The most interesting wills. The most unusual wills in the world The most unusual wills

The longest will was made by one of the founding fathers of the United States - Thomas Jefferson. In this document, property instructions were juxtaposed with reflections on the history and future of America. Jefferson's heirs could take over only after the release of all their slaves.

The most boring testament in the world, consisting of 95,940 words, was written by an American housewife Frederica Evelyn Stilwell Cook, unknown to anyone until 1925 (the year of her death). It seems that no one managed to finish reading this work, which she had been creating for 20 years, to the end.

The acquaintances who caught her doing this, believed that she was writing a novel. However, they were not too wrong. The fact is that the housewife has made many friends and enemies during her long life, and she dedicated a couple of lines to each of her acquaintances. By the way, there was practically no talk of money in the document - Frederica was poor.

The shortest

But one London banker found only three words for those close to him: "I am completely ruined." But still the shortest suicide order in the world belongs to the German Karl Tausch. On January 19, 1967, in the presence of a notary, he wrote a simple and understandable phrase on a sheet of paper: "Everything is for my wife."

Most offensive

The most offensive testament was made by a medieval farmer. He left 100 livres to his wife, but ordered to add another 100 livres if she remarried, in order to brighten up the lot of the poor fellow who decides to become her husband.

Although the will of the Australian Francis Lord would have fought for this title. He signed off all his property to charities, leaving his wife one shilling so that she "I bought a tram ticket, went somewhere and drowned myself."

Wills to four-legged friends

Shot from the movie "The Diamond Arm"

Also wanting to annoy his wife, American producer Roger Dorkas left $ 65 million to his dog Maximilian. During his lifetime, he made sure that the will not be challenged, having made human documents to the dog. He left only one cent to his wife. But his wife turned out to be more cunning than Roger: she married a dog and inherited all of his fortune.

The largest amount left to the animal was 139 million German marks. This is exactly what the German millionaire Countess Carlotta von Liebenstein bequeathed to her dog Gunther III in 1991. By the way, 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, the task of which would be precisely to take care of his beloved animal. Leona Helmsley did just that: she did not bequeathed $ 12 million to her beloved dog, she set up a charitable foundation with this money to take care of the dog.

The most ridiculous

In general, despite the fact that wills must be drawn up "in sound mind and sober memory," authors of several documents could compete for the prize in the "strangest testament" nomination.

A certain Frenchman bequeathed to hold a competition for the most beautiful nose for all the money left by him, but demanded that: "representatives of all nations and races, with the exception of Russians, are allowed, provided that the participants in the competition had red hair and black eyebrows."

The London banker left a legacy to the children, provided that they: "will never become members of parliament, will not occupy any other public office, will not play on the stock exchange, will not convert to another faith and will not marry a non-Jewish woman."

Vermont businessman 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 said that they should keep their mansion in full readiness for the return of the owners, and even serve a late dinner every evening. John Bowman died in 1891, and late supper ceased to be served in his house in 1950 - the money allocated for the maintenance of the house and servants ran out.

A Finnish citizen bequeathed his property to Satan. The state has successfully proved that this money should belong to it.

Most useful for historians

But enough of the curiosities! William Shakespeare left the most useful testament from a historical point of view: he listed all his property from furniture to shoes, disposing of each item separately. For historians, such a list is simply an invaluable gift, moreover, it is practically the only document that indisputably proves the existence of Shakespeare himself.

Shot from the film "Shakespeare in Love"

The hardest part

Niels Bohr's laboratory assistant drew up the most complex testament in the world, which consisted of special terms and very complex phraseological phrases - even linguistic experts were called in to decipher it.

The most secret

Michel Rothschild's will was recognized as the most secret in the world: "I categorically and unequivocally prohibit any inventory of my inheritance, any judicial intervention and disclosure of my fortune."

The most famous

The most famous and, perhaps, one of the most useful testament for all mankind sounded like this: “I, the undersigned Alfred Bernhard Nobel, after mature reflection, hereby declare: ... all my remaining property should be invested by my executor in reliable papers and will constitute a fund , the interest on which will be annually distributed in the form of bonuses to those who, during the previous year, brought the greatest benefit to humanity ... 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 physics; one, to the one who will make the most important discovery or improvement in the field of chemistry; one - to someone who will make an important discovery in the field of physiology or medicine; one - to the one who, in the field of literature, creates the most outstanding work of the idealist tendency; and one - to the one who will make the greatest contribution to the cause, contributing to the destruction or reduction of existing armies, support or encouragement of peace congresses. "

The most impossible

The most difficult condition for entering into inheritance rights was set at the beginning of the twentieth century by the German professor Paul Wolfskel: the one who is the first to present a complete proof of Fermat's theorem, the Göttingen Academy of Sciences is obliged to present 50,000 gold marks. The amount has not yet been received by anyone.

