Deathbed statements

Beyond the grave: take a look at the last words of 12 famous people

Image: Daderot, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Throughout history, hundreds of historical figures have left their mark on the world through their marvelous achievements. When their lives came to an end, their last words were often a reflection of their lives and ideals. From George Washington and Mark Twain to Frank Sinatra and Leonardo Da Vinci, in this article, we will reveal 12 final words of memorable personalities.

Image: The New York Public Library

After serving two terms as the United State's first president, George Washington retired to his Virginia plantation. In mid-December 1799, he developed a cold and a severe sore throat. Despite doctors' efforts to cure him, the end was imminent.

His long-time secretary, Tobias Lear, was at his side during his last days and documented all the events that transpired, including the former president's last words. According to his account, shortly before he took his last breath George Washington said "Tis well" —an old-fashioned way of saying "everything is okay."

Image: Signal Corps Archive from United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noir icon of perpetual elegance and rebellious charisma, Humphrey Bogart is an undisputed legend in cinema history. A Hollywood Golden Age star, Bogart is still remembered today for his scar on his upper lip, his everlasting cigarette, and his perfect portrayal of gangsters and detectives.

At the age of 57 Bogart was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, for which he was hospitalized for several months. According to lore, the legendary star's last words were "I should never have switched from scotch to martinis." However, his wife Lauren Bacall confirmed that the last thing he actually said was "Goodbye Kid. Hurry back," before she left his bedside to get their children.

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As one of the greatest American writers of all time, Mark Twain is usually credited with all sorts of great quotes that he often didn't say. For that reason, there are different versions of what his last words were before he died in 1910 at the age of 74.

The most plausible theory can be found in an article published one day after his death. According to this chronicle, Samuel Langhorne Clemens' last words were not spoken aloud but written. The famous humorist and essayist reportedly wrote to his daughter Clara, who accompanied him on his bedside, "Give me my glasses."

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Joan Crawford, the Oscar winner for Mildred Pierce and one of the greatest stars of Hollywood's golden age, died in 1977 of a heart attack.

The actress, who had a complicated personality, was true to her nature until her last breath. She was so ill that her doctor felt it wasn’t worth taking her to the hospital. One of her nurses began to pray aloud in desperation. Losing her patience, Crawford snapped for the last time and said, "Damn it... Don't you dare ask God to help me."

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The year 2024 marked the 700th anniversary of the death of the man who better described remote lands. Marco Polo was a merchant who spent more than 20 years of his life traveling through the Orient and wrote about his adventures in a book that became a bestseller when the printing press wasn’t even invented.

Marco Polo was, and still is, a legend. When, on his deathbed, his wife and friends begged the brave explorer to confess if what he had told in the book was true, he barely whispered: "I have not told the half of what I saw and did."

Image: MGM, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Julius Henry Marx, better known as Groucho Marx, is considered one of the most influential comedians of all time. The man with the bushy black mustache was one of the Marx Brothers. Together they made 13 films, including the classic Duck Soup. After a long and prominent career, Groucho passed away in Los Angeles in 1977 at the age of 86.

His brilliant one-liners are still remembered and replayed to this day, so it is not surprising that not one but several final words are attributed to him. A few close friends have suggested that his last line was "This is no way to live!", while most suggest that his last words were in fact dedicated to his wife: "Die, my dear? Why, that's the last thing I'll do!"

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Voltaire, the French writer, philosopher, historian, and lawyer, one of the major figures of the Enlightenment, died in 1778 at the age of 83. Different accounts of his deathbed make it impossible to determine exactly what his last days were like.

One of these stories, however, is consistent with his ideas about God and his well-known criticism of the Church. According to this version, when the priest asked him if he wanted to renounce Satan before he died, Voltaire replied, "This is no time to make new enemies."

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L. Frank Baum was a prolific American author. He wrote 55 novels, 82 short stories, and more than 200 poems. However, his most memorable work is his series of children's fantasy books The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

On May 5, 1919, Baum suffered a heart attack. He died the next day, shortly before his 63rd birthday. Disturbed by the imminence of death, he whispered to his wife: "Now we can cross the Shifting Sands," a clear reference to the Land of Oz.

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Augustus, the first Roman emperor, is often attributed with the phrase: "Behold, I found Rome of clay, and leave her to you of marble," alluding to the great infrastructural works carried out during his prosperous 40 years of rule.

However, according to other historical accounts, his last words were addressed to the friends who stayed with him on his deathbed: "Have I played the part well? Then applaud, as I exit."

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"Darling, you've gone through worse and you can beat this too. You have to fight," implored Barbara Marx, Frank Sinatra's fourth wife, to her beloved on his deathbed. "I'm losing," The Voice whispered through teary eyes.

