June and Jennifer Gibbons, identical twins, were born on April 11, 1963, in a military hospital in Aden, Yemen, while their father served in the Royal Air Force.
They came to the UK with their parents, Gloria and Aubrey Gibbons, from Barbados. Their births and early years were ordinary, but their parents discovered they were different from other girls not long before they reached the age of speaking.
They were unusually close and late in speaking. His family claimed that they both had a speech impairment that made it difficult to understand them. Their parents had to guess what the twins were trying to say, and after a few years, they had developed their own unique language that only they understood.
They were the only black students in school, and as a result, they were subjected to constant bullying, which seemed to strengthen their bond. In 1976, a doctor came to the school to administer tuberculosis vaccinations to the children. June and Jennifer’s strange behavior and lack of emotion when receiving the injection shocked him, so he informed the school’s headmaster.
The doctor refused to give up and pushed that the girls be enrolled in therapy, despite the headmaster’s assurances.
They wouldn’t talk to anyone.
They refused to speak to anyone after consulting multiple psychotherapists and psychologists. Ann Treharne, a speech therapist, didn’t meet the twins until February 1977, and they made considerable progress.
Although she was unable to communicate with the girls, they agreed to have their chats recorded if they were left alone. Treharne deduced from the recordings that their secret language was a combination of English and a sped-up version of Barbadian creole.
During their sessions, Ane Treharne got the idea that June wanted to talk to her but was afraid of Jennifer telling her she couldn’t.
Their parents agreed to separate the girls the following year in order to test whether this would cause them to open up, but the experiment failed. The twins became even more cut off from the outside world, refusing to eat, dress, and spend most of their time in bed.
The physicians had no choice but to reconnect them, only for them to resume their silent behavior. They wrote letters to their parents to speak with them.
At the age of 16, the twins dropped out of school. They used to makeup stories with their dolls, read a lot of books and enjoy writing. They’d occasionally tell their younger sister Rosie about their adventures.
Their Situation Got Even Worse
The girls turned 18 in 1981 and began experimenting with alcohol and drugs, as well as committing minor crimes.
Their activities progressed to arson, and they were apprehended the next year. They set fire to three structures and were caught red-handed attempting to set fire to Pembrokeshire Technical College.
Marjorie Wallace, a London-based journalist for The Sunday Times, came across the twins’ story and was determined to learn more. She paid June and Jennifer visits in prison while they awaited their trials. She wished to shatter the stillness between them.
Wallace had read some of their articles and expressed her admiration for them to the twins. June’s reactions were ecstatic, and she questioned if she liked them with difficulty.
June and Jennifer pled guilty to 16 offenses of burglary, theft, and arson after their trial at Swansea Crown Court. They were condemned to indefinite imprisonment at Broadmoor, the most secure mental facility in the United Kingdom.
Their Stay at Broadmoor Hospital
Wallace believes it was an injustice that they were sent to a facility with cold-blooded killers and other dangerous offenders, but no other facility would take them because their behavior was too upsetting.
Wallace began visiting the twins every weekend at Broadmoor, determined to break into their inner world, and she gradually gained access to their universe.
Jeniffer and June spent nearly a decade in Broadmoor. It had been 12 years of agony, according to June. They were medicated with antipsychotics and sedated on a regular basis. The size of their journals and books shrank substantially. They were frantic to get out, so they wrote letters to the Home Office and the Queen but received no response. They had given up hope.
They got acquainted with Marjorie Wallace throughout their visit. She claimed the twins had a dry sense of humor, that they laughed at her jokes, and that they would sometimes spend entire teas laughing.
Wallace, on the other hand, began to notice the evil within each twin. She discovered from their diary entries that June felt possessed by her sister and was terrified of her, whom she referred to as her “black shadow.” June was Jennifer’s mortal nemesis, and she described her as “a face of agony, lies, and murder.”
Despite the fact that they looked to have an unbreakable link, the twins’ terror of each other grew over time, as seen by their writing.
Wallace put forth a lot of effort to figure out how the twins interacted, and he saw that June seemed to be more afraid of Jennifer, the dominant force. June attempted to open up more to Wallace, but Jennifer’s subtle cues appeared to prevent her from doing so.
Free at last?
The twins were cleared for relocation to a medium-security clinic closer to home in 1993, a month before their 30th birthday. After 12 years, it was their first step toward liberation.
Wallace paid one last visit to the twins at Broadmoor a few days before the relocation. They were having a pleasant talk when Jennifer abruptly said:
“Marjorie, I’m going to have to die.”
Wallace thought she was joking and told her:
“Why are you going to have to die? You’re not ill.”
The twins answered:
“Because we’ve decided. We have made a pact. Jennifer has got to die.”
They seemed to have arrived in the conclusion that one of them would have to give up their life in order for the other to truly be free.
Wallace was terrified at that moment, knowing they meant it, and she opted not to ask any more questions.
She informed the physicians, who assured her that nothing was wrong and that the girls were being watched.
Jennifer Gibbons’ Death: What Happened to Her?
Jennifer said she wasn’t feeling well the morning they left Broadmoor. She placed her head on June’s shoulder in the transport cart and whispered, “At long last, we’re out,” before slipping into a coma.
She died less than 12 hours later from undetected acute myocarditis, a rare heart condition characterized by inflammation. It’s only a small percentage of the time when it’s fatal.
Jennifer Gibbons’ death is still a mystery, as there was no sign of poisoning or anything strange in her system.
