The Twins from Siam

 Hugo Garcia 

The term “Siamese twins” is often used to describe a pair of twins that have been physically connected to each other since birth. But where did this term “Siamese twins” come from? Conjoined twin bothers Chang and Eng were born on May 11 th, 1811, in Meklong, Siam, better known as present-day Thailand. They were connected by the sternum by a short, flexible band of flesh. In the past conjoined twins were rare, most conjoined twins at the time wouldn’t survive past birth, making the pair of brothers a rare occurrence. Their mother would encourage the brothers to exercise in their youth, this led to the brothers stretching the piece of flesh connecting to two of them enough to walk side by side, swim, and even operate a boat together. In 1824 the boys were spotted by British merchant Robert Hunter, who at first thought the boys were some sort of wild creature but as he got closer, he realized what he was see was not some creature but conjoined twins. Immediately he realized he could use the boys’ unnatural looks to make a profit by exhibiting the brothers like zoo animals.

Chang and Eng would start their first tour on April 1st, 1829, aboard a trade vessel on its way to Boston, Massachusetts. Chang and Eng were popular among doctors and scientists, who would want to perform various experiments on the twins. With one doctor getting permission from Hunter to run simple experiments, it was discovered that if one felt pain the other would feel it, along with having similar habits and taste, all while having distinct personalities. They would later be experimented on by a physician named George Bolton, he noted that the band connecting he brothers, when extended wouldn’t cause pain to the brothers. During their travels, because Chang and Eng were from Siam, they would often be remarked as Siamese Twins.

Chang and Eng would soon gain their independence from Hunter and run their own tours. During his time, they would work with Phineas Barnum a showman and circus manger. After some time of touring Chang and Eng would later decide to settle down in North Carolina, where they got their citizenship, and purchase a farm in Wilkesboro, along with thirty slaves to help operate the farm with most of them being under the age of seven. After establishing their farm, Chang and Eng would meet the Yates family and consequently meet their future spouses Adelaide and Sarah Yates. They would later on go on to have 21 children in between them along with two separate houses, where they would rotate houses each three days.

Work cited:

Atwal, Sanj. “The dark history of the original Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker.”  Dec. 22 https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2022/12/the-dark-history-of-the-original-siamese-twins-chang-and-eng-bunker-730957

Bahjat, Mudhaffar. “Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–1874)”. Jan. 1st Embryo Project Encyclopedia. (2018-01-22). ISSN: 1940-5030 https://hdl.handle.net/10776/13046.

The Granger Collection, New York “Chang and Eng” https://cdn.britannica.com/39/23739-004-D7624CE5/Chang-and-Eng.jpg?s=1500x700&q=85

National Library of Medicine “the World Renowned United Siamese Twins” https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/ChangandEngLithograph%281860%29.jpg 

Links for Further Research:

Settling Down in North Carolina. https://exhibits.lib.unc.edu/exhibits/show/chang-and-eng/settling. This web source provides more in-depth detail about Chang and Engs more personal lives in North Carolina

Morbid Monday: The Death of Chang and Eng, Conjoined twins until the Last. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/morbid-monday-the-demise-of-chang-and-eng. This web source goes over the moments leading up to Chang and Engs deaths, along with information of their conjoined limb.

How the original Siamese twins had 21 children by two sisters… while sharing one (reinforced) bed. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2825888/How-original-Siamese-twins-21-children-two-sisters-sharing-one-reinforced-bed.html  This web article goes over the more intimate relationship the twins would have with their wives and how it resulted in them have 21 kids.

Spontaneous Human Combustion

 Huda Raeisi

Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC) is a Phenomenon that occurs when a person is supposed to burst into flames and burn frequently with no or little external source of ignition. It is commonly used to describe incidents in which a person's body is found with ashes and burned remains. It's a controversial and rare incident, and there's a lot of discussion concerning its reliability and its root causes.

