beyond decoration : Romantic Couples in History

Do you believe in true love?

Do you believe in love lasting forever?

I think that these love stories will renew or reinforce your faith in love... They are the most famous love stories in history and literature, they are immortal.

Learn about famous couples in history to give your romance the spark it needs this Valentine's Day!

Paul Newman was a gorgeous heartthrob movie star in the 50s and 60s, and as such he was expected to act the part of the Hollywood playboy. Instead, he surprised everyone with his devotion to his second wife, Joanne Woodward. The two were married for fifty years until his death in 2008, and Newman’s response when asked whether he ever wanted an affair was as follows: “Why go out for a hamburger when you have steak at home?”

Perhaps the most legendary relationship ever between Hollywood stars, the love affair of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy that went on for twenty-seven years has come to define both of them in memory. Although Tracy was separated from his wife at the time, he did not want to carry on a public affair with Hepburn in order not to embarrass his family, and so the two were devoted to one another in secret.

The affair, and later marriage, of film stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton was considered to be highly scandalous, but was also irresistible to the public. The Vatican famously condemned their marriage, and the two were always fighting, getting married to each other and then divorcing twice. Despite the arguments and hedonistic lifestyle, the passion they had for one another was undeniable

The most well-known couple in the magazines today and for the last six years, this inseparable pair (frequently known as “Brangelina”) emerged as just the thing to satisfy the public’s craving for A-list celebrity hookups. Their relationship has proven to be far more stable than anyone predicted at first, and the two have been raising several children together.

Wealthy billionaire Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, is known for his dedication to his wife of more than seventeen years, Melinda. The furthest thing from a trophy wife, Melinda Gates has been a business partner and fellow philanthropist to her husband for as long as they have been together. The two of them run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a very successful charity.

Recounted in Homer's Iliad, the story of Helen of Troy and the Trojan War is a Greek heroic legend, combining fact and fiction. Helen of Troy is considered one the most beautiful women in all literature. She was married to Menelaus, king of Sparta. Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, fell in love with Helen and abducted her, taking her back to Troy. The Greeks assembled a great army, led by Menelaus's brother, Agamemnon, to retrieve Helen. Troy was destroyed. Helen returned safely to Sparta, where she lived happily with Menelaus for the rest of her life.