Famous Siblings in History

, , Leave a comment

One or more individuals having one or both parents in common are known as siblings. In the case that they share only one common parent, they are known as half siblings. Of them, those having a common mother but different fathers are known as maternal siblings, while those having common father but different mothers are called paternal siblings. The siblings sharing both parents in common are known as full siblings and due to genetic factors, they will generally share some common personality traits. In history, some siblings have been famous for their outstanding achievements in different fields. Famous anthropologist Edvard Westermarck found that siblings raised together are desensitized to mutual sexual attraction. In developed countries, wet nursing had been a custom, wherein a mother other than the biological mother, breastfed some infants and they were known as milk brothers or sisters. In Islam the offspring of a mother who had breastfed other infants, are known as Radai siblings, and they are treated as full siblings and prohibited to marry together.

1. The Brothers Grimm

The Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, collectively known as The Brothers Grimm, are one of the most famous sibling sets in history. Jacob was born in 1785 and died in 1863, while Wilhelm Grimm was born in 1786 and died in 1859. They are best known for their collection of German folk tales. They are iconic to German folk tales and their names and folk tales are known, not only in Germany but all around the globe. The most popular folktales collected by Bothers Grimm include Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, The Frog Prince, Rapunzel and Rumpelstiltskin. They published their first collection, titled Children’s and Household Tales, in 1812. The initial collection contained 86 stories and, with continuous additions, the final collection comprised of 200 stories. The Brothers Grimm are also known as linguists and lexicographers.

2. The Wright brothers

Orville Wright
Orville Wright

Orville and Wilbur, better known as the Wright brothers, are one of the most famous sibling sets in history. The siblings were born to Milton Wright and Susan Catherine Koerner. Orville was born in Dayton, Ohio on August 19, 1871 and died on January 30, 1948, while Wilbur was born in Millville, Indiana on April 16, 1867 and died on May 30, 1912. They are credited for inventing the world’s first successful airplane, which was powered and heavier than air, and capable of sustained human flight. The brothers never married. They went to high school but did not earn a diploma. After being dropped from school, they started a self-designed printing press, followed by a cycle shop, which led them to their flying efforts.

3. The Kardashians

Khloé Kardashian Odom
Khloé Kardashian Odom

The Kardashians are four famous celebrities, reality stars and American socialites. Born to Robert Kardashian and Kristen Mary Houghton, the siblings include three daughters, Kourtney, Kim, and Khloé. Rob Kardashian is their brother. Robert Kardashian was a defense attorney, and attracted media attention for the first time while defending O.J. Simpson for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman during the lengthy trial of historical importance. The Kardashian siblings were showcased in Keeping up with the Kardashians, which is an American reality television series. It was aired on E! for the first time on October 14, 2007 and has aired eight seasons since then. E! has signed a new three-year deal with the Kardashians to keep the series going until 2015. The deal was finalized for an estimated $40 million.

4. Steve Waugh and Mark Waugh

Steve Waugh
Steve Waugh

Steve Waugh and Mark Waugh are the most famous siblings in the cricketing world. Stephen Rodger Waugh, better known as Steve Waugh, is the fraternal twin of Mark Waugh, who is also a cricketer. Steve Waugh was born in New South Wales on June 2, 1965 and he was the captain of the Australian Cricket Team from 1999 to 2004. He has scored over 10,000 test runs, and as such is one of the only 11 players in the world. He led the Australian cricket team to win 15 out of consecutive 16 matches. He also led the Australian cricket team to win the 1999 Cricket World Cup. In 2004, he was named Australian of the Year. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in January 2010.

5. Duncan II, Edgar, Alexander I and David I

Duncan II
Duncan II

Duncan II, Edgar, Alexander I and David I were the famous royal siblings, as all of them had been the Kings of Scotland. Donald II reigned from 889 to 900 as King of Scotland. He was the first monarch to be known as Ri Albain or King of Scotland. Edgar, the fourth son of Malcolm III, reigned from 1097 to 1107. Alexander I was the son of Malcolm Canmore and ruled from 1107 to 1124. David was also the son of Malcolm Canmore. At the age of nine years, David I was sent to the English Court of Henry I. At the death of his brother Edgar, he became Earl of Southern Scotland and became King of Scotland in 1124 and reigned until 1153.

