any circumstances. He taught that they harbored human souls. He also told them that beans were unhealthy and dangerous to eat.

Charles Dickens believed that aligning himself with the Earth’s magnetic poles helped him sleep better and write more effectively. He always carried a compass with him so he could position his bed accordingly. Legend has it that he refused to fall asleep unless his head was facing north.

The British Prime Minister spent much of his free time feeding the fish in the ponds in his garden at Chartwell. He claimed that they were the only living creatures that neither complained to him nor asked him for favors. It’s these little pastimes that really make me respect historical figures even more.

Andy Warhol filled boxes with the remnants of his day, such as gum wrappers and supermarket flyers. He called these “gateways to the past” “time capsules” and eventually created more than six hundred of them. They will be opened in forty years, so that future generations will know what we ate.

Dr. Seuss secretly hid thousands of hats from all over the world in his closet. He would put on these unusual headwear when he was struggling to come up with ideas for his stories. That seems quite fitting for the creator of “The Cat in the Hat.”

One day, Steve Jobs made a conscious decision to stop worrying about what he was going to wear. He bought so many black turtlenecks that he wore the same outfit everywhere for the rest of his life. You can’t help but admire a business strategy that worked so well.

This brilliant chemist was so afraid of human interaction that he had a separate staircase installed in his house to avoid his own servants. He communicated with his staff almost exclusively through written notes. It’s hard to believe that one of the discoverers of hydrogen couldn’t stand a simple “hello.”

Rumor has it that this French novelist drank as many as fifty cups of black coffee a day. He often worked for fifteen hours straight and relied on this massive intake of caffeine to stay alert. While this certainly helped him produce a considerable body of literary work, his heart probably didn’t appreciate this habit very much.