Hey there! I’m excited to share some fascinating stories about unusual wills with you. These are the last wishes of people who left behind some pretty interesting instructions. Let’s dive into these quirky tales and see what we can learn!
John Keats, a famous poet, had a will that included a line of perfect poetry: “My chest of books divided amongst my friends.” It’s a beautiful way to share his love for books with those he cared about.
In 1960, Samuel Brad left his wife a fortune of three hundred thirty thousand pounds, but only if she smoked five cigars every day for the rest of her life. Talk about a strange condition!
T.M. Zink had a peculiar idea for his money. He wanted thirty-five thousand dollars to be saved for seventy-five years to create a library with no books by women, no art by women, and no women allowed. Quite an unusual request!
Comedian Jack Benny arranged for a rose to be delivered to his wife, Mary Livingstone, every day after he passed away in 1974. By the time she passed nine years later, she had received over three thousand roses. How sweet is that?
Henry Budd left two hundred thousand pounds to his sons in 1862, but with a twist: neither could grow a mustache. If one did, the other would get all the money. A hairy situation indeed!
Samuel Houston, a Texas senator, wanted his sons to avoid novels and light reading. He made sure to include this in his will, showing his strong opinions on literature.
Benjamin Franklin left his daughter Sarah a portrait containing 408 diamonds. However, he asked her not to turn them into jewelry, hoping to discourage the fashion of wearing expensive jewels.
Famous author Charles Dickens didn’t want any fancy attire at his funeral. He requested no scarves, black bows, or long hat bands, keeping things simple and straightforward.
In 1908, Garvey B. White left fifty cents to his son-in-law to buy a rope, suggesting he hang himself. This dark humor shows how wills can sometimes reflect personal feelings.
Frederick J. Bower, the inventor of the Pringles can, had his ashes buried in one. Mark Grunwald, a Marvel Comics writer, wanted his ashes mixed with ink to print comic books. Even Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had some of his ashes sent into space!
Socialite Sandra West was buried in her powder blue Ferrari, with the seat slanted comfortably. Talk about going out in style!
Magician Harry Houdini and his wife Bess had a secret code. She promised to hold a séance each year on the anniversary of his death to see if he could contact her from beyond the grave.
Patrick Henry, famous for his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech, stated in his will that his wife would lose her inheritance if she remarried. A strict condition indeed!
William Shakespeare left his wife Anne Hathaway his “second best bed.” Some think it was a sentimental gesture, while others see it as a slight.
In the 1800s, Salomon Sanborn wanted his skin made into drum heads, inscribed with a universal prayer and the Declaration of Independence. A unique way to leave a legacy!
Napoleon Bonaparte asked for his head to be shaved after his death so locks of hair could be sent to his family and friends. A personal touch from a famous leader.
In 1996, a woman named Audrey from Louisville left actor Charles Bronson all her money, about three hundred thousand dollars, even though she had never met him. She was just a fan!
Janis Joplin left $2,500 for her friends to throw a party after her death. She wanted them to celebrate her life with a 200-guest bash at a pub in San Anselmo, California.
Portuguese aristocrat Luis Carlos de Aronia Cabral randomly picked 70 people from a Lisbon phone book to inherit his fortune. They received their unexpected windfall in 2007.
Philosopher Jeremy Bentham wanted his body dissected and displayed at University College London, where it remains to this day. A lasting contribution to education!
Marie Curie left a gram of radium to the University of Paris, allowing her daughter Irene Curie to use it for scientific research. A gift that advanced science!
Newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst left one dollar to anyone who could prove they were his illegitimate child, confidently asserting that he had none.
In 1976, a 15-year-old named Diane Rumpke found a message in a bottle claiming to be billionaire Howard Hughes’ last will. A mysterious find indeed!
German countess Carlota Leoben Stein left one hundred six million dollars to her German Shepherd. Businesswoman Leona Helmsley left twelve million dollars to her Maltese, although a judge later reduced it to two million.
Canadian lawyer Charles Vance Miller left his estate to the mother in Toronto who had the most children in ten years. In 1936, four women each received one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars for having nine children each.
Thanks for exploring these unusual wills with me! They show how people can be creative, funny, and sometimes a bit strange with their last wishes. Remember, it’s important to think about what you want to leave behind, and maybe even add a touch of humor or kindness to your plans!
Imagine you are writing your own will with a unique twist. Think about something quirky or meaningful you would like to leave behind. Write a short paragraph describing your unusual will, and share it with the class. This activity will help you understand the creativity and personal expression involved in these wills.
Choose one historical figure mentioned in the article and research more about their life and the context of their will. Prepare a short presentation to share your findings with the class. This will deepen your understanding of how personal and historical circumstances influence people’s last wishes.
Participate in a class debate about whether it is ethical to impose unusual conditions in a will, like those mentioned in the article. Form teams and argue for or against the idea. This will help you develop critical thinking and public speaking skills.
Draw a comic strip illustrating one of the unusual wills from the article. Use humor and creativity to bring the story to life. This activity will allow you to express your understanding of the concept through art and storytelling.
Write a short essay reflecting on what you learned from these unusual wills. Consider what they reveal about human nature and the importance of legacy. This will help you practice your writing skills and personal reflection.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to my salon. This is Mental Floss on YouTube, and one of my favorite pieces of writing of all time is John Keats’s will. It contains a line of perfect iambic pentameter: “My chest of books divided amongst my friends.” That’s the first of many unique wills that I’m going to share with you today, in the hopes that when your time comes, you will be able to annoy and/or amuse those who live on.
