Where was the world's first will written? The most famous, unusual and strange wills

1. Smoker

Samuel Bratt, a heavy smoker, decided to take revenge on his wife, who forbade him to smoke his favorite Cuban cigars, and he did it in a very original way. In his will, which was made public in 1960, Samuel left her £330,000 with one condition - the widow must smoke 5 cigars a day to receive this inheritance.

2. Stand on your feet

The lifeless body of Puerto Rican Angel Pantoja was found under the San Juan Bridge, and police never knew who killed him. According to his brother Carlos, Angel wanted to be happy and have his feet on the ground in his home. The relatives fulfilled the wish of the deceased - Angel was embalmed in an upright position. Now he too is standing in one of the rooms in his mother’s house, in a rapper outfit, fashionable glasses and a baseball cap, almost alive... Brr...

By the way, anyone can come to visit Angel’s mother for just $5 and admire the embalmed body.

3. Everything for your beloved dog

When Leona Helmsley died at the age of 87, her highly unusual will was made public. According to her instructions, a special fund was created in the amount of 12 million dollars, the money from which was used exclusively for the maintenance of her beloved dog named Bedka (Trouble), so that the animal would live the rest of its life in luxury and prosperity.

The deceased's brother, Alvin Rosenthal, was appointed fund manager, to whom she left almost $10 million. When the dog dies, it should be buried next to its owner in a magnificent mausoleum costing almost one and a half million dollars. The grandmother also did not forget about her grandchildren (she has 2 of them) and left some “pathetic” 5 million dollars, which they, of course, disagreed with and are still challenging this decision in court.

4. Maximilian

And one more curious incident from the same topic.

Millionaire and film producer Roger Dorcas left all of his $65 million to his beloved dog Maximilian. The court recognized this decision as legal, since during his lifetime the millionaire straightened out completely human documents for Maximilian. He left 1 cent to his wife, Wendy Dietrich. But she, according to the same dog documents, married the dog and, after his death, calmly entered into inheritance rights, since the dog, naturally, did not leave a will.

5. Women are not allowed

A lawyer with the strange name T M Zink, who died in 1930, had a very bad attitude towards women, so he last wish, according to the will, there was the construction of a library in which all works would be written only by men (at the beginning he also wanted to ban all women from visiting this library, but then changed his mind), and the staff also consisted only of men.

To do this, he bequeathed his fortune in the amount of $35,000 to invest in a fund at interest for 75 years, after which he would use the funds received to build the Zink Womanless Library, and to hang the slogan “No Women Allowed” above the entrance. Perhaps fortunately, his daughter, who received $5 in the will, successfully challenged her father's decision, and the library was never built.

6. Bitch

In 1841, the poet Heinrich Heine married Eugenie Mirat, an uneducated, rude and narrow-minded, but quite pretty saleswoman from a shoe store. His love sometimes took strange forms, so the poet left a will, according to which the entire fortune goes to Evgenia, but with one condition - she must definitely get married after his death. Why is this so? According to the writer, in this way he will be sure that at least one person will regret his death.

7. After death I want to go to the stars

Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry, the creator of the Star Trek phenomenon, loved space science fiction, so his last wish, according to his will: “When I die, I want to go to the stars.” This wish was fulfilled: his body was cremated and in 1997 a Spanish satellite delivered the ashes of the deceased into orbit, where the contents of the urn were released into the upper atmosphere. Ten years later his wife followed him... Romantic and sad, isn’t it?...

8. Testament - novel

The world's longest will was left behind by the hitherto unknown American housewife Frederica Evelyn Stilwell Cook in 1925. It consisted of 95,940 words and was never read out loud in its entirety, as is usually the case. Mrs. Cook did not have much wealth, and her movable and immovable property could be counted on one hand.

But Mrs. Cook, who had made many friends and enemies during her long life, had a brilliant memory and found a few words (good or bad - that’s another matter) to all of them. She wrote her will for 20 years, and many who saw her doing this were sure that she was writing a novel. By the way, those who were able to read the will in its entirety claim that it reads like a real one women's novel, and if you print it, then reader success is guaranteed.

