Risky business

These are the 10 most dangerous jobs: You won't believe the top 5!

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All jobs come with risks, but some are far more dangerous than others. Certain jobs aren’t for everyone, yet someone has to do them—and many take them on with remarkable dedication and enthusiasm. Here are 10 of the most dangerous jobs in the world, ranked from least to most dangerous. Let’s take a look!

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This is likely one of the first professions that comes to mind when we think of dangerous jobs. While it’s true that police work can put an officer’s physical safety at risk, here it ranks at number 10 on the list. It may not be the most deadly job, but the high level of unpredictability and constant stress officers face makes it a career not suited for everyone.

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When it comes to non-fatal injuries, factory workers are among the most at risk. With production lines filled with heavy machinery and hazardous materials, accidents happen more often than we'd like. In 2022 alone, over 350,000 non-fatal injuries were reported in US manufacturing jobs, many involving hand injuries from contact with equipment.

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Traffic, especially on highways and busy roads, can be dangerous. Professional drivers must not only be familiar with their own vehicle and the road, but also remain alert to the unpredictable behavior of others. Fatigue from long hours of work is another significant risk factor. For these reasons, being a cab, bus, or truck driver can actually be more dangerous than being a police officer. Surprising, right? But it's true: according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, transportation incidents generally account for about 37% of all work-related fatalities.

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Refuse collectors come in at #7 on the list. These everyday heroes face risks that most people are unaware of. Apart from dealing with constant traffic, they're exposed to contamination, harmful bacteria, and even physical injuries from sharp or hazardous items hidden in the trash. Applause for collectors and the incredible work they do!

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If you're afraid of heights, this probably isn't the job for you. Roofers consistently rank among the top 5 most dangerous jobs in the US and the world! But it's not just the height that makes this job risky; handling heavy, sometimes hazardous materials while maintaining balance is enough to challenge even the most experienced tightrope walker. On top of that, cold, windy, or wet weather makes the job even riskier.

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Despite technological advances, mining remains a perilous job. Working deep underground comes with constant risk: tunnels can collapse, potentially trapping workers or causing painful, even fatal, injuries. In addition, remote locations, extreme temperatures, and exposure to chemicals and explosives only add to the dangers. For these reasons, miners rank at #5 on this list of the world’s most dangerous jobs.

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Just like us, you might be surprised to learn that farmers rank #4 among the most dangerous jobs. While life in the countryside may seem peaceful compared to the city, farming is actually very demanding.

Farmers work long hours and face constant risks: handling animals, operating large and dangerous machinery, exposure to pesticides and other chemicals, and working on uneven terrain, ladders, or inside silos are just some of the challenges they confront every day.

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While miners face danger underground, pilots confront it in the skies. Being a pilot can be thrilling and rewarding, but it also carries serious risks. Operating complex aircraft at high altitudes means that any mechanical failure can be extremely difficult to manage. Pilots can’t always land immediately in an emergency and may have to remain in the air while troubleshooting. Add unpredictable weather into the mix, and it’s clear why this is one of the most demanding—and dangerous—jobs.

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Commercial fishing is nothing like spending a relaxing Saturday casting a line with a friend. These workers can spend months at sea, operating heavy equipment while navigating rough waters, unpredictable weather, and even the dangers posed by marine wildlife. In the US, studies show that about 51% of fishing-related fatalities are caused by vessel disasters, while 30% result from falls overboard—making this one of the most perilous jobs in the world**.**

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Using large axes and chainsaws while surrounded by massive trees that could fall at any moment is just one of the everyday dangers loggers face. In fact, the risk is so high that they hold the #1 spot among the world’s most dangerous jobs. Logging carries a high risk of fatalities and injuries each year, with most deaths caused by falling trees.

12 ways to invent a name

Do you prefer "Sherlock" or "Sherringford"? Behind 12 fictional names

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Did you know that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was torn between naming his famous detective "Sherringford" or "Sherlock"? Or that James Bond was actually named after an American ornithologist? We repeat names like "Moby Dick" or "Harry Potter" with such ease that we forget some writer, at some point, sat down and scribbled out a list of possibilities.

Let’s explore the stories behind the naming of 12 beloved characters!

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If "James" sounds like a bland name for a top-notch spy, and "Bond" is a surname you’d probably forget after a first introduction, then Ian Fleming knew exactly what he was doing.

The point of the character’s name was to be unremarkable—even boring. A suave spy trying to blend in with his surroundings couldn’t very well walk around with a name like Sherlock or Indiana.

But Fleming didn’t invent the name: he borrowed it from a book about birds, written by American ornithologist James Bond.