Rolli developed the term in Philosophical Transactions, which was published in 1744 by the London Royal Society, the world's oldest scientific academy. Rolli described it as "a process in which a human body allegedly catches "fire”as a result of heat generated by internal chemical activity, but without evidence of an external source of ignition.” During the Victorian era, spontaneous human combustion became associated with alcoholism. Since the late 1400s, spontaneous combustion has been reported numerous times in Milan. 

Although this is the case, it is important to keep in mind that SHC is a complicated and unclear concept and that many scientists and professionals have doubts about its existence. In spite of the fact that there are only a few documented cases of spontaneous human combustion worldwide, there have been numerous recorded instances over the course of history. In the 19th and 20th centuries, reports of suspected cases of SHC continued to surface, mainly in Western countries. It was common for medical journals and newspapers to report these cases. 

The cases mainly involve elderly individuals, and the majority of documented cases date from the 17th to 19th centuries. The earliest reported cases of spontaneous human combustion date back to the 18th century, and most reported cases can be explained by known mechanisms of fire. However, there may have been earlier undocumented cases. Cases apparently have highly individual features. Typically, victims are elderly, overweight Caucasian women who are isolated from society and have consumed excessive amounts of alcohol.

Additionally, on the website, “Is Spontaneous Combustion Real?” It details everything about the SHC and anything else that was necessary to know. It discusses what happened during the fire and whether it was based on spontaneous human combustion (SHC) or not. Nowadays, spontaneous combustion incidents are rare, and scientific tests have not been able to provide conclusive evidence of their occurrence. Due to these circumstances, SHC has become more of a historical curiosity, a subject of debate and skepticism, than a well-established scientific fact.

Therefore, spontaneous human combustion (SHC) is an unclear phenomenon that occurs when people appear to burst into flames without any apparent external source of ignition. Several recorded incidents can most likely be attributed to traditional sources of ignition as a result of the lack of consistent evidence and confusion within the scientific and medical communities. There is currently less acknowledgement of SHC as a scientific phenomenon and more of a historical curiosity. In addition, it is necessary to conduct thorough research in order to determine the exact nature of these events.

Works Cited:

Halperin, Jonathan. Image from Spontaneous Human Combustion. 2005, IMDB, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1624624/mediaviewer/rm2642788352/?ref_=tt_ov_i.

Harris, Tom. “How Fire Works” HowStuffWorks, Updated, 2023, https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/fire.htm.

STAFF, HISTORY. “Is spontaneous human combustion real?” History, February 6, 2013. https://www.history.com/news/is-spontaneous-human-combustion-real.

Links for Further Research:

STAFF, HISTORY. “Is spontaneous human combustion real?” History, February 6, 2013. https://www.history.com/news/is-spontaneous-human-combustion-real. This website was published by HISTORY STUFF and provides background information on spontaneous human combustion. It determines whether it is real or not, and it shows every aspect about it, as well as the aim of it, which may be read from it. Furthermore, the website's most recent change was on August 9, 2023. It contains up-to-date information on how spontaneous human combustion has evolved over time.

Watson, Stephanie & Mancini, Mark. “How spontaneous human combustion works” HowStuffWorks, September 21, 2023. https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/fire.htm. This website was created by Stephanie Watson and Mark Mancini to provide information about spontaneous human combustion. It explains how and why spontaneous human combustion began. It is detailed in every aspect and aids knowledge. Furthermore, the website's most recent update was on September 21, 2023.

Byard, Roger W. "The mythology of 'spontaneous' human combustion." Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology, vol. 12, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 350+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A713962305/AONE?u=uscaiken&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=1650d8ec. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023. Roger W. Byard wrote this article, which discusses the methology scientists of spontaneous human combustion. It reveals how scientists understand spontaneous human combustion and how they uncover it over time when human bodies are burned and destroyed. It is thorough with every detail and aids in understanding.

Vlaislov III Dracula, Vlad the Impaler

Author: Ryan George

Vlad Dracula III, also called Vlad the Impaler, was born in Sighiorsa, Transylvania in the year 1431.His father, Vlad II Dracul, was a member of the Order of the Dragon; an order committed to the preservation of the Christian faith against Islamic influences by any means required. In 1438, however, his father betrayed the order and joined forces with the Turks, allowing them to keep Vlad III and his brother Mircea as guarantees of Vlad II’s loyalty.