9. Gifted birthday

Made the most generous and touching gift famous writer Robert Louis Stevenson, who bequeathed his birthday to one of his girlfriends. The lady was born on Christmas Day, December 25th, and her own holiday was always forgotten.

Changing this date to November 13, the writer’s birthday, could have changed the situation, but the court forbade the last will of the author of “Black Arrow” and “Treasure Island” to satisfy: Stevenson was not the legal owner of the birthday, and therefore could not bequeath it to anyone.

10. Back from the other world

John Bowman, an entrepreneur from Vermont, buried his beloved wife and two daughters, and two years later he himself went to the next world. Absolutely confident that he would meet them in the next world and somehow be able to return to this world, in his will he ordered to keep his mansion in full readiness for his return and to serve a late dinner on the table every night. Bowman died in 1891.

Late dinner in his mansion stopped being served only in 1950, when the money allocated for the maintenance of the house and servants ran out.

11. Favorite car

California high society star Sandra West's last wishes were for her to be buried in a silk nightgown behind the wheel of her beloved Ferrari, with the executor tasked with ensuring that the chair was pushed back as far as possible and the mirrors were adjusted for the best view.

The last wish was fulfilled. True, the executor decided to fill the grave with concrete, fearing vandals who might encroach on the expensive car.

12. Toronto Dreamer

With all the many eccentric wills, the champion among testators can rightfully be considered the Canadian lawyer Charles Millar, whose will is not just a collection of not very kind jokes at the expense of his neighbors, but also a document that had a fantastic impact on the life of not only his hometown of Toronto, but also all over Canada.

Charles Millar died in 1926, and his last will became an immediate sensation. He mentioned in his will two friends, a judge and a priest, known throughout Canada for their hatred of all kinds gambling. He left them a large stake in one of the hippodromes. In addition to the fact that both received profits from gambling as a result, they automatically - as shareholders - became members of the jockey club, with which both had been fighting for many years. The judge and preacher accepted the gift.

Millar bequeathed shares of the brewing company to five more of his comrades, ardent opponents of drunkenness and alcoholic beverages. Only one in five refused the inheritance. He bequeathed his luxurious villa in Jamaica to three more acquaintances who could not stand each other so much that they refused to be in the same place at the same time; oddly enough, no one refused.

But the most important item was an unprecedentedly large sum of money, which the lawyer bequeathed to “that woman in Toronto who, within ten years from the time of my death, will produce the greatest number of children.” They tried to challenge this clause of the will more than once in court, but Millar was a good lawyer, so there was nothing to complain about.

What happened next in Canada was called the “Great Toronto Derby.” The baby boom in Toronto, and indeed across Canada, during this decade was phenomenal. As a result, on May 30, 1938, exactly ten years after Millar's death, the city court began to consider applications for inheritance.

The lady, who managed to give birth to a dozen babies in ten years, was disqualified - it turned out that not all of her children were from the same man, as Millar demanded. Another woman was also disqualified: she gave birth nine times, but five of her children were stillborn.

Both ladies received a consolation prize of $13 thousand. $500 thousand was distributed in equal shares between four families, in which nine children were born over ten years. As newspapers later reported, after receiving the winnings, no more children were born in these families.

Before death, people talk about the most important and secret things, leave wills in which they dictate their last will. Sometimes this will is quite eccentric and can even be shocking.

To be remembered

The German poet and publicist Heinrich Heine was the most prominent representative of the Byronic movement; he gained fame during his lifetime, and his fame did not fade even after his death. Heine's work was banned in Hitler's Germany, and the poet's books were burned.
Heinrich Heine has one of the strangest wills in history. In 1841, he married Eugenia Mirat, a simple and rude woman, a saleswoman in a shoe store. In his will, the poet transferred all his money to the widow, but with one condition: after the death of her husband, she must immediately get married. According to Heine, this was how he ensured that at least one person would regret his death.

