Most people know the story of the ancient city of Pompeii in Italy, which was buried under volcanic ash and frozen in time when Mount Vesuvius erupted. Fewer people are aware that Vesuvius is still an active volcano. It's erupted several times since then and could still in theory go off on any day and bury the towns around it all over again. Isn't that a cheerful thought?
In this picture, the volcano is throwing out a small eruption in 1944, during the Second World War. A US Army Air Base was stationed close to the volcano, and several planes were damaged by ash, molten rock and other debris. The more alert pilots got their planes into the air to avoid the eruption though, and they were able to take incredible photos like this one. It's bad enough having bombs dropped on your city during a war, never mind nature rebelling against you at the same 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.