Parents in a remote Peruvian town noticed their 5-year-old daughter had a large belly in the early spring of 1939. Tiburelo Medina and Victoria Losea took their young daughter from the family’s home in Ticrapo to Lima to visit a doctor, fearful that the growth was a tumor.
The doctor informed the parents that their child, Lina Medina, was seven months pregnant. Medina gave birth to a single baby boy through C-section on May 14, 1939. She became the world’s youngest mother at the age of 5 years, 7 months, and 21 days.
Medina’s case surprised pediatricians and drew international attention, something she and her family did not expect. Medina has never revealed the identity of the father to authorities, and she and her family continue to avoid the media and any possibility for a tell-all interview.
Despite the fact that the case of the world’s youngest mother remains a mystery, additional information about how Lina Medina became pregnant — and who the father may have been — has emerged.
A Precocious Puberty Case – a condition in which a person reaches puberty too early.
Lina Medina was one of nine children born on September 23, 1933, in one of Peru’s poorest towns. Her pregnancy at such a young age must have come as a shock to her family and friends, as well as the general public. However, pediatric endocrinologists didn’t rule out the possibility of a 5-year-old girl becoming pregnant.
Medina is thought to have had a rare genetic disorder called precocious puberty, which causes a child’s body to mature too quickly (before age eight for girls and before age nine for boys).
A deeper voice, larger genitals, and facial hair are common symptoms in boys with this illness. Typically, girls with this illness will get their first period and grow breasts at a young age. It affects roughly one child out of every 10,000. This is how around ten times more girls than boys develop.
Precocious puberty is frequently caused by unknown factors. Recent research has indicated that young girls who have been sexually assaulted may reach puberty sooner than their classmates. Precocious puberty may thus be accelerated by early sexual intercourse, according to certain theories.
Lina Medina got her first period at the age of eight months, according to Dr. Edmundo Escomel’s report in a medical publication. Other newspapers, on the other hand, reported that she began menstruation when she was three years old. In any case, it was an unusually early start.
Medina, who was just five years old at the time, had developed breasts, hips that were broader than normal, and accelerated (that is, post-pubescent) bone growth.
Despite the fact that her body was still developing at an early age, she was still definitely a young girl.
Lina Medina’s baby had a father, but who was he?
Lina Medina’s pregnancy is partially explained by her early puberty. However, it does not fully explain everything.
Someone had to get her pregnant, after all. And, unfortunately, given the 100,000-to-1 odds, that individual was probably not a tiny boy suffering from the same illness as she had.
Medina never revealed the identity of the father or the circumstances of the assault that resulted in her pregnancy to her doctors or the authorities. However, due to her youth, she may not have even recognized herself.
When asked about the father, Dr. Escomel replied she “couldn’t give accurate responses.”
Medina’s father, Tiburelo, a local silversmith, was briefly detained for the alleged rape of his child. When no evidence or witness testimony could be obtained to hold him responsible, he was released and the charges against him were withdrawn. Tiburelo, for one, has categorically denied ever raping his daughter.
Some news outlets theorized in the years after Medina’s birth that she may have been attacked at unspecified festivities near her town. This, however, was never verified.
The World’s Youngest Mother Remains Silent
Lina Medina’s pregnancy was well-publicized, and it drew interest from all around the world.
Newspapers in Peru offered the Medina family tens of thousands of dollars for the rights to interview and film Lina, but they declined. Meanwhile, publications in the United States covered the story extensively, including an attempt to contact the world’s youngest mother.
There were even offers to pay the family to come to America. Medina and her family, on the other hand, declined to speak publicly.
Given the extraordinary nature of Medina’s condition and her resistance to inquiry, it was likely inevitable that some spectators would suspect her family of fabricating the entire story.
This does not appear to be the case after more than 80 years have gone. Medina and her family have made no attempt to profit from the story and medical documents showing that she was in good health during her pregnancy.
Only two images of Medina, while she was pregnant, are known to exist. Only one of these, a low-resolution profile photograph, was ever published outside of medical journals.
Her medical records also include several reports from doctors who treated her, as well as X-rays of her abdomen that plainly reveal the bones of a developing fetus within her body. Her pregnancy was also verified by blood tests. And all of the papers that were published in the literature passed peer review with top marks.
Medina, on the other hand, has turned down every interview request. She would spend the rest of her life avoiding publicity, refusing to sit for interviews with both international wire services and local publications.
Inside The Mysterious Death Of The Famed Gothic Writer Edgar Allan Poe
Hours before his death Edgar Allen Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore. He was incoherent, wearing another man’s clothes, and unable to explain how he got there. The cause of his death is an unsolved mystery.
Why the Brooklyn Bridge Was Once Crossed by 17 Camels and 21 Elephants
On May 30, 1883, a rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge was going to collapse caused a stampede, which killed at least at twleve people. To prove the bridge was safe, P.T. Barnum led a parade of 21 elephants over it.
Moondyne Joe: The story of Australia's most notorious prison escapee
A man named Joseph Bolitho Johns (A.K.A Moondyne Joe) broke out of Australian prisons so many times that the police were compelled to build a special cell just for him. He escaped from that as well.
Nearest Green, America's first known Black master distiller
Nathan "Nearest" Green was an African-American head stiller who is now more frequently referred to as a master distiller. He was renowned for imparting his distilling knowledge to Jack Daniel, the creator of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey distiller, after Jack Daniel was freed from slavery following the American Civil War.
The Baltic Way: the longest unbroken human chain in history
On August 23, 1989, about 2 million people from Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania formed a human chain that united all 3 countries to show the world their desire to escape the Soviet Union and the communism that brought only suffering and poverty. This power stretched 600 km.
