According to the name of the television show that he was most known for, Australian Steve Irwin was a crocodile hunter. The nickname was good for attracting the attention of the public towards his work, but it wasn't a truly accurate description of what he did. Irwin was a marine biologist and conservation expert who just happened to have a particular affinity for crocodiles.
Given his habit of taking apparent risks with the animals - including sticking his head between their jaws to demonstrate that they wouldn't attack him - it wouldn't have been too big a surprise if he'd met his end that way. Instead, though, he was stung through the heart by a poisonous jellyfish while swimming in September 2006, a mere two days after this photograph was taken. He'd been trying to film the jellyfish swimming for a documentary he was working on at the time.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.