As no one received the million dollars that Charlie Chaplin bequeathed to the one who can release five rings of tobacco smoke and let the sixth through them.

The best part for the compiler

And the most pleasant testament for himself was made in 2002 by the 72-year-old German disco tycoon Rolf Eden, who deservedly enjoys the fame of the main playboy of Germany. Since he never married and has no direct heirs, the eccentric rich man promised to leave part of his fortune, or rather 250 thousand euros, to the woman in whose passionate arms he would die.

“I want to die at the most beautiful moment of my life. First I’ll have a lot of fun with a beautiful woman, then I’ll have violent sex with her, then I’ll have a heart attack, from which I’ll die, ”he explains.

Eden prefers that at the hour of death be with him a person not older than 30 years. Eden's proposal caused a serious stir among the fair sex and he has been using the fruits of his ingenuity with success for 14 years. Now he is 86 and he is not going to die yet.

Rolf Shimon Eden, sourcePhoto

Preview illustration: Strais, Alexander Theodore Honore, “Birds of Prey. Testament ", fragment of the picture

Date: 2010.04.26

The most indecent testament in history was left by a shoemaker from Marseilles. Of the 123 words recorded in it, 94 are impossible to pronounce even in a relatively decent society.

The longest testament in the world 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 aloud in its entirety, as is usually the case. Mrs. Cook did not have a large fortune, and her movable and immovable property could be counted on one hand. But Mrs. Cook, who made many friends and enemies during her long life, had a brilliant memory and found a few words (good or bad 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 did manage to read the will in its entirety claim that it reads like a real women's novel, and if it is printed, then readership is guaranteed.

The most offensive testament was made by the Australian Francis Lord, who, having written off his fortune to charities, friends and servants, at the end also mentioned his wife. He bequeathed her one shilling - so that she "bought a ticket on the tram, went somewhere and drowned herself."

The most generous testator can be considered the famous writer Robert Louis Stevenson, who gave one of his friends his birthday. The lady was born on Christmas Day on December 25th and her own holiday has always been forgotten. Changing this date to November 13, the writer's birthday, could change the situation, but the court refused to satisfy the last will of the author of "Black Arrow" and "Treasure Island": Stevenson was not the legal owner of the birthday, and therefore could not bequeath it to anyone.

A certain resident of the American city of Springfield (Oregon) in his will wished to be bound from his skin for his collection of poetry. But the authorities refused to the heirs: the will of the testator came into direct conflict with the norms of local legislation on how to deal with corpses.

The last wish of Mary Murphy, a wealthy Californian widow, was not fulfilled either. She ordered to put her beloved dog Saido to sleep in order to "save the latter from the moral torment associated with the loss of the mistress." The Society for the Fight Against Cruelty to Animals has stood up for the dog, which has proven that killing a healthy and young dog violates California law.

The most difficult testament to understand was drawn up by the laboratory assistant of the famous physicist Niels Bohr. The will contained so many special terms and complex phraseological phrases that experts-linguists had to be called in to decipher it.

The most wacky inheritance story has to do with the name of Roger Dorcas. The millionaire and film producer left all 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. Dorcas left 1 cent for his wife. But she, according to the same canine documents, married a dog and, after his death, calmly entered into inheritance rights, since the dog, of course, did not leave a will.

The richest animal is a dog named Gunther IV. In 1991, the German millionaire Countess Carlotta von Liebenstein left DM 139 million to her dog Gunther III. From him the money passed to his only son and heir, Gunther IV.

Heavy smoker Samuel Bratt used his last wish purely for revenge. Since during his lifetime his wife did not allow him to smoke, in his will he left her 330,000 pounds with one condition: in order to receive the inheritance, the widow must smoke 5 cigars a day.

Millionaire Leon Hemsley became famous for leaving 5 million for her grandchildren and 12 million for her dog. When the dog dies, it should be buried next to its owner in a lush mausoleum worth nearly half a million dollars.

Gene Rodenberry, the creator of the StarTrack phenomenon, wished that after his death his body was cremated and sent into outer space. In 1997, a Spanish satellite delivered the deceased's ashes into orbit, where the contents of the urn were released into the upper atmosphere.

