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People have a special relationship with cats. You can be indifferent to them, admire them, dislike them, or, conversely, adore them. But to be afraid of these cute creatures? That's great rarity. And yet such a phobia exists. For example, Napoleon was terribly afraid of cats, to the point that he could not make any decisions when he saw these animals.

This is not a guess, but a well-founded one. historical fact, confirmed by eyewitness accounts. And the point is not at all about any special personal qualities of Bonaparte. It’s just that he, like some other people, suffered from ailurophobia - mental illness, which manifests itself as an obsessive fear of domestic cats.

What is ailurophobia?

The cause of ailurophobia (gatophobia, galeophobia) is stress personal experience communication between a person and a cat, as a result of which he receives severe emotional and/or physical trauma. The impetus for the development of ailurophobia in Napoleon was an incident that happened to him in infancy.

The nanny, who was supposed to walk the six-month-old baby in the garden, left him alone for a while. While he was sleeping in the cradle, a yard cat jumped onto the boy’s chest.

Nothing bad for the child she certainly wasn't going to do it. However, the fact of the unexpected appearance of an unfamiliar creature, huge by the standards of a baby, caused the child great fear and shock. Fear penetrated deep into the child’s subconscious, which became the reason for the development of a rare, incurable mental illness.

That is why Napoleon was afraid of cats all his life, while remaining a rather decisive, brave, sensible person.

How does ailurophobia manifest itself?

Any phobias manifest themselves at the level of reflexes as a defense mechanism. Strong negative impact on the subconscious, in the case of ailurophobia caused by the image domestic cat, provokes an automatic surge of negative emotions, forcing a person to experience a range of feelings, as if there is a danger to health or life.

When a person is afraid of cats or suffers from another type of phobia, the fear is not only strong nervous tension, but also physical signs. So, Napoleon, seeing a cat, began to sweat, lost the ability to think sensibly, and became irritated and nervous.

A well-known historical fact that can be called curious. The commander-in-chief of the British army, Nelson, aware of Napoleon's unusual phobia, released 70 domestic cats onto the battlefield in front of his soldiers. Bonaparte was so frightened by the “cat army” that he had a nervous attack. He was forced to hand over command to an assistant, explaining that he could not think.

Napoleon's famous phrase, included in all history textbooks, “these cats are killing me,” was uttered on this very day. It is interesting that not only Napoleon suffered from ailurophobia, but also Hitler, Beria, Mussolini, Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar.

Do you have regular bouts of fear of certain things or phenomena? Obviously this is a phobia - obsessive-compulsive disorder fear. There are a huge number of types of phobias: obsessive fear of blushing - erythrophobia, fear of closed spaces - claustrophobia, fear of sharp objects - oxyphobia, fear of heights - gypsophobia. And there is even a fear of experiencing fear: phobophobia.

Here, for example, is a phobia described by a famous doctor. “He is frightened by a girl playing the flute; as soon as he hears the first note played on the flute, he is seized with horror.” The fear of the flute is called aulophobia, and the doctor who described this condition was Hippocrates.

Nowadays, doctors count more than 500 different phobias. No one knows for sure what the cause of the phobia is. Some experts believe that the nature of the phenomenon is psychological, others that it is biological. But there is more and more evidence that it is a combination of both. It is known that phobias tend to be inherited. If one of your parents had a phobia, you may be predisposed to it, but not necessarily the same one.

Some phobias are more severe than others. If your fears are seriously interfering with your life, you should contact professional help. To one degree or another, every person has phobias, it’s just that not everyone is in a hurry to admit it. The greats were no exception. Here a brief description of phobias of some of them.

Napoleon was afraid of horses

One of the greatest historical characters, the conqueror of Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte was afraid of what do you think? - white horses. Psychiatrists see two phobias here: fear of horses (hippophobia) and fear white(leukophobia). Numerous canvases where Bonaparte is depicted riding a white horse are nothing more than the artist’s imagination. The short artilleryman hated and feared these animals, however, they were never in his stables.

