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Buzz Feed
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
28 Homes Of Famous People You Can Actually Visit
If you love history, one of the coolest things you can do is visit the ACTUAL homes of historically famous people and walk the very floors they did — it's the closest thing you get to time travel without a plutonium-packed DeLorean! So, here are 28 of the most must-visit historical homes in the world (I've been lucky to visit a few of these, but hope to see them all before I'm pushing daisies): Jane Austen In Chawton, Hampshire, you can visit the 17th-century cottage where Jane Austen lived the last eight years of her life, writing the classic books Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Persuasion. Inside, you can explore rooms — like Austen's bedroom seen below — which are filled with her personal artifacts. You can even see her writing table! (Such a small table to write so many classics on.) For more information, go here. Prince In Chanhassen, Minnesota — just outside Minneapolis — you can visit Paisley Park, the 65,000-square-foot complex where Prince lived and recorded music from 1987 through his death in 2016. There's now a museum there dedicated to all things Prince, including rooms named for the movies/albums Under the Cherry Moon and Graffiti Bridge. This room, meanwhile, looks 100% like what you imagine Prince's home would look like: Learn more about visiting/how to get tickets here. Frida Kahlo In Coyoacán, a historic neighborhood in Mexico City, you can visit Frida Kahlo's Blue House (La Casa Azul). It's where she was born, painted many of her most famous works, and spent her final years. Inside you'll find her corsets and prosthetics, personal diaries, and rooms she shared with her husband and collaborator Diego Rivera. You can even see her artist's studio with her wheelchair still at the easel! See more info here. Abraham Lincoln Before he was president, Abraham Lincoln was just a lawyer and dad living in a modest two-story house in Springfield, Illinois. That home — now a National Historic Site — is open to the public, and it's one of the most moving places you can visit as an American. The home has been meticulously restored to look exactly as it did in the 1860s, complete with original furnishings, wallpaper, and floors that creak under your feet like they probably did under Lincoln's. The surrounding neighborhood has also been preserved, so you can even walk the same sidewalks Lincoln did! Go here for more info. Also, in Washington, DC, you can visit the back bedroom of the Petersen House, a boarding house across the street from Ford's Theatre, where President Abraham Lincoln died after being shot on April 14, 1865. Some background: After John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln during a play, the wounded president was carried across the street to this modest red-brick townhouse. He was too gravely injured to be moved far, so they placed him in the back room — a simple, cramped space with just a small bed, a washstand, and chairs for those keeping vigil. Lincoln never regained consciousness. The room has been restored to how it looked that night, down to a replica of the exact bed Lincoln lay in (the original is at the Chicago History Museum).For more info, go here. Joan of Arc Above is Milla Jovovich in the movie The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. How's this for wild? You can visit the home of Joan of Arc in Domrémy-la-Pucelle, France. Joan of Arc was born in the four-room, stone house around 1412. Here's what it looks like on the inside. (Also worth mentioning: Next to the house are interactive exhibits that delve into Joan's life and legacy.) For info on visiting hours, ticket prices, and all that good stuff, go here. Vincent van Gogh In Arles, France, you can visit the hospital where van Gogh was treated after he infamously cut off his ear in 1888. He spent 53 weeks there, and its courtyard garden inspired many of the 100+ pieces he created onsite. Check out the photo above — it looks like one of his paintings, huh? Visitors can walk the gardens and then take a look at the room where van Gogh stayed — and painted. For more information, visit here. One more on van Gogh — in Cuesmes, Belgium, you can visit the house where van Gogh lived from August 1879 to October 1880, a pivotal period in his life as he transitioned from a preacher to an artist. More info here. French painter Claude Monet Claude Monet's house in Giverny, France is a pastel-pink dream — a lot like his paintings — and where he spent the second half of his life painting obsessively, especially in the gardens he designed himself. Here, my friends, are those gardens: Inside, Monet's bright kitchen, cozy salon, and blue sitting room are all restored to his exact tastes. For more info, go here. Paul McCartney (the only living person on this live, Paul!) If you go to Liverpool, you're likely there because of the Beatles, and one of the coolest things you can do is visit John and Paul's childhood