The last wish of the misogynist lawyer who passed away in 1930 was the construction of a library in which all works would be written only by men, and the staff also consisted of only men. He left 35,000 dollars for this. His daughter received $ 5 by will.

A woman from Cherokee County, North Carolina left her entire fortune to God. The court, having examined the will and found no reason to revoke it, 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 throughout the world as the only place on the planet that officially recognized its godforsakenness. The sheriff's report to the local judge said, "After extensive and careful research, we were unable to locate God in this district."

In turn, the Finnish government has every reason to be considered the only representative of the devil on earth. One of the citizens of the country bequeathed all his property to Satan. The state has successfully sued all the money for itself.

And one of the still unfulfilled wills was made by a certain Frenchman who left all his property "to the first person who came into contact with an inhabitant of any celestial body, with the exception of Mars."

One 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." And a certain Viennese millionaire, afraid of the dark, demanded that a light always be on in his grave.

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 to return and serve a late dinner every night. Bowman died in 1891. Late supper in his mansion stopped serving only in 1950, when the money allocated for the maintenance of the house and servants ran out.

Californian high society star Sandra West's last will was to bury her in a silk nightgown while driving her beloved Ferrari, with the executor tasked with making sure the chair was pulled back for maximum comfort. The last will was done. True, the executor decided to fill the grave with concrete, fearing vandals who could encroach on an expensive car.

One of the theaters in Buenos Aires gladly accepted several tens of thousands of dollars from the former artist Juan Potomac, agreeing to the condition of the will that the skull of Mr. Potomaca would be used in productions of Hamlet.

With all the multitude of the most eccentric wills, the champion among testators can rightfully be considered the Canadian lawyer Charles Millar, whose will is not just a collection of not too kind jokes on 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 1928, and his last will was an instant sensation. He mentioned in his will of two friends, a judge and a priest, who are known throughout Canada for their hatred of any form of gambling. He left them with a large stake in one of the racetracks. In addition to profitable from gambling as a result, both of them automatically - as shareholders - became members of the jockey club, which they both fought for many years. The judge and preacher accepted the gift. Millar bequeathed shares of the brewing company to five more of his comrades, the principled opponents of drunkenness and alcoholic beverages. Only one in five refused the inheritance. To three more acquaintances who hated each other so much that they refused to be at the same time in the same place, he bequeathed his villa in Jamaica. But the most important point was the unprecedented amount of money that the lawyer bequeathed to "the one of the Toronto women who, within ten years from the time of my death, will give birth to 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 "big Toronto derby." The surge in fertility in Toronto and across Canada this decade has been phenomenal. As a result, on May 30, 1938, exactly ten years after Millar's death, the city court began to consider applications for inheritance. A woman who managed to give birth to ten children in ten years was disqualified - it turned out that not all of her children are 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 thousand. $ 500 thousand were distributed in equal shares between four families in which nine children were born in ten years. As newspapers later reported, there were no more children in these families.

Light in the grave
A certain Viennese millionaire, 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 to return and serve a late dinner every night. Bowman died in 1891. Late supper in his mansion stopped serving only in 1950, when the money allocated for the maintenance of the house and servants ran out.

The world's longest testament
It was abandoned 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 a large fortune, and her property could be counted on one hand. But Mrs. Cook, who made many friends and enemies, had a brilliant memory and found a few words (good or bad 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 did manage 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 only two words on a piece of paper: "Everything to my wife."

The most offensive testament
Compiled by the Australian Francis Lord, who, having written off his fortune to charities, friends and servants, only at the end mentioned his wife. He bequeathed her one shilling - so that she "bought a ticket on the tram, went somewhere and drowned 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 indicate 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 challenged 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 dormitory 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 walking.
Testament to God
A woman from Cherokee County left her entire fortune to God. The court, having considered the will and found no reason 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 God-forsakenness! The sheriff's report to the local judge said:

After extensive and careful research, we were unable to locate God in the area.

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 has successfully sued itself all the money!

