The Last Words Of 17 Historical Figures

Their words were as loud as their lives.

1. Thomas Jefferson

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Thomas Jefferson died on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

2. John Adams

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Adams and Jefferson were bitter political rivals, and attempted to outlive each other. Adams actually did outlive Jefferson by a matter of a few hours.

3. John F. Kennedy

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Kennedy said his final words in response to being told that the city of Dallas loved him; he was shot seconds later.

4. Julius Caesar

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Caesar, who had taken on vast dictatorial powers in Rome, was eventually assassinated by a group of senators, including Caesar's friend Brutus. It is generally believed Caesar did not actually have last words, as he was too busy defending himself from being stabbed.

5. Dwight D. Eisenhower

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Eisenhower's final words are actually part of a longer good-bye, delivered to his family, who were present. He said, "I've always loved my wife; I've always loved my children; I've always loved my grandchildren; I've always loved my country. I want to go; God take me."

6. Winston Churchill

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Winston Churchill uttered this before slipping into a coma, which lasted for nine days before his death.

7. Napoleon Bonaparte

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Napoleon's last words have long been overshadowed by conspiracies that the British slowly poisoned him to death before hiding away his body. Only now are these beliefs starting to be refuted.

8. Josef Stalin

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Stalin seemed to have a premonition of his coming death, as he sent his soldiers home to bed. Generally, he kept the night guard outside his room until he awoke.

9. Louis XIV

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Louis XIV was the longest-reigning monarch in European history, ruling for 72 years.

10. Vespasian

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Vespasian, a Roman emperor, showed some wit as he was dying from what was believed to be dysentery. At death, emperors were deified — something he obviously wanted no part in.

11. Benito Mussolini

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As the tide of WWII turned against Mussolini, he was captured by anti-Fascist Italian soldiers and executed along with his mistress.

12. Viscountess Nancy Astor

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Nancy Astor was the first woman to serve in the British Parliament's House of Lords.

13. Benjamin Franklin

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Benjamin Franklin is at the core of everything American, having even written the first newspaper cartoon, "Join or Die."

14. Chief Sitting Bull

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Chief Sitting Bull remained defiant of U.S. incursions and broken promises against the Lakota Sioux; he was the spiritual leader responsible for the defeat of General Custer. He was eventually arrested — and killed — when he refused to leave his home.

15. George Engels

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George Engels was a primary socialist organizer in Chicago. Tried and sentenced in a kangaroo court, he shouted his last words from the gallows.

16. Archduke Franz Ferdinand

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Franz Ferdinand's complete last words, after he and his wife were shot by a Serbian assassin in Sarajevo, were: "Sophie! Sophie! Don't die! Live for our children..." followed by him uttering, "It is nothing... It is nothing..."

17. Karl Marx

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After essentially codifying what socialism and communism are, Marx seems to think he had enough to say; ironically, his rebuttal of last words make for a very poignant final sentiment.