homes! Below is Paul's home at 20 Forthlin Road, where he lived from age 13 through becoming world-famous. In the next two photos you can see Paul recently visiting his old home while filming Carpool Karaoke. This is the kitchen. And here he's playing "When I'm Sixty-Four" in the very room that he wrote the song at age 16! I've been to this one, and on the tour they said Paul and John would often hunker down in this room and write songs like "She Loves You." And yes, I played a chord on the piano, LOL. For more info, go here. John Lennon You can also visit the home John Lennon grew up in with his Aunt Mimi. Strawberry Fields (then a children's home run by the Salvation Army) is visible from the backyard, which is interesting to know, considering how it inspired him later. This place was also a thrill to visit. Here's the living room as it looked when young John lived there. And here is his bedroom, complete with posters of Brigitte Bardot (his teenage celebrity crush) and Elvis Presley. You can even see the toilet where John undoubtedly bid adieu to some beans on toast, LOL. For more info, go here. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. In Memphis, Tennessee, you can visit Room 306 at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered on the balcony. It is now part of the National Civil Rights Museum, which was built in and around the motel. The civil rights giant often stayed in Room 306 when he was in Memphis, and his trip in early April 1968 was no different. Following his assassination, his room was left untouched. Find more info here. William Shakespeare In the market town of Stratford-upon-Avon, England, you can visit the very home that Shakespeare grew up in! Shakespeare was born here in 1564 and spent much of his youth in this half-timbered house, which doubled as his father's glove-making workshop. The building has been carefully preserved with original 16th-century features intact. Find more info here. I've visited this one — here my wife and I are in the garden behind the home — and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Just a few minutes away is the picturesque cottage that Anne Hathaway — Shakespeare's wife — grew up in. The home is over 500 years old and features original furniture, cozy timbered rooms, and nine acres of blooming gardens. (We went here also, and it's a must-see, too!) Find more info here. Johnny Cash You can visit Johnny Cash's boyhood home in Dyess, Arkansas. The Man in Black lived in the five-room farmhouse from age 3 until his high school graduation in 1950, and it has been restored to be like it was in the 1930s, complete with original furnishings and artifacts provided by the Cash family. Here's some of the charming interior...I'm guessing Johnny plunked away on that piano a bit, huh? For more info and tickets, visit here. Mahatma Gandhi In New Delhi, you can visit the 12-bedroom mansion where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life and where his tragic assassination took place on Jan. 30, 1948. Today, it stands as both a memorial and a multimedia museum dedicated to Gandhi and his life. Gandhi's bedroom has been preserved exactly as it was at the time of his assassination. In it you can see his walking stick, glasses, spinning wheel, sandals, utensils, a rough stone for washing, a simple mattress on the floor, and a low wooden desk. More info here. Rosa Parks This one isn't a home, but it deserves a spot on this list. In Dearborn, Michigan, at the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation, you can visit the actual Montgomery City Lines bus (#2857) where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on Dec. 1, 1955, igniting the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The bus (seen below) has been restored meticulously to its 1955 condition. What makes this experience unforgettable? Visitors can actually board the bus, walk the narrow aisle, and even sit in the very seat Rosa Parks occupied that day — just as President Obama is below. Learn more here. Paul Revere If you're in Boston, you can visit the home of Paul Revere — you know, the guy whose midnight ride warned the British were coming! Located in Boston's historic North End, the Paul Revere House is the oldest remaining structure in downtown Boston (built around 1680). I've been to this one and I have to say, I was impressed with how livable his place seemed for the 17th century. Like, look at this room below. Not so bad, right? For more info, go here. Elvis Presley Located in Memphis, Tennessee, Graceland was Elvis Presley's mansion from 1957 until his death in 1977 — and it's exactly as over-the-top as you'd expect from the King. The "Jungle Room" alone (green shag carpet on the floor and ceiling) is worth the price of admission. Visitors can see Elvis's private jets (yes, plural), a car museum packed with Cadillacs and Harley-Davidsons, and the Meditation Garden where he and several family members are buried. For more info, go here. Emperor Augustus In Rome, you can visit the House of Augustus on Palatine Hill — the