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

Bury Sandra in the car!
Californian high society star Sandra West's last wish was to bury her in a silk night robe while driving her beloved Ferrari. The executor was instructed to see to it 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 your clothes off Dorothy!
It was much easier to fulfill the will of the American singer Dorothy Dandbridge, who wrote: “In case of death, do not take off my clothes, no matter what I may be - with a scarf, a dressing gown or whatever. Cream as it is! "

Most generous testament
belongs to Robert Louis Stevenson, who gave one of his friends his birthday. The lady was born on Christmas Day on December 25th and her own holiday has always been forgotten. Changing this date to November 13, the writer's birthday, could have changed the situation, but the court refused to satisfy 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 Californian widow, was not fulfilled. She ordered to put her beloved dog Saido to sleep in order to "save the latter from the moral torment associated with the loss of the mistress."
The Society for the Fight Against Cruelty to Animals has stood up for the dog, which has proven that killing a healthy and young dog violates California law.

Charles Millar's "educational" testament
Canadian lawyer Charles Millar in his will showed a remarkable sense of humor and helped some people to better understand their own essence. His will is not just a collection of jokes on his neighbors, but 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 of two friends, a judge and a preacher, who are known throughout Canada for their hatred of gambling. He left them with a large stake in one of the racetracks. In addition to profitable from gambling as a result, both of them automatically - as shareholders - became members of the jockey club, which they both fought for many years. The judge and preacher accepted the gift!
The main point of the will was an unprecedented amount of money, which the lawyer bequeathed to the one of the Toronto women who, within ten years from the time of his death, will give birth to the largest number of children.

What happened next in Canada was called the "big Toronto derby." The surge in fertility 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 inheritance claims. A woman who managed to give birth to ten children in ten years was disqualified, since 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 thousand. $ 500 thousand were distributed in equal shares between four families in which nine children were born in 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, the principled opponents of alcoholic beverages. Only one in five refused the inheritance. To three more acquaintances who hated each other so much that they refused to be at the same time in the same place, he bequeathed his villa in Jamaica.

Nobel's testament
“I, the undersigned Alfred Bernhard Nobel, upon reflection, hereby declare:
... all my remaining property must be invested by my executor in safe papers and will constitute a fund, the interest from which will be annually distributed in the form of bonuses to those who have brought the greatest benefit to humanity during the previous year
... The interest should be divided into five parts, which are distributed as follows: one part to the one who will make 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 will make an important discovery in the field of physiology or medicine; one - to the one who, in the field of literature, creates the most outstanding work of the idealist tendency; and one - to the one who will make the greatest contribution to the cause, contributing to the destruction or reduction of existing armies, support or encouragement of peace conventions. "
This is probably the most famous and most useful testament for all mankind.

Most Impossible Will
So far, it is impossible to fulfill the will of a certain Frenchman who wrote that he bequeaths all his property "to the first person who came into contact with an inhabitant of any celestial body, except for Mars."

William Shakespeare left most historically useful testament: he listed all his belongings from furniture to shoes, disposing of each item separately.

Niels Bohr's laboratory assistant compiled world's hardest testament, which consisted of special terms and very complex phraseological phrases - experts-linguists were even called in to decipher it.
The largest amount of money indicated in the will - $ 500 million - Henry Ford bequeathed to distribute this amount among 4157 educational and charitable institutions.

"I categorically and unequivocally prohibit any inventory of my inheritance, any judicial intervention and disclosure of my condition" - the will of Michel Rothschild was recognized the most secret testament 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.

The great comedian Charlie Chaplin bequeathed $ 1 million to anyone who can release five cigarette rings from his mouth and let the sixth through them. This amount has not yet been received by anyone.

A very unusual testament
left at the beginning of the twentieth century by the German professor Paul Wolfskel: the one who is the first to present a complete proof of Fermat's Last Theorem, the Göttingen Academy of Sciences is obliged to present 50,000 gold marks. This prize has not yet been received by anyone.

And finally, one very funny story.
Each of 11 antique cars from the collection of one famous lawyer was estimated at $ 25,000. In his will, he distributed them among 3 sons as follows: half was to go to the elder, a quarter to the middle, one-sixth to the younger. But how can you split 11 cars in half? Or to separate from them one-sixth? The sons argued for a long time, but could not come to a consensus in any way. At that time, the famous numerologist Mrs. Zero drove past them in her new sports car. After the brothers explained the situation to her, she did the following: put her car along with the collectible cars - the cars turned out 12. In accordance with the will, she gave half of the cars - 6 - to the elder, the fourth part - 3 cars - received the middle and the sixth part - 2 cars - junior. 6 plus 3 plus 2 - 11 cars - that's right!

In our country, the inheritance case related to the will appeared relatively recently. In the rest of the world, this is a well-oiled procedure. But even here there are people who surprise, and often amaze with the requirements imposed on either the heirs or to the "last will".

