The most Indiana Jones-worthy tale in music history comes from Poland, where composer Frederic Chopin's heart has been secured in a jar of liquor for 155 years. That organ was exhumed relatively recently so that experts could ensure that the alcohol hadn't evaporated before promptly returning the muscle to its final resting place.
The operation was carried out in total secrecy by 13 individuals, who didn't announce the happening until more than five months after it took place, as to avoid a media freakout (Chopin's heart is a very big deal in his homeland). Among those present were the Archbishop of Warsaw (as the heart is entombed in the city's Holy Cross Church) and the culture minister of Poland. Those hosting the press conference showed photos of the organ to reporters but deferred from distributing them for publication, in order to show some sanctity for the dead. Some experts complained that the organ should have been tested to see if the composer had died from influenza as many believed (because they just need to know!).
Details of the story aren't 100 percent but the legend is pretty dang cool: Chopin died at the age of 35 in Paris and in his last moments requested his heart be buried in Poland. This served two purposes: A) He had a mortal fear of being buried alive-and having one's heart removed ensures this wouldn't happen and B) Chopin had fled his homeland to avoid Russian imperialism before settling in France, so he wanted his heart returned to his homeland (and possibly C) he had written the most popular funeral march in history and needed further morose details added to his biography to ensure his reputation).
His sister allegedly snuck the organ across the Polish border stored in a jar of cognac and after it changed hands several times, it was stuck in a pillar in the Holy Cross Church. It fell into Nazi hands during World War II but fortunately found its way back home following the conflict.
They've set a date for the new examination, according to Billboard...for 2064. We're not kidding.
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