Peter the Great avoided free space

However, Russian autocrats were not without some phobias. When visiting the house of Peter the Great and his summer palace in St. Petersburg, one is struck by the modesty of the autocrat: low ceilings, small rooms. The summer house generally has a so-called “false ceiling”: a lower one is suspended from a higher one, creating the feeling of a box. It turned out that it was not a matter of modesty. The king could not feel comfortable in large spacious rooms with high ceilings. This indicates ecophobia and spacephobia (fear of one's home and empty spaces). Peter’s phobias were not limited to these: all his life he suffered from acarophobia (fear of insects).

The Generalissimo's Fears

The fears of Comrade Stalin, obviously, largely determined the tragic fate of many of his comrades. Thus, the Generalissimo suffered from toxicophobia (fear of poisoning). Stalin was also pathologically afraid of air travel (aviaphobia). So, being commander-in-chief, he was never at the front. And he went to Potsdam for the peace conference by train under heavy security. In addition, Stalin's famous night vigils make it possible to suspect that he had somniphobia (fear of going to bed). It is known that he fell asleep in a state of complete exhaustion, to which he brought himself at night.

Gogol foresaw the future

Nikolai Gogol suffered from tatephobia (fear of being buried alive) from his youth. This fear was so painful that he repeatedly gave written instructions to bury him only when signs of obvious decomposition appeared. In addition, from the age of thirty, Gogol suffered from pathophobia - a fear of diverse things.

Fear of women: it happens

The outstanding Russian artist, author of “The Demon,” Mikhail Vrubel experienced fear of the women he liked (caliginephobia). In his youth, due to an unsuccessful love, he cut his chest with a knife. Lost and timid in front of the object of his love, the artist easily resorted to the services of prostitutes. From one of them he contracted syphilis, which led him to loss of vision and damage to the nervous system.

The conqueror of Europe, one of the great characters of history, Napoleon Bonaparte was afraid of, who would have thought - white horses. Psychiatrists even saw two phobias in this: fear of horses (the phenomenon of hippophobia) and fear of the color white (leukophobia disease). Other fears of famous characters are also known.

Written a large number of canvases on which Napoleon was depicted on a white horse riding, but this is nothing more than the imagination of artists. Bonoparte feared and hated these animals; he had never been to his stables.

Phobias of Peter the Great

Peter the Great was afraid of open spaces. You can verify this if you visit the house of Peter the Great and his summer palace in St. Petersburg. You will certainly be amazed by the modesty of the autocrat, the premises with low ceilings and small rooms. They even installed a so-called “false ceiling” in the summer house: a lower one is suspended from a higher one, which creates the feeling of a box.

But it's not a matter of modesty. The king could not feel comfortable in a large spacious room with high ceilings. This speaks of ecophobia and spacephobia - fear of one’s home and empty space. But the list of Peter’s phobias is not limited to this: the king suffered from acarophobia - the fear of insects - all his life.

The Passion of the Generalissimo

Stalin's phobias, without a doubt, largely determined the tragic fate of many of his comrades. The Generalissimo had to suffer from toxicophobia - the fear of poisoning. It is known that Stalin was literally pathologically afraid of air travel (the phenomenon of aviation phobia). In the status of commander-in-chief, Joseph Vissarionovich was never at the front, but he went to the peace conference in Potsdam by train with heavy security. In addition, Stalin's famous night vigils give reason to suspect that he had a fear of going to bed - somniphobia. Stalin literally fell asleep in a state of complete exhaustion.

25.08.2015

Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Kutuzov... These great people seem fearless to us, but few people know that Macedonsky was actually afraid of... cats. Yes Yes. Fluffy little kitty could send the commander into panic with just his purring. It’s good that the opponents did not take advantage of this weakness, otherwise it is unknown what kind of glory Macedonian would have had now. But besides him, both Genghis Khan and Hitler were also afraid of cats... So let's learn more about the phobias of great people.

