Light in the grave
A certain Viennese millionaire, who was afraid of the dark, demanded that a light be always on in his grave.
I will return from that world! ..
John Bowman, a Vermont entrepreneur, died after burying his beloved wife and two daughters. Absolutely confident that he would meet them in the next world and somehow manage to return to this world, he ordered that his mansion be kept in full readiness for his return and serve a late dinner on the table every evening. Bowman died in 1891. Late dinner in his mansion was stopped only in 1950, when the money allocated for the maintenance of the house and servants ran out.
The longest testament in the world
It was left by the American housewife Frederica Cook in 1925. It consisted of 95,940 words and was never read aloud in its entirety, as is usually the case. Mrs. Cook did not have much wealth, and her property could be counted on the fingers. But Mrs. Cook, who had made many friends and enemies, had a brilliant memory and found a few words (good or evil is another matter) to all of them. She wrote a will for 20 years, and many who saw her doing this were sure that she was writing a novel. By the way, those who nevertheless managed 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 testament
The shortest testament belongs to the German Karl Tausch. On June 19, 1967, in the presence of a notary, the dying Tausch wrote only two words on a piece of paper: “All to my wife.”
The most offensive testament
Compiled by the Australian Francis Lord, who, having written off his fortune to charitable organizations, 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."
Most impractical testament
In Iran or Belgium, you can never bequeath your property to a dog or cat, and in America or Europe, you can specify Osama bin Laden as the heir. However, a large number of strange wills written in Britain, America or other states 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 only yours. It can be contested only if there is reason to doubt that the testator was of sound mind.
First testament to animals
The first person who bequeathed all his property to animals is 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 a concert hall in which cats could enjoy music, and a comfortable roof for walks.
Testament to God
A certain woman from Cherokee County left her entire fortune to God. The court, having examined the will and not finding 
grounds for cancellation, instructed the local sheriff to find the beneficiary and ensure the transfer of the inheritance to him. A few days later, Cherokee County became famous as the only place on the planet that officially recognized its godforsakenness! ATreportthe sheriff told the local judge:
After extensive and careful research, we could not find God in the territory of 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 all the money!
Testament in favor of the competition "the most beautiful nose"
A Frenchman left money for an annual competition for the most beautiful nose, to which representatives of all nations and races, with the exception of Russians, are allowed, 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 will was to be buried in a silk nightgown, driving her beloved Ferrari. The executor was instructed to see to it that the chair was pushed back for maximum comfort. Among other things, the executor decided to fill the grave with concrete, fearing vandals who could encroach on the car.
Don't take off Dorothy's clothes!
It was much easier to fulfill the will of the American singer Dorothy Dandbridge, who wrote: “In the event of death, do not take off my clothes, no matter what I turn out to be - with a scarf, in a dressing gown or whatever. Creme as is!”
Owned by Robert Louis Stevenson, who gave one of his friends his birthday. The lady was born on Christmas Day 25 December, 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 satisfying the last will of the author of Treasure Island: Stevenson was not the legal owner of the birthday, and therefore could not bequeath it to anyone.
cruel testament
The last wish of Mary Murphy, a wealthy California widow, was not granted. She ordered that her beloved dog Saido be euthanized in order to "save the latter from the moral anguish associated with the loss of its mistress."
The Society for the Fight against Cruelty to Animals stood up for the dog, which proved that the killing of a healthy and young dog violates California law.
"Educational" testament of Charles Millar
Canadian lawyer Charles Millar showed a remarkable sense of humor in his will and helped some people to better understand their own nature. His will is not just a collection of jokes on his neighbors, 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 priest, known throughout Canada for their hatred of gambling. He left them a large stake in one of the hippodromes. In addition to both profiting 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 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, within ten years from the time of his death, would give birth to the largest number of children.
What happened next in Canada was called the "Great Toronto Derby". The surge in births in Toronto and across Canada this decade has been phenomenal. On May 30, 1938, exactly ten years after Millar's death, the city court began considering probate applications. A woman who gave birth to ten children in ten years was disqualified because 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 children were stillborn. Both ladies received a consolation prize of $13,000. $500,000 were distributed in equal shares among four families, in which nine children were born in ten years. As the newspapers later reported, there were no more children in these families.
To five more of his comrades, principled opponents of alcoholic beverages, Millar bequeathed shares of the brewing company. Only one out of five refused the inheritance. To three more acquaintances who could not stand each other so much that they refused to be at the same time in the same place, he bequeathed his villa in Jamaica.