home of Rome's first emperor, Octavian (later Augustus), who lived here from around 30 BC until his death in AD 14. It was only opened to the public in 2014 after major excavation and conservation efforts. Inside the restored rooms, you'll find some of the best-preserved frescoes from ancient Rome. Amazing, huh? Find more info here. Charles Dickens If you've ever wanted to literally step into a Victorian novel, you need to visit 48 Doughty Street, London. There you'll find the Charles Dickens Museum located in the the author's former home. Dickens lived here in the early 1830s while writing Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. You can see the actual desk where Dickens wrote some of his most iconic work, his handwritten letters, and even the couch where he died (seriously). For visiting hours and all that good stuff, go here. Sigmund Freud How does it make you feel that you can visit the final home of Sigmund Freud? Located in Hampstead, England, Freud lived and worked there from 1938 until his death in 1939. Inside you can see the iconic psychoanalytic couch on which he treated patients — beautifully preserved as the centerpiece of his study. To learn more, go here. Ernest Hemingway In Key West, Florida, you can visit the Spanish Colonial‑style house where Hemingway lived and wrote during the 1930s. The home was built in 1851, and dozens of six‑toed cats — descendants of Hemingway's beloved Snow White — roam the garden. Classics written here include: For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, and To Have and Have Not. More info here. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart In Salzburg, Austria, you can step inside Mozart's birthplace — a modest townhouse where the legendary composer was born on Jan. 27, 1756 and lived until age 17. This three‑story museum features rooms filled with historical furnishings, portraits, handwritten letters, and even Mozart's childhood instruments — including a violin and clavichord that the prodigy played as a kid. Bob Dylan In Hibbing, Minnesota, you can visit the childhood home of Bob Dylan, where he grew up with the less star-friendly name of Robert Zimmerman. It's an unassuming two-story house on a quiet street, but for Dylan fans, it's a holy site. Inside you can imagine yourself living back in the '50s and '60s, and see the living room where he practiced piano and his bedroom (below) where he played records. Tours aren't available every day, so you definitely want to research before you go. For more info, go here. Nelson Mandela In Soweto, South Africa, you can visit the house where the anti-apartheid activist and former South African president Nelson Mandela lived from 1946 to 1962, before his arrest and decades-long imprisonment. The home is now a national heritage site and museum, offering a powerful, personal look at the life of South Africa's most iconic freedom fighter. For more info, go here. Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy If you've ever read War and Peace or Anna Karenina, you might want to visit Yasnaya Polyana, Tolstoy's estate and now a hauntingly preserved museum, located about 120 miles south of Moscow. You'll see his writing desk (very cool), and be able to walk the grounds, which are peaceful, forested, and deeply connected to the Russian countryside he so often wrote about. Go here for more info. Ming and Qing Dynasties Above is a portrait of the Hongwu Emperor (1328–1398), the founder of Ming dynasty. Located in Beijing, this massive complex known as the Palace Museum (aka the Forbidden City) was home to 24 emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties over nearly 500 years — including big names like Emperor Kangxi, the longest-reigning emperor in Chinese history, and Empress Dowager Cixi, who basically ruled China from behind the curtain for decades. The complex spans over 180 acres and contains 980 surviving buildings — all ornately detailed. The Forbidden City was off-limits to the public for centuries (hence the name), but today it's one of the most visited museums in the world. Learn more here. George Frideric Handel and Jimi Hendrix Let's end on something totally unexpected. In London, you can visit the Handel & Hendrix museum, which preserves the homes of baroque composer George Frideric Handel (who lived there from 1723–1759) and rock legend Jimi Hendrix (who lived there from 1968–1969), which rest side by side. Yes, Handel and Hendrix (separated by time) were next-door neighbors! In Handel's flat you can walk through the restored rehearsal chamber, composition room, and dressing room/bedroom where Handel created Messiah and other iconic works. Original documents, manuscripts, period instruments, and decor faithful to the 18th-century setting add to the fun. Next, you can see Hendrix's bedroom, featuring original furniture, a guitar, turntable, and treasure trove of personal items including posters and records. Know any cool places like this people can visit? Let us know in the comments or in the anonymous form below and maybe we'll do a sequel post!
