Revealing Historical Figures’ Strangest Habits That Will Blow Your Mind

Napoleon’s Fear of Cats

Despite commanding vast armies and reshaping Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte harbored a rather unheroic fear: ailurophobia, or a fear of cats. While legends differ on the intensity, multiple accounts suggest he would visibly panic in the presence of a feline. This irrational fear of an otherwise harmless creature provides a quirky contrast to the fearless warrior persona Napoleon is often remembered for.

Some historians believe his aversion to cats may have stemmed from childhood trauma, while others think it was tied to the common 18th-century superstition that associated cats with witches. Regardless, it’s amusing to think that while cannonballs and uprisings couldn’t shake him, a purring tabby might send him into retreat.

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