A man named Samuel Brad died in 1960 after what must have been a long life, as he left his wife three hundred thirty thousand pounds if she smoked five cigars every day for the rest of her life. He seems like he was a nice guy, come to think of it. The theme of this video is that sometimes people who die can be quite peculiar.
For instance, T.M. Zink left no money to his wife and five dollars to his daughter, wanting thirty-five thousand dollars of his money to be put in a trust for seventy-five years to create the Zink Womanless Library, which would have no books by women, no art or furniture made by women, and, of course, no women allowed.
But then some wills are actually sweet. Comedian Jack Benny arranged to have a rose delivered to his wife, Mary Livingstone, every single day after he died in 1974. By the time she passed away nine years later, she had received over three thousand roses.
Then there’s the extraordinary kindness of an Englishman named Henry Budd, who left two hundred thousand pounds for his sons in 1862 on one condition: either could grow a mustache. If one did, the rest would go to the other son.
A similarly unusual request came from Samuel Houston, a senator from Texas in the mid-1800s, who wrote in his will that he wished his sons to be taught an utter contempt for novels and light reading.
At Mental Floss, our books are tiny, so all of our reading is light. It’s not just sons who receive strange instructions. Benjamin Franklin left his daughter Sarah a portrait of King Louis XVI, which contained 408 diamonds, but he asked that she would not form any of those diamonds into ornaments for herself or her daughters, thereby discouraging the expensive and vain fashion of wearing jewels.
Charles Dickens demanded that those who attend his funeral wear no scarves, black bows, long hat bands, or other such revolting absurdities.
Then there’s the will of American Garvey B. White, who died in 1908. It read, in part, that before anything else is done, fifty cents is to be paid to his son-in-law to enable him to buy a good stout rope with which to hang himself.
Moving on to strange post-cremation requests, Frederick J. Bower, who invented the Pringles can, had his ashes buried in a Pringles can. Mark Grunwald, who wrote for Marvel Comics, wanted his ashes mixed with ink to print comic books, which ended up in the first edition of the Squadron Supreme collection. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had some of his ashes launched into space, which you can also do thanks to a company called Celestis.
In 1977, socialite Sandra West was buried in her powder blue Ferrari, requesting that the seat be slanted comfortably. Harry Houdini has one of the most famous wills of all time, which was more of an agreement with his wife Bess. They came up with a secret code, and she promised to hold a séance each year on the anniversary of his death so he could contact her with the code.
Patrick Henry, known for his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech, put in his will that his wife would lose her inheritance if she remarried. Shakespeare left his wife Anne Hathaway his “second best bed,” which some scholars think was nostalgic, while others believe it was a slight against her.
In 1800s Massachusetts, Salomon Sanborn requested that his skin be made into two drum heads, inscribed with a universal prayer and the Declaration of Independence. Napoleon Bonaparte asked for his head to be shaved when he died so locks of hair could be sent to his family and friends.
In 1996, a woman from Louisville, Kentucky, named Audrey left actor Charles Bronson all of her money, totaling about three hundred thousand dollars. She had never met him; she was just a fan.
Janis Joplin left her friends $2,500 for a 200-guest party at a pub in San Anselmo, California, so they could celebrate after she was gone. Portuguese aristocrat Luis Carlos de Aronia Cabral randomly picked 70 people from a Lisbon phone book to inherit his fortune, which they received in 2007.
Philosopher Jeremy Bentham wanted his body dissected and displayed at University College London, where it remains to this day. Marie Curie left a gram of radium to the University of Paris, allowing her daughter Irene Curie to use it for her scientific research.
Newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst left one dollar to anyone who could prove they were his illegitimate child, confidently asserting that he had none.
In 1976, a 15-year-old named Diane Rumpke found a message in a bottle that was purportedly from billionaire Howard Hughes, declaring it to be his last will and testament.
German countess Carlota Leoben Stein left about one hundred six million dollars to her German Shepherd. Businesswoman Leona Helmsley left twelve million dollars to her Maltese, although a judge later reduced that amount to two million.
Finally, there’s the great Stork Derby. Canadian lawyer Charles Vance Miller died in 1926 and left the majority of his estate to whichever mother in Toronto gave birth to the most children in the next ten years. In 1936, four women each received one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, as they had each had nine children in that time.
Thanks for watching Mental Floss here on YouTube, which is made with the help of all these nice people. Usually, this is where we answer a mind-blowing question, but now we have a whole show for that on Mondays, so please check it out. Thanks again for watching, and don’t forget to be awesome!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Wills – Legal documents that express a person’s wishes regarding the distribution of their property after death – In the novel, the protagonist discovers a hidden will that changes the fate of the family estate.
Literature – Written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit – Studying literature allows students to explore different cultures and historical periods through stories and poems.
Poetry – A form of literary expression that uses rhythmic and aesthetic qualities of language to evoke meanings – The poetry of Emily Dickinson often explores themes of nature and identity.
Books – Written or printed works consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers – The library was filled with books of all genres, from fantasy to historical fiction.
Reading – The action or skill of interpreting written or printed matter silently or aloud – Reading classic novels can provide insight into the social issues of the past.
Humor – The quality of being amusing or entertaining, often through the use of wit – The author’s humor in the story made even the most serious situations seem light-hearted.
Legacy – Something handed down by a predecessor, often in the form of cultural or intellectual heritage – Shakespeare’s legacy continues to influence modern literature and theater.
Wishes – Desires or hopes for something to happen – The character’s wishes for adventure lead him on an unexpected journey.
Author – A writer of a book, article, or other text – The author of the mystery novel kept readers guessing until the very last page.
Stories – Narratives, either true or fictitious, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the listener or reader – The stories passed down through generations often teach valuable life lessons.
