The dictionary defines a phobia as "an irrational, excessive, and persistent fear of some particular thing or situation." According to medical experts, there are more than 700 specific phobias currently documented.

Several phobias are widespread, such as "claustrophobia" (fear of enclosed spaces), "ophidiophobia" (fear of snakes), or "acrophobia" (fear of heights).

About 1 out of every 20 Americans suffers from one or more phobias: some common phobias include fear of certain animals, being alone, open spaces, blood, or the Number 13 ( triskaidekaphobia). To accommodate the prevalent fear many people have of the Number 13, numerous multi-story buildings do not list the 13th floor as such, but skip from the 12th to the 14th. The spectacular auction of Princess Diana's used evening dresses before her death did not include a catalogued Number 13 dress, jumping from Number 12 to Number 14.

Even famous people have their intense fears:
Aviophobia (also called aerophobia): According to a study performed by Boeing Aircraft Corporation in 1980, 25 million Americans were scared to fly on airplanes. Famous notables of aviophobia include:

Ronald Reagan, former U.S. President and actor.

Other celebrities with known phobias include: Actress Natalie Wood was hydrophobic - her accidental death by drowning in the ocean in 1981 was very strange and unsettling for those who knew her well. Tennis champ André Agassi has a phobia of spiders, according to Brooke Shields in a statement to the press in October 1996. Supernatural novelist Anne Rice has stated that she fears the dark. Actress Kim Basinger has a phobia of wide, open spaces. Film director Alfred Hitchcock had a peculiar fear of eggs, according to biographer Donald Spoto. Country star Lyle Lovett reportedly is afraid of cows. Pop singer Michael Jackson appears to have a phobia of germs (referring to his obsessive wearing of a surgical-style mask when out in public).

Author: Vicki McClure Davidson

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