Geniuses often behave strangely. Did you know that Victor Hugo shaved off half of his hair and beard to deter himself from going outside and distracting himself from writing his novel? Or that Charles Dickens liked to visit the Paris morgue? Let's take a look at these phenomenal individuals who prove there is a fine line between genius and madness:
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin had the strangest food preferences. During his trip around the world, not only had he studied the faunal diversity, he would eat every single creature he met, including insects. He especially liked armadillo, and an unnamed chocolate-colored rodent. He was not too keen on puma stew though. He was even a member of The Glutton Club, in which they would meet each week to discuss which exotic dishes they had tried.
The 16th President of the USA used to keep all important documents in his famous hat. He also decided to grow a beard after one young girl said that all ladies loved sideburns.
Victor Hugo
The writer forced himself to work using some weird methods. He had made all his servants take all his clothes away, so that he was unable to leave his house. And when he worked on The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, he had cut off half of his beard and hair, and threw the scissors away.
Gabrielle Coco Chanel
Chanel always carried scissors around her neck. When she noticed one of her models wearing a dress that was created by another designer, she cut the garment and said it looked more elegant that way.
Friedrich Schiller
One time, Johann Goethe was waiting for Schiller in his office, when he had noticed an unpleasant smell. Trying to find where it came from, he opened a desk drawer and found a pile of rotten apples. As it turned out, the smell inspired the writer, helping him work.
Charles Dickens
To entertain himself, Charles Dickens used to visit the Paris morgue. He said “When I’m Paris, an unknown force makes me visit the morgue. I don’t want to go there, but I go.” The writer also used to follow a champagne diet, which had been prescribed by a doctor.
Henry Ford
It has been said that the American inventor liked to eat weeds. He would go into the fields, pick the grass under his feet and make sandwiches, salads and soup. He believed that the body was a machine and that the stomach was like a boiler and needed the proper fuel to run efficiently.
George Gordon Byron
Byron was an eccentric person who loved animals. When he entered Cambridge, he had tried to carry his dog with him even though pet dogs were banned. In retaliation, the poet bought a bear and took it to his room. He had argued that since bears were not specifically mentioned in their statuses, then the college had no legal grounds for complaints. He won the argument against the college and the bear stayed with him in his room.
Oscar Wilde
Wilde liked exotic animals and even liked to walk his pet lobster. He also used to go to the theater with a white rat.
Clark Gable
The actor was obsessed with cleanliness. He had always changed his clothes, took a shower several times a day and avoided using a bath as he was disgusted by the thought of sitting in dirty water.
Thomas Edison
The inventor had an unusual method of hiring new research scientists. He would invite them for dinner, offer them a bowl of soup and watch. Anyone who added salt before trying a dish were ruled out. His reasoning was that he didn't want to work with people who drew conclusions before carrying out an experiment.
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was an eccentric 'theater queen'. She had a coffin that she took with her when she moved around. She slept, read and learned her roles by heart in there.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
The composer did a number of strange things. For one, he rarely shaved, as he thought it was bad for creativity. He also never paid attention to his looks, and his clothes were usually dirty and ragged. He requested coffee made of exactly 60 beans only.
