Chang and Eng were born May 11, 1811 in Siam (Thailand).They were conjoined twins, joined at the lower chest. As teenagers they were taken abroad and exhibited before paying audiences. The brothers gained greater control over their careers and accumulated considerable wealth. In 1839, they stopped touring and settled near Mount Airy, North Carolina, adopting the surname Bunker. They purchased land, became farmers and also owned enslaved people, an important and uncomfortable part of their American story. In 1843, they married two local sisters. Are you aware that the term "Siamese Twins" for conjoined twins came from these brothers?

After the devastating losses during the Civil War, the twins returned briefly to the circus. They traveled to Europe where, between shows, they searched in vain for a doctor to separate them. In January of 1874, Chang contracted bronchitis and died in his sleep. Eng awoke beside his dead brother. A doctor was summoned, but before separation could be attempted, Eng also died approximately two to three hours later. An autopsy showed their livers were connected through the band joining them. Modern medicine suggests separation might have been medically feasible with today's surgery but during their lifetime it was considered extraordinarily dangerous. Because they were never able to be medically separated, do you find that it's horrifying and sad when one brother was deceased, the other one also died shortly afterwards? (The photo shows the twins and their children)