Some rich and famous people express their last will in a very peculiar way. There are cases when their wills became a real sensation and shock to the public. Today we will talk about such expressions of will of celebrities. Whatever the main goal they did not pursue, they achieved one thing for sure - even after many years, their name is still well known.
Samuel Bratt
Being addicted to smoking, the wealthy Mr. Bratt, dying, decided to take revenge on his wife, who tried to fight his bad habit through the strictest prohibitions. Under the terms of the will, she could exercise the right to the inheritance only if she began to smoke five cigars daily. The state of Mr. Bratt at that time was estimated at 330 thousand pounds.Leona Hemsley
The last will of the eccentric millionaire was that after her death, her own grandchildren should receive $ 5 million, but her beloved dog - twice as much. When she is gone, then, at the request of Hemsley, the animal should be buried next to her in a special mausoleum for one and a half million dollars.
Henry Ford
The famous tycoon left half a billion dollars for charity after his death. He wished that the money went to more than 4 thousand educational and charitable institutions. This is the largest donation in history to date.
Gene Rodenberry
The creator of the Star Trek franchise gave himself a 'fantastic' funeral. Even during his lifetime, he wished that his body was cremated and the ashes scattered in space. Rodenberry's will was fulfilled the way he wanted, immortalizing him in the unexplored expanses of the Universe.
Angel Pantoia
The Puerto Rican died a violent death. It is still not known by whose hands. The victim's brother voiced the desire of the deceased to live in his father's house and stand firmly on his feet. Relatives fulfilled his will in a very peculiar way - they left the embalmed body of Pantoya in the mother's house in an upright position.
Heinrich Heine
All his life, the famous poet Heine regretted that he had tied the knot with a stupid, quarrelsome and unkind woman - a shoe saleswoman Evgenia Mirat. After his death, he left her his fortune with the condition that his wife officially marry a second time. Thus, he considered singing, at least one person will understand him and will grieve about his death.
A will is one of the ways to leave a mark on your life. As you can see, people use this opportunity in different ways: someone for revenge, and someone for good deeds. What will be the last will of a person is the personal choice of everyone. In any case, this decision will determine what kind of life a person lived, and what descendants will remember about him.
Who wrote the world's longest will? and got the best answer
Answer from Marina_Anatolievna[guru]
Brevity is the soul of wit
The last will of the German Karl Tausch is officially considered the shortest testament. On June 19, 1967, in the presence of a notary, he wrote with his own hand on a piece of paper only two words: "All to my wife."
Another example is the will of a banker from London. It contained three words: "I am completely broke."
With all due respect...
Another example of a long will was written by one of the founding fathers of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Indications regarding property were interspersed in the document with discourses on the history of America. Under this will, Jefferson's heirs received their shares of the inheritance only on the condition that they set free all their slaves.
Source:
Answer from 2 answers[guru]
Hello! Here is a selection of topics with answers to your question: Who wrote the world's longest will?
Answer from User deleted[active]
The longest will in the world was left by an ordinary American housewife, Frederica Evelyn Stilwell Cook, in 1925. It consisted of 95,940 words and was never read in its entirety aloud. She wrote a will for 20 years, and many who saw her doing this were sure that she was writing a novel. Mrs. Cook's condition was modest, but the lady had a brilliant memory and found a few words (good or evil is another matter) for all her friends and enemies.
Answer from Yofya Kotelnikova[guru]
The longest testament was written by one of the founding fathers of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Indications regarding property were interspersed in the document with discourses on the history of America. Under this will, Jefferson's heirs received their shares of the inheritance only on the condition that they set free all their slaves.
Answer from Ђ@nyushka[guru]
The longest testament was written by one of the founding fathers of the United States, Thomas Jefferson.
Indications regarding property were interspersed in the document with discourses on the history of America. Under this will, Jefferson's heirs received their shares of the inheritance only on the condition that they set free all their slaves.
A will is one of the most interesting legal documents: just think how many copies were broken about it, how many deprived relatives gritted their teeth without receiving a penny ... Among the quite ordinary and unremarkable documents, history knows very original ones. I present to you the top ten.
The most voluminous a testament the size of a good story was left by American President Thomas Jefferson. In it, he not only prescribed how to dispose of acquired property, but also sketched notes on US history. And he set a strict condition for relatives who claimed the inheritance: until you free all your slaves, you will not receive money.
