Chang and Eng Bunker
Born in modern-day Thailand in 1811, Chang and Eng were Siamese-Americans. Since they were also the first high-profile conjoined twins, the term Siamese Twins became a synonym for the medical condition. They worked in showbusiness from an early age, mainly in European and American ‘freak shows’, though they also managed to overcome their disabilities and wider prejudices, including some obvious racism, to live full lives outside of the ‘human curiosities’ circuit.
As young men, Chang and Eng arrived in America in 1829. When they were 21, they decided to part with their manager and go it alone. The 1830s saw them tour extensively across Europe, though by 1836, they had made enough money to travel simply as tourists. In 1839, the twins moved to Wilkes County, North Carolina. They married local girls and fathered children, dividing the week between the different family homes. They bought land, even slaves, and looked set to live out their lives as country gentlemen. However, the cost of raising large families forced them to return to touring.
In the fall of 1860, Chang and Eng agreed to sign with P.T. Barnum. They did, however, only agree to perform in the impresario’s American Museum in New York City for one month. For this month, however, they were the undisputed stars of the show. Not only did they earn a small fortune, they also performed in front of a number of VIPs and other distinguished guests, most notably the Prince of Wales. It’s perhaps because they met the prince that the twins then agreed to accompany Barnum to England for a brief tour. The twins lived until the age of 62.