Iconic logo design doesn't come much better than BMW. Having this badge attached to a motor vehicle is a sign of quality, and has been ever since the 1920s. The popularity of BMWs has never really wavered in the past century, and they're as desirable (and expensive) now as they always have been. That internationally famous blue and white logo isn't just there to look pretty though - it's telling us about the past of the company.
Blue and white are the colors of the flag of Bavaria. That's the region of Germany within which BMW was founded, and so represents their close ties with their homeland. The four sectors in the center of the logo, surrounded by a circle, are supposed to look like propeller blades. That's down to something that not many people know about BMW - in their early days the company was as interested in making planes as it was with cars. Their focus changed over the years, but their logo never has.
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.