The most caustic will. In the Middle Ages, one of the wealthy peasants made a will, which probably pretty much annoyed his wife. The wife could marry after his death, and even received a hundred coins of dowry. And another hundred generous peasant left her to the new chosen one - as moral support. Apparently, the woman did not differ in a complaisant character ...
Most pedantic the will was left by "William our Shakespeare". A man picky about every detail, he painted all his property - down to shoes. By the way, it is this document that proves to skeptics that Shakespeare is not a literary hoax, but a real person.
The most concise a will left behind by a British banker. The document had only three words: "I am completely bankrupt."
The most "abusive" the will was left by a French shoemaker. There are only 20% of decent words in it, all the rest are a selective mat. So, probably, where did the expression "swear like a shoemaker" come from ...
The most incomprehensible the will belongs to Niels Bohr's assistant. The document is replete with professional terms and phrases that are understandable only to specialists, so both linguists and scientists sweated well to decipher it.
The most luxurious Henry Ford left behind his will. The total amount of his donations to charity and education amounted to half a billion dollars.
Testament, which, no doubt, went down in history, owned by businessman and scientist Alfred Nobel. According to this document, his numerous relatives got only 500 thousand crowns. The rest of the state - about 30 million - was spent on the basis of the award.
The most mysterious the will was written by another rich man - Michel Rothschild. The document forbids publicizing the size of his fortune.
And finally the most "funny" the will, if such a document can be called ridiculous at all, belongs to George Dorcas, who made his millions in the film industry. All 65 million were received by his faithful dog Maximilian, but the missus, with whom the millionaire clearly did not get along, was only one cent. True, the wife of the deceased turned out to be more cunning: since Dorcas, in order to bequeath money to the dog, issued quite “human” documents for her, the woman married Maximilian, and when he died, she inherited everything.
Borrowed from kvn201.com.ua
“I, the undersigned Alfred Bernhard Nobel, after mature consideration, hereby declare:
... all my remaining property is to be invested by my executor in safe papers and will form a fund, the interest on which will be annually distributed in the form of bonuses to those who during the previous year have done the greatest benefit to mankind
... The interest should be divided into five parts, which will be distributed as follows: one part to whoever makes the most important discovery or invention in the field of physics; one - to the one who will make 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 trend; and one to the one who will make the greatest contribution to the cause that contributes to the destruction or reduction of existing armies, support or encouragement of peace congresses.
It was also said in the will that before he was buried in the cemetery, his veins were cut in his arms. More than anything, he was afraid of being buried alive.
This is probably the most famous and most useful testament for all mankind.
Usually all wills begin with the words: “Being of sound mind and solid memory ...” - but ... there are such wills that give reason to doubt this phrase ... especially in its first part ...
Leaving his entire inheritance to his children, one London banker made it a sine qua non that they would “never become a Member of Parliament, hold any other public office, gamble, convert, or marry a non-Jew.”
One Frenchman left money for a competition for the most beautiful nose, but demanded: "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."
Another Frenchman apparently disliked his country so much that he left a will in favor of the poor of London, writing: "France is a country of bastards and fools."
The Viennese millionaire bequeathed that a light should always be on his grave - obviously, he was very afraid of the dark.
Vermont entrepreneur John Bowman buried his wife and two daughters and was firmly convinced that he would meet them in the next world. And after the meeting, he hoped to somehow return to this world with them. His will stated that their mansion should be kept ready for the return of the owners, and even a late dinner should be served on the table every evening. John Bowman died in 1891, and brunch was not served at his house in 1950 - the money allocated for the maintenance of the house and servants simply ran out.
Jonathan Jackson from the American city of Columbus was the first person who bequeathed all his property to animals. He ordered to build a hostel for cats with a bedroom, a dining room, a library and a concert hall.
American producer Roger Dorcas left 65 million dollars to his dog Maximilian, having made human documents to the dog during his lifetime. Leaving his wife only one cent. But the wife turned out to be more cunning than Roger: she married a dog with human documents and inherited all his fortune.
German millionaire Countess Carlotta von Liebenstein left 139 million German marks in 1991 to her dog Gunther W. His only son and heir was ... Gunther IV ...
To avoid such things in the future, in many countries of the world it was forbidden to bequeath property to animals, but it was allowed to create a charitable foundation or some other organization whose task would be to take care of his beloved animal. Leona Helmsley did just that: she did not bequeath $ 12 million to her beloved dog, she created a charitable foundation with this money, obliged to take care of this animal.