Millionaire dog

American entrepreneur and film producer Roger Dorcas was an eccentric man during his lifetime; he led a rather wild life, so his death from a heart attack did not come as a surprise. But his will came as a surprise. According to him, Roger left one cent to his young wife Wendy Dietrich, whom he married a year before his death. But the producer left his dog Maximilian more than $60 million. This became possible because Dorcas took care of the paperwork for his dog in advance. With the help of lawyers, he even got the dog an insurance certificate.

Wendy Dietrich, of course, was unhappy with Roger's decision, but the 24-year-old widow did not give up without a fight. With the help of the same lawyers, she found a way out of the situation. At first she became the dog's sole guardian, and then married him. According to the documents, she could officially manage the money ex-husband, and after the death of Maximilian’s dog she became his heir.

Gonzo gun

Creator of the genre of gonzo journalism, author of the acclaimed novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas American writer Hunter Thompson couldn't afford to go quietly. He committed suicide on February 20, 2005. His words spoken by the writer in an interview with the BBC in 1978 were interpreted as Thompson's last will. Thompson then said that he dreamed of throwing a death party for his friends; declared that his ashes should be shot out of a cannon.

All expenses for this posthumous performance were covered by Johnny Depp. On August 20, 2005, from a specially built cannon mounted on a 46-meter-high crane, the writer’s ashes were shot through a huge six-fingered fist, personifying “gonzo.” Johnny Depp also distributed Thompson's debts, which by the time Hunter left were no less than two million dollars.

Where no man has gone before

On April 21, 1997, a Pegasus rocket was launched into space, carrying 23 urns with the ashes of people who wanted to be laid to rest outside the Earth. This idea belonged to the creator of the Star Trek series, Gene Roddenberry, who died in October 1991. This last will of Jin is not surprising. It is he who owns the phrase “Boldly go where no man has gone before.” In addition to his remains, the remains of Timothy Leary, who also spent his entire life discovering “new worlds,” also went into Earth orbit.

Misogynist

American lawyer T.M. Zink, who died in 1930, was known as an ardent misogynist. In his will, he specified that his fortune ($35,000) be invested in an interest-bearing fund for 75 years. With the amount received, Ti bequeathed to build a library in which all works would be written by men. The staff of this sexist library, at the request of the lawyer, also had to consist of men. The slogan “No Women Allowed” was to be nailed above the entrance of the institution.

The misogynist lawyer left his daughter only $5, but she did not put up with such a strange will of her deceased father and successfully challenged the will in court. As a result, the library was never built.

Before death, people talk about the most important and secret things, leave wills in which they dictate their last will. Sometimes this will is quite eccentric and can even be shocking.

To be remembered

Millionaire dog

Wendy Dietrich, of course, was unhappy with Roger's decision, but the 24-year-old widow did not give up without a fight. With the help of the same lawyers, she found a way out of the situation. At first she became the dog's sole guardian, and then married him. According to the documents, she could officially manage her ex-husband’s money, and after the death of Maximilian’s dog, she became his heir.

Gonzo gun

The creator of the genre of gonzo journalism, the author of the acclaimed novel “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” American writer Hunter Thompson could not afford to leave quietly. He committed suicide on February 20, 2005. His words spoken by the writer in an interview with the BBC in 1978 were interpreted as Thompson's last will. Thompson then said that he dreamed of throwing a death party for his friends; declared that his ashes should be shot out of a cannon.

Where no man has gone before

Misogynist

Light in the grave
A certain Viennese millionaire, who was afraid of the dark, demanded that a light always be on in his grave.

I will return from the other world!..
John Bowman, an entrepreneur from Vermont, died after burying his beloved wife and two daughters. Absolutely confident that he would meet them in the next world and somehow be able to return to this world, he ordered to keep his mansion in full readiness for his return and serve a late dinner on the table every night. Bowman died in 1891. Late dinner in his mansion stopped being served only in 1950, when the money allocated for the maintenance of the house and servants ran out.

