Buzz
As humans, we all possess our own set of quirky behaviors and habits that we often follow without a second thought. While these routines make perfect sense to us personally, they can appear quite odd to those who observe them. Even the most powerful individuals are not immune to such tendencies.
10. Angela Merkel: The Food Hoarder
Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, spent the first 35 years of her life in communist East Germany, a place marked by scarcity, long lines, and frequent shortages. This experience has left her with a lasting habit of stockpiling food and household supplies, a behavior common among those who lived through that period.
During an interview with the magazine SUPERillu, Angela Merkel revealed her tendency for impulsive shopping. “I still buy something as soon as I see it, even when I don’t really need it,” she admitted. “It’s a deep-rooted habit from growing up in an economy where items were scarce, so you grabbed whatever you could, whenever you could.”
Her shopping and eating habits are still influenced by her upbringing, with a strong preference for Eastern European dishes like solyanka (meat and pickled vegetable soup), letcho (Hungarian vegetable stew), and shashlik (spicy kebabs). She also sticks to using an East German brand of dishwashing liquid. Even today, she struggles with the modern German term supermarkt, often favoring the older East German term kaufhalle, meaning ‘buying hall.’
9. John Key: The Hair-Pulling Habit
In 2015, New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key faced backlash when a waitress at an Auckland café blogged about Key frequently pulling her ponytail. He attempted to brush it off, responding with humor:
We have a lot of fun and games there, with plenty of practical jokes and playful moments. It's a warm, friendly environment. But looking back now, I realize it was a mistake. When I saw she was offended, I immediately apologized, offered her some wine, and said how sorry I was. [ . . ] It was all in the context of some harmless banter, and as soon as I realized her discomfort, I apologized. She thanked me, saying, ‘It’s fine, no drama.’
He carried out his antics at the café with his wife and security detail in tow. The waitress said she initially tolerated his behavior, but after several months of the same actions, she made it clear she was growing frustrated with the prime minister.
Key asked her manager, ‘She really doesn’t like me pulling her ponytail?’ The manager responded with, ‘Well . . no.’ Eventually, his wife stepped in, telling him, ‘Leave the poor girl alone.’ To which the waitress responded, ‘Or I’ll actually hit you soon.’
Key faced criticism from both the Labor Party and the Greens, who labeled his behavior as strange and disconnected. This habit of his seems to be a recurring one, as both The Guardian and John Oliver managed to find videos of him pulling or inappropriately touching the hair of young girls.
8. Malcolm Turnbull: The Dog Blogger
Malcolm Turnbull, the relatively new Australian prime minister who ousted the controversial Tony Abbott in a party coup, has an intriguing background. He was once a cover model for the men’s magazine GQ and a cofounder of the Internet service provider OzEmail. As a barrister, he famously embarrassed Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet secretary during a trial in which the UK attempted to prevent the publication of Spycatcher, the memoir revealing secrets of a former MI5 agent, in Australia.
Turnbull is also known for his strong online presence, which includes an official government blog dedicated to his dogs. The blog, fittingly named Dog Blog, may be infrequent in its updates, but the posts are often written from the perspective of his dogs, offering commentary on various government policies.
One example is a post about the new National Broadband Network (NBN):
When Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull visited Longreach with our old friend Maranoa MP Bruce Scott recently, Kelp and I told him he needs to throw remote communities a bone. They kept talking about broadbone, bonewidth, which was a bit confusing until they got onto mega bites and thousands of them which sounded very promising. The NBN’s satellite will start offering services next year, meaning our humans on cattle stations will be able to do things that Kelp and I do every day—like remotely monitoring livestock, watering points and fences. Humans can be so hopeless sometimes.
7. Narendra Modi: Fashion and Selfies
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi stands apart from many of his predecessors due to his keen interest in fashion, ensuring that all of his clothes are meticulously crisp and ironed. His signature look includes half-sleeved kurtas (traditional Indian collarless shirts), which he buys from Jade Blue, a store he has supported for decades. The company proudly claims that the style of kurta he wears, now known as the Modi kurta, was tailored to his unique preferences.
This marks a significant shift in Indian politics. As reported by NDTV, Modi has “rejected the worn-out and creased kurtas and dhotis/pyjamas—the typical attire of traditional Indian politicians.” Some of his political opponents have mocked him for this, with Mulayam Singh Yadav quipping, “He changes 500 kurtas a day and wears a fresh kurta for every meeting.”
