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The Superman curse -

The Superman movie franchise has reaped immense profits in cinema history, but its success has also been shadowed by tragic losses. George Reeves, the Superman of the 1950s, took his own life in 1959. Christopher Reeve, star of the '70s and '80s films, was paralyzed in a riding accident in 1985 and died in 2004. Lee Quigley, the Superman child in the 1978 film, succumbed to solvent abuse in 1991 at the age of 14. Other Superman actors such as Margot Kidder and Richard Pryor also died prematurely.

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The Billy Goat Curse on the Chicago Cubs -

Sports are a hotbed for superstitions. Take the Billy Goat Curse on the Chicago Cubs in 1945. Tavern owner William Sianis was barred from bringing his pet goat, Murphy, to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game against the Detroit Tigers. Furious, Sianis cursed the Cubs, saying they'd never win another World Series. Not only did they lose in 1945, but they didn't clinch a World Series championship until 2016.

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The Curse of 'The Passion of the Christ' -

During the filming of the 2004 movie 'The Passion of the Christ,' actor Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus, and assistant director Jan Michelini were hit by lightning. This sparked rumors of a curse on the film, with some suggesting it was the work of a higher power.

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Roman curse tablets -

The ancient Romans and Greeks used curse tablets, usually very thin lead plates inscribed with requests for help from the gods or from the dead, to curse a person or an object.

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The curse of Tutankhamun -

The most famous of the so-called "mummy curses" occurred after the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1923. Coincidentally, the lights flickered in the hospital where Lord Carnarvon, who financed the excavation and who was being treated, drew his last breath. Three other people involved in the expedition died within a few years of their visit to the tomb.

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The Curse of Cain -

In the Book of Genesis, God curses Cain, after he kills his brother Abel, to a life of hard work and aimless wandering. As a result, any land he tries to cultivate will be unfruitful. 

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The Bermuda Triangle Curse -

On December 5, 1945, five Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers disappeared under mysterious circumstances while flying over the Bermuda Triangle. A search plane was sent out to find the missing aircrafts, which also disappeared. As a result, a total of 27 crew members were presumed dead and remained unaccounted for. Since then, numerous boats, ships, and aircraft have been reported missing in the area.

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The Curse of Tippecanoe -

In 1840, William Henry Harrison was elected the 9th President of the United States, only to die a year later. Eerily, every 20 years a president met the same fate, culminating with John F. Kennedy. Legend has it that the Shawnee chief Tecumseh cursed Harrison and subsequent presidents after his defeat at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811.

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The Hope Diamond Curse -

French gem dealer and globetrotter Jean-Baptiste Tavernier is known for buying a massive diamond, which he sold to King Louis XIV of France in 1668. Fast forward two-and-a-half centuries, and a rumor spread that Tavernier had stolen the diamond from a Hindu goddess statue and it was cursed, bringing bad luck to anyone who wore it. The diamond, now known as the Hope Diamond after Dutch collector Henry Philip Hope, was later sold to Evelyn Walsh McLean before finally ending up in the Smithsonian Institution.

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The 27 Club curse -

The 27 Club refers to a well-known belief that surrounds musicians, actors and other artists who died at the age of 27. This unfortunate coincidence happened to famous musicians such as Robert Johnson (who is said to have made a pact with the devil), Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse and also neo-expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

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The Curse of the Templar Knights -

When Jacques de Molay (c. 1240–1314), the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was burned at the stake he cursed King Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V. Mysteriously, both passed away within a year. 

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The Curse of James Dean's Porsche -

James Dean died in a devastating accident while driving his Porsche 550 Spyder. The wrecked vehicle was recovered, but it accidentally fell off a tow truck and broke a mechanic's legs. The Porsche's engine was later installed in another car and the driver was killed. Curse, or Hollywood legend?

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Hex toys -

Curse dolls are often associated with Haitian vodou and Louisiana voodoo, but they are not really significant in either culture. However, their roots can be traced back to ancient Rome, where small dolls were used as effigies to cast curses on specific targets.

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God's curse on the serpent -

In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve the freedom to eat anything, except the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Later, God cursed the serpent forever, making it a symbol of the underworld, for tempting Eve with an apple.

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The Curse of Macbeth -

There has always been a belief that William Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth' is cursed. In fact, actors are advised not to utter the word "Macbeth" in any theater unless they are actually performing the play. It is believed that violation of this precaution will bring bad luck to all involved in the production.