How Dmitri Mendeleev Developed the periodic table of the elements
1850 Dmitri Mendeleev walked almost a thousand miles to Moscow so he could apply for the University of Moscow. Although he was not accepted, he walked to St. Petersburg where he was accepted, And with that education, he developed the the periodic table of the elements
Keith Sapsford: The Story of 14-Year-Old Stowaway
The final image of 14-year-old Australian Keith Sapsford, who aspired to travel the world. In February 1970, he sneaked into the wheel-well of a plane flying from Sydney to Tokyo. It opened mid-air & fell out. When a photographer was testing a new lens, he captured this moment on film and was surprised when it developed.
Roller Coasters were First Invented to Distract People from sin
Roller coasters were invented to distract Americans from sin. In the 1880s, hosiery businessman LaMarcus Thompson didn’t like that Americans were going to places like saloons and brothels and created the first roller coaster on Coney Island to persuade them to go there instead.
How did Howard Florey discover penicillin
Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming, but he never attempted to turn it into an antibiotic. It wasn't until ten years later that Howard Florey discovered Fleming's obscure paper and understood the mold's potential. Up to 200 million lives may have been saved as a result of Florey's work.
Jack the Baboon operated a railroad, earned a living, and never made a mistake
A baboon worked as a signalman for the railroad in the late 1800s. He never made a mistake and worked for the railroad until the day he died.
Nicholas Winton ‘British Schindler’: Man who rescued 669 Czech children from Nazis
A man named Nicholas Winton saved 669 kids during WWII and lived almost all his life without letting people know.
Mario Segale, Developer Who Inspired Nintendo to Name Super Mario
Super Mario is named after real-life businessman Mario Segale, who was renting out a warehouse to Nintendo. After Nintendo fell far behind on rent, Segale did not evict them but gave them a second chance to come up with the money. Nintendo succeeded and named their main character after him.
How Greek prime minister in 1830’s tried to spread the potato in Greece
A Greek prime minister in 1830’s tried to spread the potato in Greece but people weren’t interested so he put armed guards in front of shipments of potatoes so people would think they were important. People later started stealing these potatoes a lot which spread the crop to all of Greece.
Xin Zhui And The Story Of The Stunningly Intact Lady Dai Mummy
A 2,000-year-old mummy of a Chinese woman, Xin Zhui, also known as “Lady Dai,” was preserved in 21 gallons of an “unknown liquid.” With her original hair, organs, eyebrows, and eyelashes intact, the mummy still has blood in her veins. Her skin and ligaments are soft and as flexible as that of a living person.
Ea-Nasir: world's oldest written customer complaint
This clay tablet, written in cuneiform, is the oldest known written customer complaint about the delivery of poor quality copper ingots. Originally from ancient Babylon, the tablet dates back to 1750 BCE, and it was written by a customer named Nanni to a merchant named Ea-Nasir. It is currently housed in the British Museum.
how Ferris wheel invented
In 1891, Chicago challenged engineers to create a structure to surpass the Eiffel Tower for the World's Columbian Exposition. George Washington Gale Ferris jr. responded with the original Ferris Wheel, a giant rotating structure elevating visitors above the city. This invention became an iconic attraction at the fair.
15 interesting facts about Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II, who ruled Britain for 70 years, has away at the age of 96. She was the country's longest-reigning monarch. Here are some little-known facts about her.
Irena Sendler: woman who rescued Jews during holocaust
Irene Sendler was the Zegota resistance group's head of the children's department. She risked her life to smuggle children out of the Warsaw ghetto, place them with Polish families or orphanages, give each child a new identity, and keep records so that they could be returned to their families. In 1943, the Gestapo arrested and sentenced her to death, but she was rescued by Zegota.
The Bizarre (And Magical) Duel Between Chung Ling Soo And Ching Ling Foo
Ching Ling Foo and Chung Ling Soo were two magicians from the early 20th century who were bitter rivals. While Ching Ling Foo was genuinely Chinese, Chung Ling Soo was actually a New Yorker named William Robinson.
The true story Of The Radium Girls that change US labor laws
Hundreds of young women worked in clock factories during World War I, painting watch dials with luminous radium paint. The company lied about the risk of radiation, claiming there was no danger, which resulted in the death of the young women.
How a Total Lunar Eclipse Saved Christopher Columbus in 1504
In 1504, Christopher Columbus was stranded in Jamaica with natives who refused to give him food. But he knew the date and time of an upcoming lunar eclipse. So he told the natives that his gods were angry at their treatment of him, and would provide a clear sign. Once the eclipse started, the natives raced to give him food and begged for mercy.
Remembering the 1945 Empire State Building Disaster: When a Plane Met Skyscraper
An airplane crashed into the Empire State Building in 1945. Among other damage, plane parts severed the cables of an elevator and the woman inside fell over 70 stories. She lived and holds the world record for the longest survived elevator fall.
Remembering the miracles of the 1985 Mexico earthquake (unbelievable stories)
In 1985, after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit Mexico City, nearly all newborn babies survived a collapsed hospital. They are known as “Miracle Babies” for surviving 7 days without nourishment, water, warmth or human contact.
The Littlest Skyscraper: How J.D. McMahon’s 480-Inch Con Fooled Investors in 1919
In 1919, J.D. McMahon convinced investors to fund a 480-foot skyscraper, but he labeled the plans as 480 inches, building a 40-foot structure instead. After taking $200,000, he won in court since the plans matched what he built.
The Tragic Story Of Mary Ann Bevan, The ‘Ugliest Woman In The World’
After the death of her husband, Mary Ann Bevan had no income to support herself and her children. She then decided to enter a contest where she won the title of “ugliest woman” and was later hired by a circus. She endured this ridicule from the world to provide for her family.