Napoleon Bonaparte did not like horses. And not all of them, but white ones. How, you ask, was the artist able to paint a portrait of the emperor if he walked around such a beautiful animal a mile away? Alas, we have to admit that the painter embellished reality a little. What caused Napoleon's fear? As his contemporaries said, Bonaparte was a bad horseman. He often fell from his horse, and once he took to driving a carriage and almost killed himself and his family.

Peter the Great was deathly afraid of insects. He looked with horror at pictures of butterflies, beetles and spiders, and at the mere mention of cockroaches the king shuddered in disgust. Peter was also afraid of large rooms and high ceilings. That is why a false low ceiling was created for His Highness in his home in St. Petersburg.

Adolf Hitler was afraid of germs. Frequent washing hands was a daily procedure, since he was afraid of even a common runny nose. Hitler also suffered from claustrophobia. To avoid fear in confined spaces, the elevator in his estate was decorated with mirrors. Thanks to this trick, the room visually expanded, and Hitler could easily move between floors.

Joseph Stalin also had phobias. For example, fear of being poisoned and flying on airplanes. Some scholars also suspect that the “father of nations” was afraid to go to bed. But these are just guesses...

Julius Caesar was terribly afraid of thunderstorms. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, when he heard thunder, he ran to the basement to hide. But maybe these are all evil jokes of enemies?

Sigmund Freud could not overcome his own fears. He avoided the number 62. The luminary of science did not go to visit a house with that number, he skipped page 62 in the book...

It was probably the hardest for creative individuals. Endowed with a rich imagination, writers, artists and musicians had the most unusual phobias.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau was afraid of getting sick. He was wary not only of the sick, but also of the doctors! Books about health and conversations about diseases were also banned. But medical reference books the philosopher still had to read. It was necessary to know about the ailments that could overcome his body.

Nikolai Gogol had a whole bunch of phobias. For example, the fear of being buried alive. He even wrote a letter asking that he be buried only when the body began to decompose.

Vladimir Mayakovsky washed his hands at every opportunity and did not touch door handles and tried to wear gloves, since his father died of blood poisoning and since then the poet was afraid of any infection.

Mikhail Vrubel, when he saw beautiful woman, fell into a panic. By the way, he did not disdain to use the services of corrupt women. Apparently, he equated them with ugly people.

Honore de Balzac was afraid to get married. No, he did not avoid women and often fell in love, but when it came to the crown... Then the writer’s knees gave way and his hands grew cold. But one countess still managed to marry him. Honore was taken to church in a chair, because he himself could not walk, and six months later he died completely.

Despite all the splendor of Yesenin's poems, he suffered from syphilisophobia. As soon as a pimple appeared on the poet’s face, he became gloomy and vowed to quit hanging out with young ladies.

Salvador Dali was afraid of grasshoppers. He avoided lawns and clearings, thinking that the green monster would jump at him.

The great “king of horror” Stephen King is afraid of the number...13. Yes, yes, the mystic simply hates this number. He is also afraid of the dark and black cats, so he sleeps with a night light and a dog.

The famous Walt Disney was afraid of death and mice. To overcome his fear, he created Mickey Mouse, and in all his cartoons, dead characters are resurrected.

Life is also difficult for modern celebrities. Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga, for example, are afraid of getting fat, Madonna is afraid of wrinkles, and Tom Cruise is afraid of going bald.

As we see, all of us - both mere mortals and great people - are afraid of something. And if they start joking about your “stupid” fears, you will say that Peter the Great was also afraid of spiders, and you are not the least bit ashamed of your phobia.

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celebrity phobias

We are all afraid of something. And our fears can be of a completely different nature. From arachnophobia (fear of spiders) to social phobia (fear of people). But do you know what fears did not allow and do not allow many historical figures and celebrities to live in peace?

George Washington

Taphephobia (fear of being buried alive) plagued George Washington, America's first president. He was also the commander of the armed forces, putting his life at risk to save other people, defending the country from British soldiers. Does it seem like such a person should be fearless? But Washington had a serious fear - he was terrified of premature burial. This was especially noticeable in last days his life path, in 1799, when the president made his aides promise that they would bury him only after waiting two days. Taphephobia was widespread among both the aristocracy and ordinary people who lived in the 17th - 18th centuries. Although this phobia is not so well known these days, situations where a person was buried prematurely have actually occurred.

