Interesting Wills Of Famous People
Famous people leave famous wills. The wills of famous people are a fascination to all of us as they provide a glimpse into the private lives of the famous. There is a natural curiosity about how the "other half" lives, and reading the wills of famous people gives us an idea about their lives.
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher who died in 322 B.C. According to his will, Aristotle chose his daughter's spouse before he died, and he gave his daughter permission to use his ancestral home as long as she did not disgrace her father's name.
Peter The Czar
Peter the Czar of Russia, who died in 1725, left a will detailing a battle plan and strategic plan for Russians to conquer Europe.
William Shakespeare
The playwright, who died in 1616, left substantial wealth in real estate to his two daughters. Shakespeare's will said nothing about his writings, which led some to believe that others wrote them in his name.
Robert Louis Stevenson
The British writer, who died in 1850, requested in his last will that he be buried in Samoa, at the top of Mt. Vaea, an area described in his novel, Requiem.
Charles Dickens
The wills of famous people like novelist Charles Dickens sometimes contain surprising instructions for their funerals. Dickens requested that no on at the funeral wear typical mourning garb: "no scarf, cloak, black bow, long hatband, or other such revolting absurdity."
George Orwell
The wills of famous people sometimes turn back the hands of time on fame. Don't look too hard for a gravestone marking the grave of this famous British novelist, who died in 1950. He instructed that his grave be marked with his real name, Eric Arthur Blair.
Conrad Cantzen
The American actor, who died in 1945, left over $200,000 in his will to establish a shoe fund, for people who could not afford to buy shoes.
W.C. Fields
When the American comedian died in 1946, he left $700,000 - that's all they found anyway. Fields was so secretive, that it was estimated an additional $600,000 was left in bank accounts all over the world that he opened in secret.
Marilyn Monroe
Ms. Monroe's estate was eventually declared to be insolvent. Initially, she set up a $100,000 trust to take care of her mother; she gave $25,000 to friends and left her personal effects to Lee Strasberg, who taught her acting.
Abraham Lincoln
Surprisingly, President Lincoln's will postponed the freedom of his wife's slaves until after she had died. It just goes to show that wills of famous people can be full of surprises.