The world's longest will
It was left behind by American housewife Frederica Cook in 1925. It consisted of 95,940 words and was never read out loud in its entirety, as is usually the case. Mrs. Cook did not have much wealth, and her property could be counted on one hand. But Mrs. Cook, who had made many friends and enemies, had a brilliant memory and found a few words (good or bad - that’s another matter) to all of them. She wrote her will for 20 years, and many who saw her doing this were sure that she was writing a novel. By the way, those who were able to read the will in its entirety claim that it reads like a real women's novel, and if it is printed, success is guaranteed!

The shortest will
The shortest will belongs to the German Karl Tausch. On June 19, 1967, in the presence of a notary, the dying Tausch wrote just two words on a piece of paper: “Everything to my wife.”

The most offensive will
Compiled by the Australian Francis Lord, who, after dedicating his fortune to charities, friends and servants, only mentioned his wife at the end. He bequeathed one shilling to her - so that she “buy a ticket for the tram, go somewhere and drown herself.”
The most impractical will
In Iran or Belgium you will never be able to bequeath your property to a dog or cat, and in America or Europe you can name Osama bin Laden as your heir. However, a large number of strange wills written in Britain, America or other countries whose legislation is based on Anglo-Saxon law is explained precisely by the fact that there the rights of the testator are practically unlimited. Your last will is yours alone. It can be challenged only if there are reasons to doubt that the testator was of sound mind.

First will to animals
The first person to bequeath all his property to animals is considered to be a resident of the American city of Columbus Jackson, who instructed his executors to build a hostel for cats with comfortable bedrooms, a dining room, a library and concert hall, in which cats could enjoy music, and a comfortable roof for walking.
Testament to God
A woman in Cherokee County left her entire fortune to God. The court, having examined the will and finding no grounds for cancellation, instructed the local sheriff to find a beneficiary and ensure that the inheritance was transferred to him. A few days later, Cherokee County became famous as the only place on the planet that officially recognized its abandonment by God! The sheriff's report to the local judge stated:

After extensive and careful searches, we have not been able to locate God in this district.

Testament to Satan
The Finnish government has every reason to be considered the official representative of the devil. One of the citizens of the country bequeathed all his property to Satan. The state successfully sued itself for all the money!

Testament in favor of the “most beautiful nose” competition
One Frenchman left money for an annual competition for the most beautiful nose, to which representatives of all nations and races are allowed, with the exception of Russians, provided that the participants in the competition have red hair and black eyebrows.

Bury Sandra in the car!
California high society star Sandra West's last wish was to be buried in a silk nightgown behind the wheel of her beloved Ferrari. The executor was instructed to ensure that the chair was moved back for maximum comfort. Among other things, the executor decided to fill the grave with concrete, fearing vandals who might encroach on the car.

Don't take Dorothy's clothes off!
It was much easier to fulfill the will American singer Dorothy Dandbridge, who wrote: “In the event of death, do not take off my clothes, no matter what I end up wearing - a scarf, a robe, or whatever. Cremate as is!”

The most generous will
belongs to Robert Louis Stevenson, who gave one of his friends his birthday. The lady was born on Christmas Day, December 25th, and her own holiday was always forgotten. Changing this date to November 13, the writer’s birthday, could have changed the situation, but the court forbade the last will of the author of “Treasure Island” to satisfy: Stevenson was not the legal owner of the birthday, and therefore could not bequeath it to anyone.
Cruel will
The last wish of Mary Murphy, a wealthy California widow, was not fulfilled. She ordered her beloved dog Saido to be euthanized in order to “save the latter from the moral torment associated with the loss of her owner.”
The Society Against Cruelty to Animals stood up for the dog and proved that killing a healthy and young dog violates California law.

"Educational" will of Charles Millar
Canadian lawyer Charles Millar showed a remarkable sense of humor in his will and helped some people better understand their own essence. His will is not just a collection of jokes at the expense of others, but also a document that had a fantastic impact on the life of his hometown of Toronto and all of Canada. Charles Millar died in 1928, and his last will became a sensation. He mentioned in his will two friends, a judge and a preacher, known throughout Canada for their hatred of gambling. He left them a large stake in one of the hippodromes. In addition to the fact that both received profits from gambling as a result, they automatically - as shareholders - became members of the jockey club, with which they both fought for many years. The judge and the preacher accepted the gift!
The main point of the will was an unprecedentedly large sum of money, which the lawyer bequeathed to the Toronto woman who would produce the most children within ten years from the time of his death.