Newsweek
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Kindergarten Class Gets History Lesson—No One Prepared for Their Reaction
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A kindergarten art teacher has left internet viewers in stitches after sharing her students' unexpectedly emotional reaction to learning about the fate of former President Abraham Lincoln. Cal (@ca1ib3ast), who teaches an art class, posted a video on TikTok that quickly went viral, garnering more than 2.1 million likes and over 10.1 million views. In the clip, Cal describes how her young students were shocked to discover what happened to the 16th president of the United States. "My kindergarten class lost their minds when I broke the news about Abraham Lincoln," reads the text overlaying the video. One child is heard gasping and exclaiming, "Did Abraham Lincoln die?" as the rest of the class erupts into tears. Cal, clearly caught off guard, can be heard laughing in disbelief at the intense response. @ca1ib3ast in my defense i was not prepared for this question because this is art class ♬ original sound - cal "In my defense i was not prepared for this question because this is art class," she wrote in the video's caption. Abraham Lincoln served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. A self-taught lawyer with humble beginnings, Lincoln is best known for leading the country through the Civil War, abolishing slavery, and delivering the Gettysburg Address. He was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. The dramatic classroom moment resonated with thousands of TikTok users, who shared their own reactions and stories in the comments. "You giggling is sending me they are distraught girl," said one user. Stock image: A class of kindergarten children sits on the floor with hands raised. Stock image: A class of kindergarten children sits on the floor with hands raised. Halfpoint/iStock / Getty Images Plus "The GASPS AMIDST THE COLORING NOISES. I love these children," commented Sam. "The combined wailing would've sent me," added Stephanie. One parent shared a similar experience: "This was my daughter in kindergarten when she found out about MLK jr. She hung the picture she colored in class next to her bed for MONTHS after." Another viewer noted how children often perceive historical figures as part of the present: "No but there is something about the way we talk about him that makes them think he is modern. My daughter literally went and asked my mom if she helped vote him in office. I JUST REALIZED SHE TOTALLY DOESN'T KNOW HE IS DEAD." Even fellow educators chimed in with relatable stories: "This happened in my class as well! One of my students was so visibly upset about it the following day so I asked if he was ok and he said 'no. I miss Abraham Lincoln;' " shared another teacher. Newsweek reached out to @ca1ib3ast for comment via TikTok. We could not verify the details of the case. Do you have any viral videos or pictures that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@ and they could appear on our site.
Business Journals
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Journals
Ford's Theatre Society
Ford's Theatre explores the legacy of President Abraham Lincoln and celebrates the American experience through theatre and education. During the Civil War, Ford's Theatre was one of Washington's top entertainment venues, giving Washingtonians a much-needed break from the realities of war. President Lincoln, who loved theatre, opera and Shakespeare, visited Ford's Theatre on at least 10 formal occasions. On April 14, 1865, Lincoln and his wife decided to visit the theatre to see the comedy Our American Cousin. John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, snuck into the President's Box and shot Lincoln with a single-shot Deringer pistol. Booth fled into the night, and Lincoln died the next morning in the Petersen House, a boarding house located just across the street from the theatre. 'Some think I do wrong to go to the opera and the theatre; but it rests me. I love to be alone, and yet be with the people.' -Abraham Lincoln Lincoln's assassination shocked the nation, and Ford's Theatre remained closed for more than 100 years. In 1968, Ford's Theatre officially reopened as a national historic site and theatre producing live performances. Today, Ford's offers inspiring theatrical productions, interactive museum exhibits and engaging education programs. Here, you can immerse yourself in America's past while finding meaningful connections to our world today.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Deseret News archives: Nation mourned after President Lincoln's death at assassin's hands
