10. Chang and Eng Bunker

10. Chang and Eng Bunker

Chang and Eng, conjoined twins, were born in 1811 in Siam, a country that is nowadays known as Thailand. In 1929, the twins left Siam and began touring all around the world, giving shows and lectures. Chang and Eng became so famous that the word “Siamese twins” was eventually accepted as a proper term to call twins that were conjoined at birth.

Eventually, Chang and Eng retired, bought some land in North Carolina, became US citizens and even came to own some slaves. They also married two sisters which caused an uproar in the community and the media. Much speculation and ridicule about their life, as well as sex life, followed, but Chang and Eng, along with their wives, ignored it, simply wishing for a happy, peaceful life.

The two couples began living in separate homes, with Chang and Eng alternating half weeks in each. In 1844, both sisters gave birth. Overall, the brothers had twenty one children in total.

Eventually, the twins fell into financial difficulty and took up touring once again, this time bringing two of their children along. However, they were not as successful as before and many people refused to see them.