What happened next in Canada was called the “Great Toronto Derby.” The baby boom in Toronto and across Canada during this decade was phenomenal. On May 30, 1938, exactly ten years after Millar's death, the city court began hearing applications for probate. A woman who managed to give birth to ten children in ten years was disqualified because not all her children were from the same man, as Millar demanded. Another woman was also disqualified: she gave birth nine times, but five of her children were stillborn. Both ladies received a consolation prize of $13 thousand. $500 thousand was distributed in equal shares between four families, in which nine children were born over ten years. As newspapers later reported, there were no more children in these families.
Millar bequeathed shares of the brewing company to five more of his comrades, principled opponents of alcoholic beverages. Only one in five refused the inheritance. He bequeathed his villa in Jamaica to three more acquaintances who could not stand each other so much that they refused to be in the same place at the same time.

Nobel's will
“I, the undersigned Alfred Bernhard Nobel, after mature consideration, hereby declare:
... all my remaining property shall be invested by my executor in safe securities and shall constitute a fund, the interest of which shall be distributed annually in the form of bonuses to those who, during the preceding year, have brought the greatest benefit to mankind
... The interest should be divided into five parts, which will be distributed as follows: one part to the one who makes the most important discovery or invention in the field of physics; one to the one who makes the most important discovery or improvement in the field of chemistry; one - to someone who makes an important discovery in the field of physiology or medicine; one - to the one who in the field of literature will create the most outstanding work of the idealistic tendency; and one to the one who will make the greatest contribution to the cause promoting the destruction or reduction of existing armies, the support or encouragement of peace congresses.”
This is probably the most famous and most useful testament for all mankind.

The most impossible will
It is still impossible to fulfill the will of a certain Frenchman, who wrote that he bequeathed all his property to “the first person who came into contact with a resident of any celestial body, with the exception of Mars."

William Shakespeare left the most historically useful will: He listed all his property from furniture to shoes, disposing of each item separately.

Niels Bohr's laboratory assistant compiled The world's most complex will, consisting of special terms and very complex phraseological units - even expert linguists were called in to decipher it.
The largest amount of money specified in the will is $500 million - the amount Henry Ford bequeathed to be distributed among 4,157 educational and charitable institutions.

“I categorically and unequivocally prohibit any inventory of my inheritance, any judicial intervention and publication of my fortune” - Michel Rothschild’s will was recognized the most secret will in the world.

In the will of the famous illusionist Harry Houdini, it was said that he wrote down all the secrets of his tricks and put them in a safe, which he allowed to open on the day of his centenary. The safe was empty.

The great comedian Charlie Chaplin bequeathed $1 million to anyone who can remove five cigarette rings from his mouth and put a sixth inside them. This amount has not yet been received by anyone.

A very unusual will
left at the beginning of the 20th century by the German professor Paul Wolfskehl: the Göttingen Academy of Sciences is obliged to award 50,000 gold marks to the first person to present a complete proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem. This prize has not yet been received by anyone.

And finally, one very funny story.
Each of 11 vintage cars from the collection of a famous lawyer was valued at $25,000. In his will, he distributed them between 3 sons as follows: half was to go to the eldest, a quarter to the middle, one sixth to the youngest. But how can you divide 11 cars in half? Or separate one sixth from them? The sons argued for a long time, but could not come to a common opinion. At this time, the famous numerologist Mrs. Zero drove past them in her new sports car. After the brothers explained the situation to her, she acted as follows: she put her car together with the collectible cars - there were 12 cars. In accordance with the will, she gave half of the cars - 6 - to the eldest, the fourth part - 3 cars - the middle one received, and the sixth part – 2 cars – junior. 6 plus 3 plus 2 - 11 cars - that's right!

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