Celebrity Estates
This "Bohemian Rhapsody" frontman's 1991 will left his London mansion, Garden Lodge, and 50% of his future royalties to Mary Austin — the woman he called "the love of my life" — despite never marrying her.
Freddie Mercury?
In this Asian country, it is illegal to chew gum in public — a law enacted in 1992 to keep streets clean.
Singapore
This landmark 1973 decision established a constitutional right to abortion; it was overturned in 2022 by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
Roe v. Wade
This state's official soft drink is Kool-Aid, which was invented in the town of Hastings in 1927.
Nebraska
This first national park in the world, established in 1872, spans parts of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho and sits atop a supervolcano.
Yellowstone
This "The Godfather" actor's longtime housekeeper Angela Borlaza sued his estate for hundreds of thousands of dollars, claiming he made an oral promise to give her a home
Marlon Brando
In this country, it is illegal to own only one guinea pig — because they are social animals and must have a companion.
Switzerland
This 1954 decision, written by Chief Justice Earl Warren, declared that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
Brown v. Board of Education
This state's official snack food is popcorn — fitting, since it produces more of it than any other state.
Illinois
This Arizona park is home to a mile-deep gorge carved by the Colorado River.
Grand Canyon
This "The Dark Knight" actor's 2003 will left his entire estate to his parents and sisters because he never updated it after the birth of his daughter, Matilda.
Heath Ledger
In this country, it is illegal to step on money — because the currency bears the image of the king, and stepping on it is considered an insult to the monarchy.
Thailand
This justice, appointed by President Obama in 2009, is the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court.
Sonia Sotomayor
This state's official sport is jousting, a designation it has held since 1962 — long before it added lacrosse as a second official sport.
Maryland
This California park's landmarks include El Capitan and Half Dome.
Yosemite
This "Purple Rain" legend died in 2016 with no will, triggering a six-year probate battle over his $156 million estate.
Prince
In this city, it is illegal to feed pigeons— a law enacted to protect historic monuments from bird droppings.
Venice
This 1803 case, decided under Chief Justice John Marshall, established the principle of judicial review.
Marbury v. Madison
This state's official vegetable is the watermelon, which botanically is a fruit — a contradiction the legislature embraced anyway.
Oklahoma
This park in Florida is the only place in the U.S. where alligators and crocodiles coexist in the wild.
Everglades National Park
This "Friends" star's 2023 will directed that his estate be placed in a trust named the "Alvy Singer Trust" — a nod to Woody Allen's "Annie Hall" character — with his parents and siblings as beneficiaries, but no mention of his co-stars.
Matthew Perry
In this U.S. state, it is illegal to put an ice cream cone in your back pocket and to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church.
Alabama
This 1896 decision upheld racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine; it was effectively overturned by Brown v. Board of Education.
Plessy v. Ferguson
This state has an official state crustacean, the crawfish.
Louisiana
This park protects the largest cave chamber in North America, whose "Big Room" is over 4,000 feet long.
Carlsbad Caverns