The Book of the Bizarre: Freaky Facts and Strange Stories (68 page)
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Authors: Varla Ventura
American inventor Thomas Edison carried a staurolite, a stone that forms naturally in the shape of a cross. Legend has it that when fairies heard of Christ's crucifixion, their tears fell as these “fairy cross” stones.
Staurolite was also a lucky stone for U.S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.
GRETA GARBO
Actress Greta Garbo always wore a lucky string of pearls.
MARIO ANDRETTIRace-car driver Mario Andretti won't use a green pen to sign autographs.
KICHIRO TOYODAA fortune-teller told businessman Kichiro Toyoda that it would be good luck to change his company's name to
Toyota
and give the company's cars names beginning with the letter
C
(such as Celica and Camry).
JOHN WAYNEActor John Wayne considered it lucky to be in a movie with fellow actor Ward Bond.
“SUPERSTITION IS THE POETRY OF LIFE, SO THAT IT DOES NOT INJURE THE POET TO BE SUPERSTITIOUS.”
—JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE
JOHN MCENROETennis player John McEnroe thinks it is bad luck to play a match on a Thursday the twelfth. He also carefully avoids stepping on a white line of the tennis court.
RANDY JOHNSONBaseball pitcher Randy Johnson always eats pancakes before a game.
“Some of mankind's most terrible misdeeds have been committed under the spell of certain magic words or phrases.” —JAMES BRYANT CONANT
GYPSY CURSE