It is said that twins have a connection like no other, but for Mary and Margarett Gibbs, that unbreakable connection was both literal and figurative.
Born in 1912, and joined by bone and flesh just above the buttocks, the twins were physically connected for their entire lives. But with separate organs except for the rectum, neither felt the other's pain.
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One body, two minds.
According to reports, the pair's personalities were like chalk and cheese. Their mother reportedly described Mary as overweight, easygoing and carefree, while Margaret was thin, high-strung, and always worried about health and finances.
They were raised in relative isolation, their parents hiring private tutors to educate them within the safety of their home.
Independent but together.
At 14, the girls ventured out on their own, moving to New York City with plans to pursue a career in vaudeville – a theatrical genre of French origin, that includes speciality acts and comedic entertainment.
They began performing in circuses, capitlising on their unique physical condition – something they not only accepted, but learned to love.