On a land mass as wide as the United States of America, wind has plenty of opportunity to pick up pace until it becomes a tornado. When that tornado happens over a populated area, the effects can be devastating. In the skies above the State Capitol building on the 4th of May 1922, a rare and freakish occurrence wreaked havoc on the land down below.
This incident still remains the worst tornado ever to hit Austin, Texas. Moments after this photograph was taken, the single column tornado seen in the sky split into two, with the twisters heading off in different directions and tearing up everything in sight. The roof was torn clean off a student dormitory at St. Edward's University, and many public buildings were severely damaged, with serious injuries and loss of life reported. You can make buildings with the strongest materials possible, but nature can still tear them down if it really wants to.
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.