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The solemn hero of To Kill a Mockingbird was meant to be linked with wisdom and justice. Harper Lee chose the name, which means "from Attica," for its association with Greek and Roman philosophers. It was a name that evoked rationality and moral clarity.

She countered it with "Finch," soft and grounded—and another bird. The contrast in those names perfectly suits the man who defended Tom Robinson in court and read to his children by lamplight.

Interestingly, Atticus was based in part on Lee’s father, Amasa Coleman Lee, a lawyer who once defended two Black men accused of murder.

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What about Homer Simpson? He was also based on the creator’s dad—as were Marge, Lisa, and Maggie. They were all named after Matt Groening’s own family. When deciding names for his cartoon dysfunctional family, Groening had the funny idea of borrowing his relatives’ names.

He intentionally left himself out of it: for his role as the devilish only son in the family, he changed "Matt" to "Bart" (an anagram of "brat").

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Sherringford Hope was the name Sir Arthur Conan Doyle first gave his detective. The character was clear in his mind, but he took his time coming up with the defining name.

"Holmes" was an English name associated with London in many people’s minds, partly because of the popular book Holmes’s Great Metropolis. And "Sherlock" happened to be the surname of two inspectors solving crimes in England at the time, so Doyle likely picked it from the newspapers on purpose.

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J.M. Barrie’s "boy who wouldn’t grow up" had a carefully crafted name, too. Barrie had a close relationship with Sylvia Llewelyn Davies and her five sons, whom he entertained with imaginative stories about pirates and treasure.

He borrowed the name "Peter" from one of them, though the adventurous boy’s character was modeled after all of them. Meanwhile, "Pan" is the name of the Greek god of the wild who played pipes and lived outside the rules of civilization—just like the boy.

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Even years after the Harry Potter books became a cultural phenomenon, many people struggled to pronounce the name of the female sidekick, Hermione. J.K. Rowling didn’t clarify its pronunciation until the fourth book!

But she didn’t invent the name. In Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, Queen Hermione is noble and wrongly accused, making this a subtle nod to the misunderstood girl power of the character.

Side note: "Harry" came from Rowling’s childhood crush on the name, and "Potter" was the surname of neighbors she liked as a kid.

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Victor Hugo wanted the name of the ex-convict at the heart of Les Misérables to carry a sense of ordinariness. He was meant to represent the everyman—hence "Jean" (the French equivalent of "John").

The surname "Valjean" implies that the name "Jean" had been carried in his family for generations—basically, as unremarkable as a name can get. Hugo once noted that Les Misérables was not about exceptional people, but about dignity in the lowest places.

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The name of the white whale that haunted Captain Ahab’s dreams was borrowed from a real whale, with just a slight name tweak.

Mocha Dick was a real-life albino sperm whale known to 19th-century whalers. It earned a reputation for fighting back when attacked. The name came from the island of Mocha, southeast of Chile, near which it lived. It was first documented in an 1839 account by explorer Jeremiah Reynolds, whose tale Melville likely read.

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During the making of Tim Burton’s iconic Beetlejuice (1988), a studio executive wanted to call the movie "Scared Sheetless." Fortunately, they went with Beetlejuice, a playful twist on Betelgeuse, a red supergiant star in the Orion constellation.

The movie needed a name that sounded grand and imposing in its original form (Betelgeuse), but cheeky, silly, and very Burton-esque on the movie poster.

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Truman Burbank, the hero of The Truman Show, was always meant to be two things at once: an ordinary man and a massive metaphor. His first name is a not-so-subtle play on "True Man." Burbank may reference the California city, known for its ties to media and television production, adding a subtle layer to the metaphor.

It was the perfect label for a man who is the only authentic soul in a world built entirely on lies.

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George Lucas wanted the Dark Lord’s name to carry symbolic weight, and it does: "Darth" was meant to signal rank, like a title (later extended to Darth Maul, Darth Sidious, etc.), but it also evokes "death."

The funny thing is that, even though "Vader" resembles the Dutch and German words for "father," it wasn’t originally planned by the creators to associate Darth Vader with, well… having a son. That storyline was only introduced in the sequel, The Empire Strikes Back.

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Cosmo Kramer, Seinfeld’s sliding-door wild card, was based on a real person: Kenny Kramer, a neighbor of co-creator Larry David. Kenny was quirky, opinionated, and eccentric enough to inspire one of TV’s most memorable sitcom characters.

David initially didn’t want to use the name "Kramer," fearing the real one would demand money or publicity (which, in hindsight, would have been perfectly in character). But "Kramer" just sounded right—and eventually, the real Kenny appreciated the nod.