Here is a selection of the strangest wills known.

1. Samuel Bratt
The avid smoker used his last wish purely for revenge. Since during his lifetime his wife did not allow him to smoke, in his will he left her 330,000 pounds with one condition: in order to receive the inheritance, the widow must smoke 5 cigars a day.

2. Leona Hemsley
The millionaire became famous for leaving 5 million to her grandchildren and 10 million to her dog. When the dog dies, it should be buried next to its owner in a lush mausoleum worth nearly half a million dollars.

3. Michelle Rothschild
The billionaire left the most secret will.
It says, in part:
"... I categorically and unequivocally prohibit any inventory of my inheritance, any judicial intervention and disclosure of my condition ..."
So the real size of the state is still unknown.

4. Thomas Jefferson
One of the Founding Fathers of the United States wrote one of the longest wills (see below for the longest). The indications about the property were interspersed in the document with discourses on the history of America. According to this will, Jefferson's heirs received their shares of the inheritance only on the condition that they set free all their slaves.

5. Henry Ford
Bequeathed to distribute $ 500 million among 4157 educational and charitable institutions. This is the largest amount of cash ever bequeathed by one person.

6. Laboratory assistant of the famous physicist Niels Bohr
He made the most difficult testament to understand. The will contained so many special terms and complex phraseological phrases that experts-linguists had to be called in to decipher it.

7. To the wife of Rodenberry
The creator of the StarTrack phenomenon wished that after death his body was cremated and sent into outer space. In 1997, a Spanish satellite delivered the deceased's ashes into orbit, where the contents of the urn were released into the upper atmosphere.

8. Angel Pantoya
It has never been established who killed this Puerto Rican. According to his brother Carlos, Angel wanted to be happy and firmly on his feet in his home, which was done by his relatives - Angela was embalmed in an upright position, and now he is in his mother's house.

9. Ty Zink
In 1930, in view of his bad attitude towards women, he bequeathed at his own expense to build a library in which all books would be written exclusively by men. Initially, the lawyer even planned to prohibit women from entering there, but changed his mind. Zink donated his capital of 35 thousand dollars to a special fund for 75 tapes, and the interest was to go to the construction of the Zink Womanless Library. But fortunately for humanity, the daughter of the deceased, who, according to her will, received only $ 5, was able to challenge the will of her father, and the strange library was never built.

10. Heinrich Heine
In 1841, the poet married Evgeniya Mirat (Eugenie Mirat), an uneducated, rude and narrow-minded saleswoman from a shoe store. In his will, Heine transferred his entire fortune to Eugene with one condition: she must definitely marry after his death. According to Heine, in this way, he will be sure that at least one person in the world will regret his death.

11. John Bowman

An entrepreneur from Vermont, 2 years after the funeral of his beloved wife and children, he died himself, having previously voiced his last wish. According to his considerations, in the afterlife, he should meet with his family, and together with them reincarnate on Earth. Therefore, he ordered to keep the house clean for the return of the owners and set the table every night for a late supper. And although the businessman himself died in 1891, his last wish was fulfilled for another 59 years, until the funds allocated for the salaries of the servants and for the repair of the house ran out.

12. Frederica Evelyn Stilwell Cook

The man - the legend who made the longest testament in the world - is a hitherto unknown housewife from America. Her work of authorship has more than 95 thousand words. No performer has ever been able to read it aloud from start to finish. Lacking special wealth and luxurious real estate, Frederica managed to acquire many friends and enemies during her life. So she dedicated her will to them, writing a few lines about each. It took the housewife 20 years of her life to create such a document. Close people who noticed her doing this, believed that she was writing a book. And some still believe that if you replicate her will, you get a great female novel.

13. Henry Budd
He had two sons. When it came time to rest in Bose, the loving and wealthy dad decided to divide his fortune between the two offspring. However, not for long, since according to the terms of the will, whoever is the first of the sons to grow a mustache will take part of his brother's inheritance. We must pay tribute to the sons, none of them dared to appear in public, even with the slightest stubble. Divided 200,000 pounds sterling like a brother, which was a huge fortune for the end of the 19th century

14. Rolf Eden
German businessman left with my sexual testament. He announced that he would leave all his property to the woman in whose bed he would die. Now the 76-year-old businessman feels great and is enjoying the fruits of such a sexual testament with might and main!

15. Harry Houdini
The famous illusionist, as befits a magician, left behind announcement-drawing. He told everyone that all the secrets of his tricks will be kept in a safe, which should be opened on the day of his centenary. However, when the designated box was opened, it turned out that there was nothing inside it.