The Indian media closely monitors Modi’s eclectic fashion choices. He is particularly noted for altering his style during foreign visits. When traveling to neighboring countries like Nepal and Bhutan, he opts for clothing that highlights shared cultural traditions. However, for trips to places like the US, Germany, and Japan, he embraces a more modern and stylish look. In Ulaanbaatar, he dons traditional Mongolian robes.
6. Pope Francis: The Tango Enthusiast
Pope Francis is known for many fascinating aspects of his life, such as his deep passion for football (soccer), his habit of sneaking indulgent ice cream and pizza into his otherwise strict diet, and even his time as a nightclub bouncer in Buenos Aires. Yet perhaps his most unexpected passion is his love for the tango.
In 2010, while still known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future Pope shared his fondness for the tango in an interview for the book The Jesuit. He was well-versed in the history of the dance, having a deep admiration for tango legends like singers Carlos Gardel and Julio Sosa, and renowned tango dancers such as Ada Falcon, who later became a nun, and Azucena Maizani, to whom the Pope administered the last rites.
When asked by the authors of the book about his skills in tango, the Pope was somewhat evasive. “Yes, I danced it when I was younger, although I preferred the milonga,” he shared, referring to a dance style that came before the tango.
According to a more recent biography, The Great Reformer, the Pope may have been downplaying some of his past:
Anna Colonna, a friend from his parish circle, recalls him dressed in a suit, gallantly inviting girls to dance with him. [ . . .] Colonna, who describes Jorge as “very considerate, very sociable,” mentions that his true musical love was tango. “Jorge was an exceptional tango dancer,” she said. “He adored tangos.”
The Pope’s passion for tango was celebrated during his 78th birthday, when thousands of people danced the tango in his honor in St. Peter’s Square. However, according to the anti-Vatican Catholic group Novus Ordo Watch, this fondness for a “sexually provocative, immoral” dance, once condemned by the Catholic Church, is evidence of their conspiracy theory suggesting Pope Francis is not a true Catholic.
5. Bill Gates: Keeping His Left Hand In His Pocket
During a 2013 meeting with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Microsoft founder Bill Gates stirred controversy in the South Korean media by keeping his left hand in his pocket while shaking hands with the president. While the Western media initially overlooked the gesture, it caused an uproar in South Korea, where it was perceived as disrespectful and indicative of arrogance. Some media outlets edited out the hand in question from photos, while others highlighted it, using green screens for detailed analysis.
The South Korean presidential office had to release a statement: “Bill Gates posed similarly when meeting former President Lee Myung-bak five years ago. Consider it just an American style of greeting.” Some US media outlets also found Gates’s gesture odd, even by American norms, and soon uncovered other photos of him making the same gesture.
It appears to be a personal quirk of Gates. He has been photographed with his left hand in his pocket while shaking hands with various prominent figures, such as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and former South African President Thabo Mbeki. It seems that Gates routinely keeps his dominant hand in his pocket both when relaxing and meeting with influential people. The sole exception seems to be when he needs to hold something, like papers or a drink.
4. Dalai Lama: Watches
The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has always had a strong fascination with science and technology. He once shared that if he hadn't chosen the path of monastic life, he would have pursued a career as an engineer. His passion for technology began when he was a young man in a monastery. His curiosity grew so intense that he took apart a mechanical watch, and after some effort, successfully reassembled it without any external help.
At the age of seven, the Dalai Lama received a special gift from President Franklin Roosevelt: a gold Patek Philippe watch, accompanied by a letter that highlighted the US’s interest in strengthening ties with the Himalayan kingdom. However, the young Dalai Lama was far more captivated by the watch than by the letter, which he mislaid until he received a replica from President Obama in 2015.
The Dalai Lama treasured this watch, which was an exquisite model featuring a perpetual calendar, showing both the phases of the Moon and the days of the week. He continues to wear it to this day.
Even when he fled Tibet during the Chinese invasion, the Dalai Lama kept the watch with him, despite having to repair it multiple times due to his youthful adventures. In an interview with author Thomas Laird, the Dalai Lama revealed, “On one occasion in Lhasa, I kept it in my pocket while working with a strong magnet on the movie projector. As a result, the watch needed repair again.”
