As with all great stories, there's a pinch of truth to the story of 'Saving Private Ryan'. In this case, it comes from the true-life stories of the Niland brothers; four Irish-Americans who served during the Second World War, and only two of whom survived the conflict. Their stories are also partially told by the epic 'Band of Brothers' TV mini-series.
Sergeant Fritz Niland was the rough inspiration for the character of Private Ryan. Fritz fought during the Normandy Campaign and survived the events of D-Day. During the days after D-Day, he traveled to see the 82nd Airborne Division to see his brother Bob, only to find that Bob had been killed in action. The second brother, Preston, was killed during the D-Day landings. Fritz believed he was the only survivor from the family until he found that his third brother, Edward, had been captured by the Japanese and held as a Prisoner of War in Burma before being rescued in 1945.
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.