A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives. On April 15, 1865, Abraham Lincoln died after being shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater the previous evening; Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17th president hours later. And just like that, a nation was without its leader, its commander in chief, its uniter in chief. On April 11, President Lincoln spoke to a crowd outside the White House, saying, 'We meet this evening, not in sorrow, but in gladness of heart.' The speech occurred only days after the surrender at Appomattox Court House of Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia to Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, which had signaled the effective end of the American Civil War. It was the last public address Lincoln would deliver. On April 14, Lincoln and his wife attended a performance of the play 'Our American Cousin' at Ford's Theatre in Washington. He was shot in the head by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. After he was shot, Lincoln was taken to a boarding house across the street and died the following morning at 7:22 am. Lincoln's death plunged much of the country into despair, and the search for Booth and his accomplices was the largest manhunt in American history to that date. Here are some stories from Deseret News archives about Lincoln's death and what he meant to the nation: 'On 150th anniversary, Lincoln's hometown re-enacts funeral' 'Lincoln was important to Utah throughout presidency' 'Diligence, care, beliefs, unity — on the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's death, we should live up to his legacy' 'Rare tickets to Ford's Theatre for the night Lincoln was assassinated sold for $262K' 'Lincoln saved a nation but deflected credit to a greater power' 'Lincoln frequently worked with Latter-day Saint faithful' 'President trivia: Fun facts, details involving Abraham Lincoln'
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
On This Day, April 15: Abraham Lincoln assassinated at Ford's Theatre
April 15 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1817, the oldest, permanent U.S. public school for the deaf, Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons (now the American School for the Deaf), was founded at Hartford, Conn. In 1865, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln died of an assassin's bullet fired the night before at Ford's Theatre in Washington. Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in as chief executive. In 1912, the luxury liner Titanic sank in the northern Atlantic Ocean off Newfoundland after striking an iceberg the previous night. Approximately 1,500 people died in the tragedy. In 1931, Spanish Republicans formed a new government as King Alfonso sailed into exile. In 1944, the Soviet army captured the Polish city of Tarnopol from German occupation. When Nazi Germany took the city in 1941, it murdered thousands of Jews, and in 1944, the Soviets killed some 4,500 Germans and destroyed much of the city. In 1947, Major League Baseball's color line was officially broken with the debut of Jackie Robinson for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn on opening day. Robinson, who went on to become one of the game's great stars, walked and scored a run in the Dodgers' 5-3 victory over the Boston Braves. In 1955, the first franchised McDonald's was opened in Des Plaines, Ill., by Ray Kroc, who got the idea from a hamburger restaurant in San Bernardino, Calif., run by the McDonald brothers. In 1970, President Richard Nixon asked Congress for legislation to prohibit dumping of polluted dredge waste into the lakes. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan ordered airstrikes against the Libyan regime of Moammar Gadhafi in response to the bombing of a Berlin discotheque that killed two U.S. serviceman. In 1998, Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge leader who presided over a reign of terror in Cambodia in the late 1970s, died at a jungle outpost near the Cambodia-Thailand border. In 2009, Tea Party protests, largely critical of President Barack Obama and his policies, had their biggest turnout to date on April 15, tax day -- in many cities. In 2013, two pressure-cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 260. In 2014, after sending a distress signal, a South Korean ferry capsized off the country's southern coast, an incident that killed about 300 people. In 2017, the bombing of a convoy of buses carrying evacuees killed at least 126 people in Aleppo, Syria, including dozens of children. In 2019, a devastating fire collapsed the roof and spire of Notre Dame Cathedral, but fire officials said they managed to avoid the total destruction of one of Paris' most recognizable landmarks. In 2021, a former employee at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis opened fire at the building, killing eight people and himself. It was the state's most deadly mass shooting. In 2023, Atiq Ahmed, a former Indian politician, and his brother, Ashram Ahmed, were shot dead on live TV while flanked by police on the way to a nearby hospital for a checkup after he was jailed for a kidnapping plot.
