Life > February 14, 2008

By Whitney Tritt, CeCe Brooks and Kara Peruccio | Staff writer and Life editors

Famous Couples It has been speculated that John F. Kennedy cheated on Jackie Kennedy more than once. In every version of the legend of King Arthur, Guinevere consistently snuck off with Arthur’s best friend, Lancelot. Scarlet O’Hara and Rhett Butler did not actually end up together. We all know what happned to Romeo and Juliet.

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In honor of Valentine’s Day, here are some famous couples, both real and fictional, that are about as good as they seem (as far as we know).

So here’s to timeless couples who remind us that love and happiness, even on the worst of days, is still possible.

1. Nancy & Ronald Reagan had perhaps the most publicly poetic presidential marriage. In 2002, Nancy released a book entitled I Love You Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan that involved dozens of adoring love letters from Ronald to Nancy over the course of their 50-year relationship.

He was known for sending Nancy’s mother flowers on Nancy’s birthday to thank her mother for having his wife.

2. Ross & Rachel certainly had a tumultuous relationship during their 10-year stint on Friends. They had love, then marriage and even the baby in the baby carriage.

Unfortunately, they were not technically “together” during most of these milestones, but the fact that they kept coming back to each other fit neatly to the inevitability of the conclusion.

And any fans who claim that they were not clamoring for their union at the end of the series is lying. In one episode in the beginning of the series, Phoebe explains that Ross and Rachel are each others’ lobsters because lobsters apparently find their soul mates and stay with the same partner for life. Scientists claim this is not technically accurate, but it ends up being true for Ross and Rachel – or so we’d like to believe.

3. Queen Victoria & Prince Albert – When Albert died, Victoria did not appear in public for three years, after which she wore only black for the rest of her life (40 more years). Sure, they were first cousins, but maybe that’s why they had so much in common. Also, the popular lingerie retailer, Victoria’s Secret, is reportedly named for this marriage.

As one legend goes, when Victoria was asked what the secret to her marriage with Albert was, she replied “lingerie.” And thus, Victoria’s marriage secret has created a million-dollar company.

4. Elizabeth & Mr. Darcy are the couple of every teenage girl’s dreams. For all of us who have drooled over Colin Firth (1995 version) or Matthew Macfadyen (2005 version) portrayals of Mr. Darcy, this pairing by Jane Austen seems to be utter perfection.

They both had a lot of pride and a lot of prejudice, but they end up together because of love, compatibility and the rejection of the rules of social order and family money that governed their society.

5. Adam & Eve – They’re the original couple. How can you get more famous than that?

6. Mike & Carol Brady – You can be annoyed by the cheese, but you can’t deny the famousness of their marriage.

7. Bonnie & Clyde – The famous quote says, “We rob banks.” Some people play tennis, but whatever works.

8. John Lennon & Yoko Ono – Yes, some may hate this relationship for supposedly breaking up the Beatles, but they have one of the most remembered unions of the 20th century.

9. Paul Newman & Joanne Woodward – Many people in our age group might not know them, but this on-and-off screen couple hit their 50th anniversary this year and we all know how much of a rarity that is in Hollywood..

10. Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne – They’re crazy to say the least, but they’ve been together for over 20 rocking years.

11. June & Ward Cleaver – Despite being annoyingly perfect, the Cleavers embodied the nuclear family in 1950s television.

12. Lucy & Ricky – Unfortunately, the real life couple didn’t end up so well, but we will always have reruns I Love Lucy reruns to remember their great chemistry.

13. Any Disney couple – Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella & Prince Charming, etc. – what young girl doesn’t imagine herself as one of these princesses?

14. TV Cartoon couples – Donald & Daisy Duck, Fred & Wilma Flinstone, Mickey & Minnie Mouse – these couples are so engrained in our brains. We couldn’t imagine the cartoon world with them apart.

Whether you’re celebrating this Valentine’s Day with someone special or still holding out for someone worth your while, at least you now know that it is possible – although not always easy or perfect – for two people to remain together.

And in the best of cases, staying together involves love letters, lobsters and lingerie or maybe just happily ever after.

If you’re looking for ways to enjoy this Valentine’s Day, here are some gifts, songs and movies to help you celebrate the occasion.

Songs

1. “God Only Knows” – The Beach Boys

2. “Wonderful Tonight” – Eric Clapton

3. “Something” – The Beatles

4. “Your Song” – Elton John

5. “I Will Always Love You” – Whitney Houston

6. “When You Say Nothing At All” – Alison Krauss

7. “Crash Into Me” – Dave Matthews Band

8. “Yellow” – Coldplay

9. “Iris” – Goo Goo Dolls

10. “I’ll Be” – Edwin McCain

11. “I Only Wanna Be With You” – Hootie and the Blowfish

12. “I Want You to Want Me” – Cheap Trick

13. “Angel” – Jack Johnson

14. “As Long as You Love Me” – Backstreet Boys

Movies

1. The Notebook

2. Pride & Prejudice

3. Moulin Rouge

4. The Princess Bride

5. Pretty Woman

6. When Harry Met Sally

7. Love Actually

8. Titanic

9. Amelie

10. 10 Things I Hate About You

11. Sleepless in Seattle

12. Say Anything

13. Shakespeare in Love

14. Bull Durham

Gifts

From guys to girls:

Flowers – If you’re going to go for this staple, try to make it your own with a exotic flower instead of the traditional roses.

Jewelry – You can’t go wrong with nice bling.

The new pink iPod Nano – It’s useful and pretty; what more could a girl ask for?

Build-a-Bear – It’s cute, cuddly and will remind her of you.

From girls to guys:

Baked goods – This shows your thoughtfulness and it’s delicious.

Their favorite TV show on DVD – It’s simple and it shows you know them well enough.

Rock Band – It will definitely impress and it can be fun for you too.

A watch – It’s the guy equivalent to jewelry because it shows you care, but it also has a useful purpose.

Works both ways:

Candy – Try not to be too cheap with this one and get the $5 grocery store heart boxes. Come on, everyone deserves a little better than that.

Digital picture frame – With so little space in dorm rooms, it’s nice to be able to show a lot of pictures without taking up a lot of space.

A gift card to iTunes – It can be really annoying to pay $.99 a song, so make their life a little easier.