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Adelina Patti

Soprano Adelina Patti (International Portrait Gallery)

At 19, the diva Adelina Patti was already acclaimed on two continents when she sang ``Home, Sweet Home'' at the White House for Abraham and Mary Lincoln in 1862. In mourning for their son, Willie, who had died of typhoid fever, the Lincolns were moved to tears and asked for an encore. As the 20th Century began, both Patti and ``Home, Sweet Home'' were still renowned.