6. Nazia and Zoheb

Nazia and Zoheb
Nazia and Zoheb

Nazia and Zoheb were the famous siblings of Pakistan. Nazia Hassan was born on April 3, 1965 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan and died of lung cancer London on August 13, 2000 at the age of 35 years. Zoheb Hassan was born November 18, 1966. The siblings are icons of pop music and are credited with popularizing the pop music in the sub-continent. The siblings came into prominence for the first time after their music single Aap Jaisa Koi was featured in the Indian film Qurbani. The song was included in their 1981 album Disco Deewane. The album was a hit in Indonesia, Russia, South Africa and Brazil. Nazia Hassan was the recipient of the highest Pakistani civil award, the Pride of Performance, conferred upon her by the Government of Pakistan. Zoheb Hassan stopped performing after the death of his sister.

7. Anne, Emily and Charlotte Bronte

Anne, Emily and Charlotte Bronte
Anne, Emily and Charlotte Bronte

The three sisters, Anne, Emily and Charlotte Bronte, along with their brother Branwell, are one of the most famous literary sibling sets in history. The Brontes belonged to the nineteenth century Haworth in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Their most famous and memorable works include Charlotte’s Jane Eyre, Emily’s Wuthering Heights and Anne’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Early deaths in their family had profound influence on their writings. Their home, the parsonage at Haworth, is now Brontë Parsonage Museum, and is visited by tens of thousands of visitors annually.

8. Aldous Leonard Huxley

Aldous Huxley
Aldous Huxley

The famous Huxley family comprised of the intellectual siblings, Julian Huxley, Aldous Huxley and their step brother Andrew Huxley. Most famous among them, was Aldous Leonard Huxley, best known for his novel, Brave New World and a range of essays. He was born on July 26, 1894 and died on November 1963. He spent the last part of his life in Los Angeles, U.S. He was a known humanist and satirist. He took interest in philosophical mysticism and was a user of psychedelic drugs. Unlike other drugs, the psychedelics influence the mind to explore qualitatively different than ordinary experience, as it happens in case of LSD.

9. The Koch brothers

David Koch
David Koch

The Koch brothers include, Frederick R. Koch, Charles G. Koch, David H. Koch and William Koch. The siblings are among the wealthiest Americans and are known for controlling the Koch Industries, the second largest private company in America. Fred C. Koch started the family business when he developed a new process of fractionating heavy oil into gasoline. Estimated annual revenues of the Koch Industries are around a hundred billion dollars. The siblings are among the most influential U.S. industrialists.

10. Romulus and Remus

Romulus and Remus (Peter Paul Rubens)
Romulus and Remus (Peter Paul Rubens)

Romulus and Remus are the most famous mythical siblings, associated with the foundation of Rome. They were born to Rhea Silvia after being conceived by her by the god Mars or demigod Hercules. Immediately after their birth they were thrown into the River Tiber, but miraculously they were saved and nurtured by a she wolf, while a woodpecker fed them. A shepherd and his wife found them and raised them as shepherds. On maturity they came to know of the facts and killed Amulius, who had thrown them in the river. Following a dispute on the site of Rome, Romulus killed Remus and built Rome on his desired site on the Palatine Hill.

Conclusion

Friends have a unique bond of love and sharing one another’s happiness and pain. They are like siblings but distinguished from them, in that their friendships are a manmade relationship, unlike the siblings who are born friends. Mostly the siblings are dedicated friends, and there is nothing more beautiful than this relationship. At times, however, they develop enmity between them, and it is the worst thing that can happen to a divine relationship. Famous actress Kim Kardashian said, ‘Having lots of siblings is like having built-in best friends.’

Tea Time Quiz

[forminator_poll id="23176"]
 

Leave a Reply