When, in 1447, Vlad II was killed by John Hunyadi for his Turkish allegiance, Vlad III was released. When he returned to Wallachia to take his place on the throne, he discovered the boyars (a word for a minor nobleman) of Tirgoviste held the throne and had murdered his brother. In 1456, the teenage Vlad finally gained his rightful throne after killing the boyars and the murderer of his father with the help of Turkish cavalry.

Thirteen years later, Vlad began his reign of blood during an Easter feast. He ordered the healthy boyars attending sent off to labor in the construction of a new castle on the Arges river, the unhealthy were impaled in a public display.

In addition to killing his enemies, Vlad also despised the weak. He held a feast to which all his subject were invited, under the rouse of wanting to feed all the poor in his kingdom. When the guests arrived, he had them fed and got them drunk, then asked who among them would like to go without care or hunger forever. Of course they all wanted to, so Vlad boarded up the mansion he used for the feast and had it burned to the ground, ridding himself of all the poor, ill, and handicapped in his land.

Vlad’s main weapon was, not surprisingly, psychological. In the year 1461, Vlad failed to assassinate the Turkish Sultan, who became enraged and vowed to kill Vlad. Vlad, when he discovered the failed plot, knowing he couldn’t defeat the Turkish army, retreated with his army to Tirgoviste. While he retreated, he burned every village he found, dumped the corpses of pigs into the wells to putrefy them, and left fields of impaled villagers.

The sultan, his army demoralized, retreated for a few years, and Vlad’s brother Radu led the Turkish forces to take his throne. Hungarian reinforcements, meant to aid Vlad, instead arrested him. They escorted him back to Hungary where he was interred until 1474. Vlad died in the year 1476, however, shortly after retaking his throne, in a battle with an ottoman lord who claimed the Wallachian throne.

There are many unknown tales of Vlad, which may or may not be true. One such tale was that, in order to win support for his country, Vlad placed a golden cup on a stand overnight unobserved. The next morning, the cup remained. His subjects knew that to take the cup and be caught meant a slow, certain death. Another tale holds that, when three foreign ambassadors came to visit Vlad, they were told to remove their hats. When they refused, their hats were nailed to their heads. A third is that, when Vlad had 30,000 of the merchants and nobles of the city of Barasov impaled, he held a feast among the forests of those people still alive on their poles in order to fully enjoy the experience. He noticed one of his own nobles holding his nose against the stench, and so the man was impaled above all the others.

There are other tales, and other vesions of those tales. For further study, I’ve included a few links below. 

Works Cited: 

Picture of The Impaler. Digital image. Listal. Listal, 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://i2.listal.com/image/4185404/600full-vlad-the-impaler.jpg>.

"Vlad the Impaler (1431-1476)." Vlad the Impaler. Historicaltimeline.com, 29 Oct. 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.

"Vlad Dracula/Tepes - The Impaler." Vlad Dracula/Tepes - The Impaler. Castle of Spirits, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2012.

Evolutica. "Dracula." Vlad. Draculas.info, 5 Aug. 2006. Web. 16 Oct. 2012.

Jenkins, Mark. Vampire Forensics: Uncovering the Origins of an Enduring Legend. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic, 2010. Print.

Wilde, Robert. "Vlad the Impaler / Vlad III Dracula / Vlad Tepes." About.com European History. About.com, n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2012.

Links for Further Research:

http://www.vladtheimpaler.com/vlad_the_impaler_bio_003.htm A site about Vlad in particular, seems to have a few historical sources.
http://www.castleofspirits.com/vlad.html
A site about creepy things. Fairly corny, but useful for the tales about Vlad.
http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/famouspeople/a/Vlad-The-Impaler.htm
A site which gives the history of Vlad the Impaler in an unbiased way. It may have been translated from another language, as the wording is, at times, a bit off.