Barbara recounted the last hours of the singer of such hits as My Way and New York, New York in her memoir Lady Blue Eyes: My Life With Frank. Frank Sinatra, one of the most popular entertainers of the mid-20th century, pronounced his last words in 1998 at the age of 82.

Image: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Despite being one of the most famous artists of the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci was very hard on himself. All his life he challenged his own limits, evident in his paintings and sculptures as well as in his inventions, some of which were truly revolutionary.

Even after a lifetime of success, he wasn’t quite satisfied. When he suffered a stroke at the age of 67, he sent for a priest to receive the Holy Sacrament and, according to historians, his greatest regret was that he hadn’t achieved excellence with his work. In that sense, it is said that his last words were: "I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have."

Image: National Museum of Health and Medicine, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Yankee Clipper was one of the greatest baseball players of all time but he is also known for having been married to the iconic American actress Marilyn Monroe. Joe and Marilyn were together for less than three years. In 1955 the actress left him for American playwright Arthur Miller.

DiMaggio was devastated. He never married again, and never got over his one true love. His last words before he died in 1999 at the age of 84 were: "I'll finally get to see Marilyn."

WHAT IS A MEME, ANYWAY?

Catfishing & Beyond: 10 everyday words with different meanings online

Image: Onur Binay

Each niche of human culture and experience creates its own lingo, with unique expressions to describe the interactions and objects that define its universe. But, being a realm populated mostly by the younger generations, the internet has been brave and unceremonious enough to borrow its slang from various sources. In the online world, a sandbox is not a cube full of sand for the children to play in, and a troll is not a mythical creature to be afraid of. So, scroll on, and discover 10 of these borrowed words that mean different things in the real world and the land of the internet.

Image: Armin Babakhani

While, in the real world, a bump is an obstacle of some sort, in the online world, the term "bump" refers to the action of moving an online post or thread to the top of the list by adding a new comment or post to the thread.

This is done to make that post or thread more visible and readily available for everyone.

Image: Dillon Winspear

A word with a similar meaning to bump in the real world, but a very different meaning online, is "block". When we block something or someone in the real world, we are placing an obstacle in the middle of a road or passage, to prevent people or things from passing through.

But when we are referring to the action of blocking someone online, we're talking about preventing someone from contacting you on a social network like Facebook, or from viewing your profile. So, in this case, not quite the same but similar.

Image: Will Turner

The bottom-dwelling freshwater or marine fish with whisker-like barbels around the mouth, commonly known as a catfish, has no idea that humans call it that way. And even less so, does it know that his name has a completely different meaning on the internet?

In the online world, a "catfish" is a person who sets up a false personal profile on a social networking site for fraudulent or deceptive purposes.

Image: Emmanuel Appiah

In case somebody needs a reminder, a cloud is a visible mass of condensed vapor particles (such as water or ice) suspended in a planet's atmosphere. It is, without exaggeration, as famous as the sun.

However, in the internet world, a "cloud" is something entirely different, even if there is a poetic resemblance between the two things. The digital version of a cloud is any of several parts of the internet that allow online processing and storage of documents and data as well as electronic access to software and other resources.

Image: Matheus Ferrero

Perhaps one of the most beautiful words in the English language, friend symbolizes a bond between two people who are connected to one another by affection or esteem.

But in the realm of the internet, "friend" is an action that involves adding a person to one’s list of contacts on a social networking site. Again, not entirely dissimilar, but not quite the same thing.

Image: Sarah Kilian

This one might not be so different after all. In the real world, the act of following means going, coming after, or behind someone or something.

And, in the internet world, to "follow" someone means subscribing to their updates on social media. Therefore, it could be argued that following someone isn't all that different in both instances.

Image: Crystal Mapes

Even though a meme was never a wildly popular concept in the real world, pre-internet, it was still a real idea. A meme is an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.

However, in the realm of the internet, a "meme" is a cultural item in the form of an image, video, phrase, etc., that spreads online and is often altered creatively or humorously. In both cases, a meme is a concept that is replicated because of its popularity.

Image: Ostap Senyuk

Most of us have played in a sandbox as kids. It is, as the name implies, a low box filled with sand that children can play in.

But, in the modern world of internet programming, a "sandbox" is an environment in which software developers or editors can create and test new content, separate from the rest of the project.

Image: Jirka Konietzny

Maybe not in the real world per se, but at least in Scandinavian folklore, a troll is a dwarf or a giant who inhabits caves or hills.

The word "troll" is used within the internet world to define a person who sows discord online by starting arguments or upsetting people. Both definitions describe a mischievous creature, but that is as far as the similarities go.

Image: CDC

Something that is referred to as "viral" is anything that is related to or caused by a virus, spreading like an infection to everything around it.

In the internet sense of the word, something "viral" describes content that becomes very popular by circulating quickly from person to person, online. As we can see, both definitions share a common theme of rapid spread, though the contexts differ.