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Dido's Curse upon Troy -

One of history’s infamous curses was cast by Dido, the queen of Carthage, on her ex-lover Aeneas, son of Trojan prince Anchises and the goddess Venus. Dido proposed marriage to Aeneas so as they might rule jointly over the region, but he backed out and left. The furious queen cursed that Troy and Carthage would always be enemies, leading to the Punic Wars.

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The Kennedy curse -

Since 1944, when Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. died in a plane crash, the Kennedy family has been haunted by tragedy. Both John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy were assassinated. Several descendants of the Kennedys have also suffered unfortunate fates, including substance abuse, a skiing accident, and, in the case of JFK Jr., another plane crash.

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The Curse of Timur -

Timur, a Turco-Mongol conqueror also known as Tamerlane (1336-1405), founded the mighty Timurid Empire. Stalin, the Soviet leader, admired Timur and ordered his remains to be exhumed on June 19, 1941, despite local warnings of a curse. Three days later, Hitler invaded the USSR, leading to millions of deaths.

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The evil eye -

The concept of the evil eye is the belief that a mere glance or stare can bring misfortune to a targeted person, caused by envy or aversion. Its roots can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome. This mosaic from the 2nd century BCE is a surviving example of such a curse.

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The Curse of Hekate -

Hekate is a goddess of Greek mythology who can do both good and evil. In 2012, a Spanish researcher discovered evidence of two different curses written on lead tablets 1,600 years ago, directed at a senator and a veterinarian. They contain a depiction of Hekate with snakes coming out of her hair, possibly to attack the victims.

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Broken mirror curse -

This curse originated in ancient Rome. The Romans believed that mirrors showed the soul, and not just a physical reflection. They also thought that the soul changed every seven years. To break a mirror was to shatter the soul, and that angered the gods. This is a picture of a broken mirror in the Amorini Dorati (Golden Cupids) House in Pompeii, Italy.

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The Curse of 'Rosemary's Baby' -

Roman Polanski's 1968 horror flick is one of the most jinxed film ever. Bad luck hit many on set: composer Krzysztof Komeda fell and died; producer William Castle was hospitalized with severe kidney stones and was sick for weeks; and Sharon Tate, Polanski's pregnant wife, was tragically murdered by the Manson family.

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The Curse of the Bjorketorp Runestone -

The Bjoerketorp rune stone, a 6th-century BCE monolith in Blekinge, is one of Sweden's great mysteries. The inscription on one side reads "I see Perdition," while on the reverse is a warning that anyone who disturbs or breaks the runestone will be cursed to creeping death and destruction.

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The Curse of La Llorona -

The Curse of La Llorona, rooted in Spanish folklore, tells of Maria, a woman who marries a rich man for his wealth. They have two children. One day she sees him with another woman. In a fit of jealousy and rage, she drowns her children and herself in a river. It is believed that she is doomed to haunt the banks of the river forever in search of her lost children.

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The Curse of Ham -

Another curse from the Bible comes from Noah, who drank too much wine and ended up naked in his tent. His son Ham saw him and told his brother Japheth. When Noah sobered up, he became angry and cursed Ham's son Canaan and his descendants to become slaves to the Israelites.

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The Curse of the Iceman -

In September 1991, a frozen body dating back to between 3350 and 3105 BCE was found in Europe's Ötztal Alps. Named 'Ötztal' or 'Ice Man,' this Stone Age mummified corpse was taken for study. So far, seven scientists who worked on Ötzi have died, four from accidents. Some media reports suggest a curse, akin to that of an ancient Egyptian mummy, is to blame.

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The Curse of the Polish King's Tomb -

In 1973, a group of archeologists in Krakow, Poland, discovered the tomb of Casimir IV Jagiellon, the 15th- century Polish king. After the discovery, several team members began to die, leading to speculation that they had been afflicted by a curse similar to the Tutankhamun expedition. However, upon further investigation, experts found traces of a deadly fungus in the tomb, which, when inhaled, inhibits breathing and can cause lung disease.

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Shiva's curse upon Brahma -

Temples for Hindu deity Lord Brahma are rare. This is due to a lie Brahma told Shiva—another god and a member of a triad that also included Vishna—claiming he was mightier than Vishna. Shiva, knowing this was false, cursed Brahma, banning anyone on Earth from worshiping him. To this day there are no Hindu holidays in Brahma's honor.

Sources: (ThoughtCo) (Live Science) (Vanity Fair) (Express) (Ancient Origins) (Smithsonian)

See also: India's impressive World Heritage Sites

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