26Tutankhamen's Tomb: Ominous Curse
After the opening of Tutankhamen's tomb, tragedy followed. Lord Carnarvon, the project's financial backer, fell ill and died in Cairo from an infection, possibly linked to an insect bite. Legend has it that a power failure coincided with his death, and back in England, his dog died mysteriously. By 1929, eleven people connected to the tomb's discovery had died unnaturally, including Carnarvon's relatives, Richard Bethell, and Lord Westbury, who took his own life. The mummy of Tutankhamun revealed a wound on the left cheek, mirroring Carnarvon's fatal insect bite.
27. The "Hemingway curse" originated from a tragic pattern of suicides within Ernest Hemingway's family, spanning his father, sister, brother, son, and granddaughter. The term encapsulates the haunting legacy of self-inflicted deaths that marked multiple generations of the Hemingway family.
28. The 27 Club, also known as the Forever 27 Club, refers to a group of influential rock and blues musicians who all died at the age of 27, often under mysterious circumstances. Criteria for inclusion in the club are debated, but it gained prominence due to the deaths of several prominent musicians within a short time, including Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and often Brian Jones. Kurt Cobain is also frequently included in more recent discussions due to his impact on music.
29. On September 30, 1955, film icon James Dean died in a car crash involving his Porsche Spyder, nicknamed "Little Bastard." After purchasing the wreck for $2,500, car customizer George Barris experienced ominous events, including the Porsche falling and injuring a mechanic. During a race in 1956, cars with parts from "Little Bastard" were involved in accidents, leading to fatalities and injuries. The car mysteriously vanished in 1960, and its whereabouts remain unknown.
30. The Curse of the Billy Goat on the Chicago Cubs originated in 1945, when Greek immigrant Billy Sianis brought his pet goat, Murphy, to Game 4 of the World Series. Despite initially being allowed in Wrigley Field, both were later ejected due to the goat's odor at the command of Cubs owner Philip Knight Wrigley. Outraged, Sianis allegedly cursed the Cubs, predicting they would never win another pennant or play in a World Series at Wrigley Field, a streak that persisted for 20 consecutive years until 1967.
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31Casimir IV Jagiellon's "Curse"
After archaeologists opened the tomb of King Casimir IV Jagiellon in 1973, a mysterious "curse" emerged, resulting in the deaths of 15 people who had worked with the Polish ruler's remains. Casimir, born in 1427, defeated the Teutonic Order and established his family as a prominent European dynasty. The so-called curse was later identified as the deadly fungus Aspergillus flavus, present in ancient corpses and tombs, causing illnesses and fatalities among those exposed to the decomposed remains.
32. The Denver International Airport is guarded by a 32-foot-tall demon horse. "Blue Mustang" (or, as locals like to call it, "Blucifer") is thought to be cursed largely because the sculptor, Luis Jiménez, was killed when a 9,000-pound piece of the sculpture fell on him during construction.
33. Anyone who removes Hawaiian rocks from the islands is said to be cursed. People send thousands of pounds of rock, sand, and shells back to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park every year, many with accounts of how the curse has ruined their lives.
34. The "Curse of the White Star Line," the company that owned the Titanic, unfolds as a tragic saga. The Titanic sank in 1912, the Britannic hit a mine and sank in 1916, and the Olympic faced a mutiny in 1912, collided with a warship in 1911, and a passenger ship in 1934. Each event contributed to the eerie legend surrounding the ill-fated vessels owned by the White Star Line.
35. The Sports Illustrated cover jinx is an urban legend associating featured athletes with subsequent injuries or bad luck. One explanation suggests that athletes are often featured after exceptional performances, leading to a perceived decline in performance due to regression toward the mean. Examples like Eddie Mathews, who suffered an injury after appearing on the cover, are cited, but Sports Illustrated addressed the jinx in a 2002 issue featuring a black cat on the cover, suggesting a humorous take on the superstition.