But there are heirs even more unusual.
In Cherokee County, North Carolina, a woman left her entire fortune to God. A few days later, this fortune was issued in favor of Cherokee County, as a protege of God on earth ...
A citizen of Finland bequeathed his property to Satan. But the state has successfully proved that this money should belong to him.
Many countries have adopted laws protecting the rights of heirs and limiting the ability of testators. For example: in Iran, the testator can dispose of only one third of his property at his own discretion, and the remaining two thirds must certainly be received by his heirs and other relatives. 50 percent of the "inheritance by right" is received by residents of Spain, France and Cyprus. But, the killer cannot inherit the property of his victim - this exceptional circumstance as a norm is present in the laws of many countries of the world and applies even to the next of kin.
There is another measure of protection against abuse of inheritance: "doctors, other physicians and pharmacists who observed a person during the illness that caused his death, are prohibited from profiting in the form of lifetime or posthumous gifts from such a person made during the illness." Only service fee.
There are so many eccentric wills left that it is impossible even to briefly describe them.
In 1928, a resident of Toronto, Charles Millar, left his friends - a judge and a priest who hated gambling - a large stake in one of the racetracks. He bequeathed the shares of his brewing company to five of his friends, who fought all their lives against drunkenness and alcoholism. His villa in Jamaica was given to three people who hated each other so much that they could not be in the same place at the same time. And a large amount of money was bequeathed to a resident of Toronto, who within ten years will give birth to the largest number of children.
So far, it is 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 an inhabitant of any celestial body, with the exception of Mars."
A very generous bequest was left by the writer Robert Lewis Stevenson. One of his acquaintances was born on December 25, on Christmas - on this day everyone usually forgot her holiday. So Stevenson gave her his birthday - November 13th. But the court refused to comply: "Stevenson was not the legal owner of the birthday, and therefore could not bequeath it to anyone."
California socialite Sandra West asked to be buried in a silk robe, with her beloved Ferrari behind the wheel. Her last will was carried out, but the grave was filled with concrete.
One of the longest wills in the world was left by Thomas Jefferson: instructions regarding his last will in the distribution of property were interspersed with discussions about the history of America.
Another very long testament was written by the American housewife Frederica Evelyn Stilwell Cook in 1925 - 95940 words. It has never been read in its entirety. Mrs. Cook distributed all her small fortune among her numerous friends and acquaintances, finding a few kind words for each of them, however, as well as for her enemies.
Two documents can be recognized as the shortest wills: a banker from London - “I am completely ruined” and a German Karl Tausch - “Everything to my wife”.
One of the most offensive testaments. The Australian Francis Lord gave all his property to charitable organizations, leaving his wife one shilling to "buy a tram ticket, go somewhere and drown herself."
Of the 123 words of the testament of one shoemaker from Marseilles, 94 could not be pronounced in a decent society - this testament was recognized as the most indecent.
William Shakespeare left the most historically useful will: he listed all his possessions from furniture to shoes, disposing of each item separately.
Niels Bohr's laboratory assistant compiled the most complex testament in the world, consisting of special terms and very complex phraseological phrases - even expert linguists were called in to decipher it.
The largest amount of money specified in the will - $ 500 million - Henry Ford bequeathed this amount to be distributed among 4157 educational and charitable institutions.
“I categorically and unequivocally forbid any inventory of my inheritance, any judicial intervention and disclosure of my fortune” - Michel Rothschild's will was recognized as the most secret in the world.
In the will of the famous illusionist Harry Houdini, it was said that he wrote down all the secrets and 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.
To the one who manages to release five cigarette rings from his mouth and skip the sixth inside them - the great comedian Charlie Chaplin bequeathed $ 1 million. This amount has not yet been received by anyone.
A very unusual testament was left at the beginning of the 20th century by the German professor Paul Wolfskel: whoever is the first to present a complete proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, the Göttingen Academy of Sciences is obliged to give 50,000 gold marks. 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 among 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 cut 11 cars in half? Or separate one-sixth from them? The sons argued for a long time, but could not come to a consensus. 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 collection cars - there were 12 cars. In accordance with the will, she gave half of the cars - 6 - to the elder, the fourth part - 3 cars - received the middle and - 2 cars - junior. 6 plus 3 plus 2 - 11 cars - that's right!