Elenor E. Ritchey
While fashion designer Alexander McQueen might have left $75,000 to care for his dogs after they passed, rich heiress Eleanor E. Ritchey took it a step further. Actually, a lot of steps further. A marathon further. When she died in 1968, she left her entire four-point-five million dollar fortune to her dogs.
How could dogs possibly use that much money, which about equals thirty-three and a half million dollars in today’s money? The answer is simple. Ritchey had a lot of dogs. Far too many dogs. We’re looking at somewhere in the realm of a hundred and fifty dogs. Ritchey, why did you have so many dogs?
Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin was all about life. Her music, and her lifestyle, showed off energy and movement, and it didn't end when she stopped moving in 1970. Her electric stage presence had people partying at all of her concerts, but she also wanted a party at her favorite pub after she died.
This is why, in her will, she left two and a half grand for an all-night party. This famous singer probably had lots of friends – would that much money cover all of it? Don't worry about it. $2,500 from 1970 is worth almost seventeen thousand dollars today. More than enough for one last big bash.
Alexander McQueen
A genius fashion designer might not have the most high-profile life, but a good one – like Alexander McQueen – is going to accumulate plenty of dough if his designs see enough play. So who did McQueen leave his fortune to? The models that he worked with the most? His romantic partners?
His children, perhaps? Well, if he had any, they might have gotten some cash, but the most interesting part of this fashion designer's will was that he left seventy-five thousand dollars to care for his dogs. This money went for housing, feeding, grooming, and training, and more, until the dogs too passed away.
Fred Baur
Most people request a coffin for when they die. Some people want to be cremated. Others want to be launched into space. But Fred Baur, the founder of Pringles, decided he didn't want his final resting place to be any of these traditional options. He did request cremation, but instead of a handsome wooden box or fancy urn, he wanted to be buried in a Pringles can.
Not, like, a big special one. Just a normal one. His family complied with the request, but what flavor do you think they chose? Hopefully, it was a classic and not something like (shivers) salt and vinegar.
William Randolph Hearst
The magazine mogul and silver miner collected one of the most legendary fortunes we've ever seen. Think about it this way: he paid to disassemble, ship to America, and reassemble an entire castle. As such, he had lots of women trying to prove that their children were Heart's children for a piece of that huge, silver pie.
Hearts wrote into his will that anyone who could prove he or she was a child of Hearst would be given a shiny dollar. Hearst died in 1951, which means that the dollar is now worth about ten dollars. So, they got that going for them, at least.