Conjoined twins are extremely rare, but a small number of pairs have become well known far beyond medicine. Some were displayed to paying audiences in eras when people with unusual bodies were treated as curiosities, while others became performers, television personalities, teachers, or the subjects of landmark separation surgeries. Their stories also show how differently conjoined twins can develop, depending on where and how their bodies are connected. In several cases, the twins built long adult lives together; in others, attempts at separation became major moments in medical history.
Chang and Eng Bunker
Born in Siam, now Thailand, in 1811, Chang and Eng became so internationally famous that the outdated term “Siamese twins” originated from them. They eventually settled in North Carolina, married sisters, and fathered 21 children between them before dying hours apart in 1874.
Abby and Brittany Hensel
Abby and Brittany Hensel share one body while each having her own head, brain, heart, and personality, and they learned to coordinate everything from walking to driving. After becoming widely known through documentaries and the TLC series Abby & Brittany, they went on to work as fifth-grade teachers in Minnesota, and Abby married Josh Bowling in 2021.
Daisy and Violet Hilton
English-born Daisy and Violet Hilton became major vaudeville performers after being exhibited from childhood by guardians who controlled much of their lives and earnings. After gaining their independence, they continued performing and appeared memorably in the 1932 cult film Freaks.
Millie and Christine McKoy
Born enslaved in North Carolina in 1851, Millie and Christine McKoy were repeatedly sold and exhibited before eventually becoming internationally successful singers known as the “Two-Headed Nightingale.” They learned several languages, performed for audiences around the world, and lived until 1912, when Christine died only hours after Millie.
Lori and George Schappell
Lori and George Schappell were joined at the skull but pursued distinctly individual interests, with George becoming a country singer and Lori working and competing successfully in bowling. George came out as a transgender man in 2007, and the twins lived to age 62 before dying on April 7, 2024.
Donnie and Ronnie Galyon
Born in Ohio in 1951 and joined from the sternum to the groin, Donnie and Ronnie Galyon spent decades earning a living through sideshow appearances before retiring. They reached age 68 and were recognized by Guinness as the oldest living conjoined twins before their deaths in 2020.
Krista and Tatiana Hogan
Canadian twins Krista and Tatiana Hogan were born in 2006 joined at the head and possess an unusual neural connection between their brains. Medical observation has indicated that the connection allows sensory information to pass between them, making their case especially remarkable to neuroscientists.
Ladan and Laleh Bijani
Iranian sisters Ladan and Laleh Bijani were joined at the head but had very different ambitions, with one wanting to pursue law and the other journalism. After years of seeking separation, they underwent an extraordinarily complicated operation in Singapore in 2003 and both died from complications associated with massive blood loss.
Giacomo and Giovanni Battista Tocci
Italian brothers Giacomo and Giovanni Battista Tocci shared a lower body while having separate torsos, heads, hearts, and personalities. They spent much of their youth being exhibited across Europe and the United States before withdrawing from public life and reportedly settling in an Italian villa.
Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova
Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova were born in the Soviet Union in 1950 and spent much of childhood under medical supervision, where they were subjected to experiments now regarded as deeply unethical. They later became known internationally through documentaries and remained together until 2003, when Dasha died 17 hours after Masha.
Lazarus and Joannes Baptista Colloredo
Born in Genoa in 1617, Lazarus Colloredo had a parasitic twin, Joannes Baptista, whose upper body projected from his torso. Lazarus traveled through European courts and public exhibitions, and one famous story claimed a death sentence against him could not be carried out because it would also kill his innocent brother.
Helen and Judith of Szőny
Known historically as the Hungarian Sisters, Helen and Judith were born in 1701 and were joined at the pelvis. After years of medical examinations and public exhibitions across Europe, they retired to a convent and died within hours of each other in 1723.
Patrick and Benjamin Binder
German twins Patrick and Benjamin Binder were born joined at the head in 1987 and became the subjects of a highly publicized separation attempt at Johns Hopkins. Neurosurgeon Ben Carson led the operation, which successfully separated them but left both boys with profound disabilities.
Clarence and Carl Aguirre
Clarence and Carl Aguirre were born in the Philippines joined at the head and were brought to New York for an ambitious series of operations. Instead of attempting one marathon procedure, surgeons separated them in stages, culminating in a successful final separation in August 2004.
Kendra and Maliyah Herrin
Kendra and Maliyah Herrin were born in 2002 sharing parts of their abdomen and pelvis as well as a single kidney. Doctors separated the four-year-old sisters during a lengthy operation in 2006, after which Maliyah required kidney transplantation while both began adapting to independent bodies.
Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim
Egyptian twins Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim were born in 2001 joined at the top of the head. At age two, they underwent a complicated 34-hour operation in Dallas that successfully separated them, and both later returned to Egypt.
Rodney and Roger Brodie
Rodney and Roger Brodie were born in Illinois in 1951 joined at the top of their skulls and sharing a major vein that drained blood from their brains. Surgeons separated them during a pioneering 12-hour operation in 1952, but Roger died just over a month later while Rodney survived until 1963.
Maria and Teresa Tapia
Maria and Teresa Tapia were born in the Dominican Republic in 2010 joined at the lower chest and abdomen, sharing portions of their liver, pancreas, and intestine. A team of 45 surgeons separated them during a 20-hour operation in Virginia the following year, after which both underwent extensive rehabilitation.
Anastasia and Tatiana Dogaru
Romanian-born Anastasia and Tatiana Dogaru were born in 2004 joined at the head, with unusually complicated shared circulation and organ dependence. Doctors spent years evaluating a possible separation before abandoning the plan in 2007 because the operation was considered too dangerous.
Eliza and Mary Chalkhurst — The Biddenden Maids
Eliza and Mary Chalkhurst are traditionally said to have been conjoined sisters born in medieval England around 1100 and joined at the hip. Their story became part of the folklore of Biddenden, where a charitable tradition was later associated with the sisters, although historians have questioned how much of the account is factual.