He attributes his fascination with timepieces to a spiritual connection, explaining in an interview with The Star Online, “I like watches, I don’t know why. Perhaps because I’m a reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. I was told he had a fondness for pocket watches, rosaries, and horses, though I must confess, I’m afraid of horses.”
In a conversation with Laird, the Dalai Lama humorously credited his watch for helping him evade political foes in Beijing: “It seems this watch has made the prayer that it will never end up in the hands of the Chinese!”
3. Vladimir Putin’s Idiosyncratic Daily Routine
According to Newsweek, Russian President Vladimir Putin follows a highly structured, unique daily schedule. Due to his tendency to work late into the evening, he doesn’t rise until shortly before noon. His breakfast often includes cottage cheese, porridge, or an omelette, accompanied by quail eggs and fruit juice to start his day.
His meals are always fresh, arriving daily from the estates of Russian religious leader Patriarch Kirill. After eating, Putin enjoys coffee followed by two hours of swimming, weight training, and alternating between hot and cold baths. His courtiers have become accustomed to waiting for up to four hours while Putin gets dressed and prepares for work.
Next, he reviews daily briefings from his domestic intelligence agency (FSB), foreign intelligence agency (SVR), and security detail (FSO). Following that, he reads a range of newspapers: from the populist tabloids to the more serious broadsheets, including foreign newspapers, which are often translated for him. While he can read German, he dislikes modern technology, though occasionally watches his staff through a video link as they wait outside, bickering and playing on their smartphones.
Finally, Putin heads to the airport for his frequent trips across Russia or to the Kremlin for the meetings he dreads most—those with foreign dignitaries. Putin has said he views himself as the hardest-working Russian leader since Stalin.
Putin's hobbies include playing ice hockey and studying English. He also enjoys hunting, but he has a surprising soft spot for animals that are not intimidated by him and refuse to obey his commands. This is particularly ironic given the fearful respect he instills in his subordinates and courtiers.
2. David Rockefeller Sr. and his Love for Beetles
As of 2015, David Rockefeller Sr. holds the title of the oldest billionaire in the world, with a net worth of $3 billion at the age of 100. An avid collector of beetles, Rockefeller’s fascination began in 1922 when, at just seven years old, he discovered a large brown beetle (Parandra brunneus), took it home, and placed it in a jar. Today, his collection of Coleoptera consists of about 90,000 beetles, neatly stored in customized, airtight wooden boxes in cabinets at his Pocantico Hills home.
His enthusiasm for beetles evolved into a lifelong obsession. While at Harvard University, Rockefeller earned his only “A” in a graduate-level entomology course. Even during his service in Algeria in 1943–44, he continued to pursue his beetle collection. Later, he took part in or funded several beetle expeditions across the American Southwest, Mexico, and other regions of Latin America.
Around a dozen beetle species have been named after Rockefeller, including the rare Mexican high-altitude scarab Diplotaxis rockefelleri. His collection boasts beetles that he personally gathered from numerous countries, such as Algeria, Austria, Brazil, Ecuador, France, French West Indies, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, the US, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.
Rockefeller’s enthusiasm for collecting beetles seems to have a clear rationale. As he shared with Forbes magazine, “Beetles outnumber any other animal species. [They’re] easy to collect due to their hard shells, making them simple to preserve.” He also mentioned that during his travels, he always carries a jar to collect beetles, as they can be found everywhere, except in Antarctica.
1. Queen Elizabeth II: Bat Catching
Royal biographer Brian Hoey, though unofficial, has noted that Queen Elizabeth II’s passion for animals goes far beyond her well-known devotion to her Welsh corgis. Not only is she the rightful co-owner of every swan in the UK, but she has also pledged to help the population of red squirrels thrive at Balmoral Castle.
She has even extended her royal protection to a colony of bats living in the main hall of the castle. Her staff is strictly prohibited from interfering with the bats, despite the added challenge of cleaning up after a roosting colony in the castle’s interior.
In an interview with ABC News, Hoey remarked:
The truth is, the queen engages in a bit of an unusual activity every afternoon—she enjoys collecting the bats that nest in the upper reaches of the great hall. She carefully brings them down using a large butterfly net attached to a long pole. Since bats are a protected species in Britain, she must release them afterward. Being nocturnal creatures, they return each night, and so she repeats the process the following day.
