People I didn't expect to have tattoos

facebooktwitterreddit

Thomas Edison: Sure, he had over 1000 patents to his name, and rarely slept. But according to his insurance inspection with Mutual Life, the bad boy inventor also sported a strange tattoo. While no one knows what it meant, Tommy had 5 dots tattooed onto his left forearm, positioned like they would be on dice.

Sean Connery: While it's no surprise that Sean Connery's been inked up a few times, with at least one of his tattoos paying tribute to his motherland, it's a little more disconcerting to hear he also has a tattoo paying tribute to his mother. In addition to the "Scotland Forever" tat on his forearm, Connery sports one that says "Mum and Dad."

Geraldo Rivera: While I normally wouldn't feel sorry for the moron that is Geraldo, as a rebellious teen, the joke-reporter wanted to celebrate his Jewish heritage by getting a Star of David tattooed between his left thumb and forefinger. A sweet gesture, no doubt. Except that tattoos are strictly forbidden by Rabbinical Law—a fact he only learned after he'd gotten the work done.

Winston Churchill's Mom: Speaking of mothers, Lady Randolph Churchill had a rather unladylike snake tattooed on her wrist. At the time, however, it was extremely fashionable for upper class women and socialites to get expensive tattoo work done, and the strategic placement meant that Lady Randolph could cover up the ink with a chunky bracelet when necessary. Like mother like son, young Winston followed in his mom's wristy behavior, when he got an anchor drawn on his arm.

Diego Maradona: Despite intensely following the Argentinian footballer's brilliance World Cup after World Cup, I had no idea of the tattoos #10 was wearing. Apparently, Maradona has a tat of Che Guevara on his arm, and one of Fidel Castro on his leg—both of which would have been covered up by shirts and shin guards during international play.

JFK, Jr.: Apparently, America's "royalty" couldn't resist the lure of a tattoo parlor, either. Many a tabloid has depicted the young Kennedy wearing tattoos—one of a shamrock on his foot, and another of a dagger on his arm.
PLUS two tattoos you won't see any longer:
Tony Danza's "Keep on Trucking" tattoo. Danza got the phrase inked onto him when he was 18, attending college on a wrestling scholarship. The "Who's the Boss?" actor had it laser removed in the 90's.

Johnny Depp's "Winona Forever" tattoo. When the pair split up, Depp nixed two letters, and cleverly changed it to read "Wino Forever." We'll drink to that!

*Special thanks to our research editors Sandy and Kara for their research help on this one.