Stories and Legends
Napoleon Bonaparte conquered Europe but was crippled throughout his life by felinophobia the fear of cats. Queen Elizabeth I is said to have been terrorized by roses, a subcategory of anthophobia, a generalized fear of flowers. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, who coined the term "anxiety attack," suffered most of his life from agoraphobia, literally the fear of the marketplace, or open or crowded spaces. Edgar Allan Poe suffered for much of his life from claustrophobia, a disorder also endured by HARRY HOUDINI and ADOLF HITLER. Donald Trump might not wow a potential boss in a job interview because of his chirophobia: fear of shaking hands. Howard Hughes, the eccentric billionaire, lived his final years immobilized by mysophobia, or fear of germs. Nonetheless, he lived in squalor. Andre Agassi may ace many of his serves, and he still boasts a wicked backhand, but if a spider happens to crawl onto the court, his steely composure may crack, as he suffers from arachnophobia. Cher and Whoopi Goldberg are unlikely to sit in first class together because of their fear of flying, or aviophobia. Fellow sufferers include former NFL coach JOHN MADDEN and songbird ARETHA FRANKLIN.