16. Robert Louis Stevenson
The famous English writer compiled with This is a touching testament. He bequeathed his own birthday to one of his friends. The fact is that the lady was born on December 25, at Christmas. It was not surprising that everyone was constantly forgetting about her holiday. The writer "let" his girlfriend take his birthday, November 13th. Such a step would change the situation. However, the court will of the author "Treasure Islands" did not satisfy - after all, Stevenson was not the rightful owner of this day, therefore, he could not bequeath it to anyone.

17. Testament to God

The divine testament was drawn by a lady from Cherokee County, North Carolina. The woman left all her property to God. The court found no compelling reason to revoke the will and instructed the local sheriff to find an heir to take over. A few days later, the town became famous - the sheriff wrote a report in which he said that God was not found on the territory entrusted to him. As a result, the inheritance passed into the possession of the district administration.

18. Devilish testament

The satanic testament was left by one of the inhabitants of Finland. He indicated the devil as his only heir. The authorities of the country, without thinking twice, sued all the funds in their favor, becoming a kind of representative of Satan on earth.

19. Juan Potomacs

Actor from Buenos Aires left the most theatrical testament left. He decided to remain in the theater after his death. The administration of the cultural institution was asked to receive several tens of thousands of dollars by will, but on condition that the skull of the deceased would be used in further productions. "Hamlet"... The administration fulfilled the request of the deceased with pleasure, earning a lot of money.

20. Charles Millar

Rounding out the selection is a Canadian lawyer who gloriously trolled after his death. Charles bequeathed a large stake in his brewery to three priests who fiercely fought alcoholism in an unequal battle. As expected, the churchmen accepted the inheritance. But that was just a warm-up! The second clause in the troll's will was a house in Jamaica (without the right to sell), which he bequeathed to three lawyers he knew who hated each other. The third and freakiest clause in the will was an inheritance of $ 600,000, which will go to the mother who, legally married, will give birth to the most children in Toronto in the ten years since Charles's death. Thus began the great stork race in Toronto. The country was plunged into depression, there was no work, no money for entertainment. What was left to do? Only participate in the competition! A baby boom hit Toronto. In 1938, the first results were summed up. At first, there were two leaders with 10 children each, but both women were disqualified. One for the fact that the children were from different husbands, and the other for the fact that not all children were born in Toronto. As a result, $ 600,000 was divided among four women who had 9 children each.

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 shock.

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 Nazi Germany, the poet's books were burned.
Heinrich Heine owns one of the strangest wills in history. In 1841 he married Yevgenia 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 marry. According to Heine, in this way he ensured himself the confidence that at least one person would regret his death.

Dog millionaire

American entrepreneur and film producer Roger Dorkas was an eccentric man during his lifetime, led a rather riotous life, so his death from a heart attack did not come as a surprise. But his will was a surprise. According to him, to his young wife Wendy Dietrich, whom he married a year before his death, Roger left one cent. But the producer left more than $ 60 million to his dog Maximilian. This became possible due to the fact that Dorcas took care of the paperwork for his dog in advance. With the help of lawyers, he even got an insurance certificate for the 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. At first she became the only guardian of the dog, and then married him. According to the documents, she could officially dispose of her ex-husband's money, and after the death of the dog Maximilian, she became his heiress.

Gonzo Cannon

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. As the last will of Thompson, his words, said by the writer in an interview with the BBC TV channel in 1978, were interpreted. Thompson then said that he dreamed of throwing a posthumous party for his friends; declared that his ashes should be shot from 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 handed out Thompson's debts, which at the time of Hunter's departure were no less than two million dollars.

Where no man's foot has gone

On April 21, 1997, the Pegasus rocket was launched into space, on which there were 23 urns with the ashes of people who wanted to rest outside the Earth. The idea came from Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, who died in October 1991. Gene's such last will comes as no surprise. It is he who owns the phrase "Boldly go where no man's foot has gone." In addition to his remains, the remains of Timothy Leary went to Earth orbit, who also spent his whole life discovering "new worlds".

Misogynist

American lawyer T.M. Zink, who died in 1930, was known as an ardent misogynist. In his will, he indicated that his fortune (35 thousand dollars) should be invested in a fund at interest for 75 years. With the sum received, Tee 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, was also to be composed of men. The slogan "No Women Allowed" was to be nailed over the entrance of the institution.

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