Woody Allen

Panphobia is a pathological fear of everything around you. And if the fear of a certain thing causes a lot of trouble, then this fear is a real punishment. And Woody Allen faced him - his fear is truly limitless. At 74 years old, the actor and screenwriter is afraid of almost everything. In addition to standard phobias such as insects, closed spaces and heights, he also experiences more unusual fears. These include fear of animals, bright colors, peanut butter and elevators. Also, Allen admits, the drain in the shower should not be located in the center of the bathtub, but rather in the corner, and the banana should be cut into exactly seven pieces before adding it to the breakfast cereal.

Richard Nixon

Nosocomyphobia (or fear of hospitals) haunted the 37th President of the United States, who experienced panic fear in front of hospitals. He believed that once he found himself in a hospital ward, he would never get out alive. In 1974, Nixon was diagnosed with a blood disease, but he refused to go for treatment. Doctors warned him that if he was hospitalized he would die. This was the only way to convince Nixon to go to the hospital. This fear is quite common.

Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock was terribly afraid of eggs, in other words, he suffered from ovophobia. He said that eggs just disgust him! The famous Hollywood producer and director never tried a single egg in his entire life; he even refused to look at them. Hitchcock argued that there was nothing more disgusting in the world than seeing yellow liquid flow out of a round white object. It is unclear how such a rare fear could develop in such a person.

Sigmund Freud

The fear of ferns and weapons did not allow Sigmund Freud, a neurologist who created many famous theories and founded the psychiatric school of psychoanalysis, to live in peace. He argued that fear of guns was a sign of delayed emotional and sexual maturity. This is a common fear of people. But fear of ferns is a completely different matter. It is difficult to say where the roots of this fear come from, because Freud said practically nothing about it. It is very unlikely that he had a mental trauma in childhood that was somehow connected with the fern.

Oprah Winfrey

Fear of chewing chewing gum can be seen on Oprah, the queen of daytime television. This phobia began in childhood, when the TV star’s grandmother collected chewing gum and put them in a row on the table. This was so disturbing to Oprah that she began to develop a fear of chewing gum. One day she even threw away a plate after seeing a piece of gum on it! Oprah doesn't allow anyone to chew gum in the studio. Amazingly, everyone tries not to cause her any trouble and goes to meet her.

Natalie Wood

Natalie Wood suffered from hydrophobia (fear of water). This famous actress was simply terrified of being in the water. Although the reasons for this fear are unknown, they say that it appeared after Natalie fell from a bridge into the water as a child while filming. The actress remained with this fear for the rest of her life. In a sad irony, Natalie drowned after falling from the yacht.

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton has many fears. Firstly, this director, musician, actor and writer suffers from chromophobia - he is afraid of bright colors. He also has a fear of antique furniture. Any furniture made in the first half of the last century horrifies him. One day Thornton was in a restaurant furnished with antique furniture, so he could not drink or eat, it was even difficult for Thornton to breathe there. But that is not all. Billy also has a fear of clowns (coulrophobia). He is terribly frightened by the mere sight of a painted face.

Nikola Tesla

Fear of jewelry and germs plagued Nikola Tesla, the famous inventor known for his work on electricity and electromagnetism. He was a germaphobe, so he avoided touching people or anything that might contain germs. The scientist washed his hands very often. He also had a horror of jewelry, especially pearl earrings. Tesla simply couldn't stand pearls. In addition, he gave preference to the number 3 or a number that is a multiple of three. For example, Tesla always chose hotel rooms only according to this principle.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, suffered from Ailurophobia (fear of cats). political leader and an excellent commander. Don't assume this is a joke. Napoleon was deathly afraid of cats. But the reasons for this phobia of the commander are not known. This fear is familiar to many world-famous rulers - Hitler, Mussolini and Julius Caesar.