Mel Blanc
Mel Blanc is the talent behind the voices for some of the most beloved cartoons of all time. His talent for cartoon voice-overs earned him the moniker “The Man of a Thousand Voices.” The actor made such an impression on American culture that he and his character Bugs Bunny were both given stars on Hollywood Boulevard.
One of Blanc’s most famous lines, and the one that was etched onto his headstone, was delivered by quite a few of Blanc’s characters, including Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, and Porky Pig: “That’s all folks!” A send-off was usually followed by a smile and a wink.
Babe Ruth
Known as Babe, George Herman Ruth Jr. is one of baseball's most legendary players. His death at the age of fifty-three from cancer came as a big shock to baseball fans in 1948. While he was lying in state at Yankee Stadium, more than seventy-seven thousand people came to see him.
He's buried in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, New York, and his gravestone attracts crowds of Yankee and baseball fans. Visitors will often leave gifts of baseballs, caps, and flags. The gravestone has a large relief of Christ and a child, and other than the standard details, it doesn't boast.
Karl Marx
People are quite divided on Marx. Some believe him to be a man of the people that helped save millions from their overlords; others consider him the founder of an ideology that resulted in the deaths of many, many, many more millions of people. Regardless of your opinion, there's no denying his gravestone is a grand affair.
The German philosopher had an enormous impact on modern history, and though he died statelessly, he was laid to rest in England's East Highgate cemetery. The site has a large tombstone that is topped with his famously stern and hirsute countenance. If you visit, just know that he's judging you.
Orville and Wilbur Wright
Tons and tons of aviation pioneers came from Ohio, for some reason, and that includes men who would eventually stand on the moon. The Ohioans that got things rolling were Orville and Wilbur Wright, who were the first men to fly in a self-propelled airplane.
They designed, invented, built, and flew it together in North Carolina in 1903. They ushered in a new era of transportation that made travel much easier, faster, and cheaper. They share a single gravestone in Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio, where pilots, aviation fans, and more visit regularly.
Herman Melville
Even if you haven't been able to get through the famously-intricate prose, you certainly know about Herman Melville's magnum Opus “Moby Dick.” This whaling author was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, New York, after he died in 1891. His famous grave is in the shape of a scroll and is situated next to his wife, Elizabeth, who died in childbirth.
People who visit the gravesite often leave whale and whaling tokens, a reference to a novel that is still being taught in high schools and colleges even today. Want to tackle this time? Just try one chapter a night.