June wrote in her diary about her loss and sorrow at her sister’s death, but Wallace paid her a visit to the new hospital after a few days and was surprised to find her in excellent spirits and eager to talk. June, she claimed, appeared to be a new person.
She gently explained to Wallace how Jennifer had to die and how they had determined that once that happened, June would be responsible for living for the other.
June spent a year at Caswell Hospital before returning to West Wales to start a new life. She continues to reside in the United Kingdom, close to her family. She leads a normal life and speaks to everyone who will listen, although she has attempted to stay out of the spotlight in the past, with the exception of a few interviews.
3 men lived on top of a billboard in tents for almost 9 months
From 1982-1983, three men in Allentown PA competed in a radio contest in which they lived on top of a billboard in tents. Whoever stayed up longest would win a house. Due to economic pressure from the recession, none of the contestants wanted to give up, so the contest lasted almost 9 months.
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.
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.
The story of a man who spent 72 hours with 72 venomous snakes to prove they only bite when provoked
In the 1980s, an Indian man spent 72 hours in a glass cabin with 72 snakes, some of which were extremely venomous. His aim was to prove that snakes only attack when provoked. Remarkably, he was not bitten once in those 72 hours and even set a Guinness World Record in the process.
Graves holding hands over wall, A Catholic woman and her Protestant husband grave
A protestant man and a Catholic woman who weren't allowed from being buried together in a graveyard in 19th-century Holland turned their graves into a monument showing them holding hands across the wall separating them.
The unbroken seal on King Tutankhamun's tomb until 1922
The unbroken seal of Tutankhamun's tomb before it was opened in 1923, it was unbroken for over 3000 years.
Top 10 most cruel medical procedures that are being used today
We are all aware that medicine has advanced dramatically over the last fifty years. There are several modern medical approaches available today, but this was not always the case. However, the past of medicine is a dark one. Medical leeches, lobotomy, vascular surgery, cranial stenosis, and even electroshock therapy are all options. These are only a couple of the cruel healing techniques that are still in use today.
The 1814 London beer flood
In 1814, there was a beer flood in London when a tank containing more than 300,000 gallons ruptured in which 8 people drowned.
Poto And Cabengo: The Secret Language Of Twins
Poto and Cabengo, as the two girls called each other, communicated in their own language. The twins were ignored by their parents and secluded from the outside world because their father felt they were developmentally retarded, and their unique language evolved as a result of that neglect.
Robert Odlum, the first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge
The first person to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge was a professional high diver who "wanted to demonstrate that people did not die simply by falling through the air, thus encouraging people to be willing to jump from a burning building into a net." He proved himself correct by safely falling 135 feet through the air and dying only when he hit the water.
The Mysterious Story of Gil Pérez, the Man Who Allegedly Teleported From Manila to Mexico
On October 24, 1593, while performing his guard duties at Manila's Governor's Palace in the Philippines, Gil Perez stopped to lean against a wall and sleep for a while. He opened his eyes to find himself in an unusual environment. Gil was in the Plaza Mayor in Mexico City. They imprisoned Perez, but the authorities in Mexico City decided to release him and return him home.
Marion Stokes recorded 30 years of television
Marion Stokes, a Philadelphia woman began taping whatever was on television in 1979 and didn’t stop until her death in 2012. The 71,000 VHS and Betamax tapes she made are the most complete collection preserving this era of TV. They are being digitized by the Internet Archive.
Man's Blood Helped Save Millions of Babies
Australian blood donor James Harrison has been one of our most impressive and valued donors, having donated for 60 years. Know his story, how he was a pioneer of our Anti-D program, and why this matters.
Terry Fox, a 21-year-old one-legged cancer patient who ran 143 days before dying
Terry Fox was a 21-year-old one-legged cancer patient who ran 3,339 miles across Canada in 143 days before dying.
Henry Ford, The man popularizing the concept of the weekend off
Henry Ford was the first Industrial Giant to give his employees both Saturday and Sunday off in the hope of encouraging more leisurely use of automobiles and thus popularizing the concept of the "weekend."
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.
Ancient Jericho: The First Walled City In History
The ancient city of Jericho is the world's oldest walled city, with evidence of stone fortifications dating back nearly 9000 years.
Medieval Medicine: A 1,000-year-old onion and garlic salve kills modern bacterial superbugs
Scientists recreated an Anglo-Saxon manuscript-based 9th century onion and garlic eye remedy and discovered that it killed 90% of antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria (MRSA).
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.
Blanche Monnier: Imprisoned For 25 Years For Falling in Love
Blanche Monnier, she was a French woman noted for her beauty, she wished to marry an old lawyer that her mother disapproved of, so she locked her in a small dark room in her attic for 25 years.
The Mouth of Truth: Ancient Rome’s Legendary "Lie Detector" That Bit Off Hands
Discover the chilling legend of the Mouth of Truth (Bocca della Verità) in Ancient Rome—a massive carved stone face believed to bite off the hand of anyone who lied while inserting their hand into its gaping mouth. Uncover the truth behind its eerie reputation and how this ancient artifact became a symbol of honesty and fear.
Underground Railroad to Mexico freed thousands of slaves in 1829
Slavery was abolished in Mexico in 1829. Slaves were escaping to Mexico, and slaveholders in the US were aware of this. The US attempted to get Mexico to sign a fugitive slave treaty, which would have required Mexico to send back escaped slaves to the US. But, Mexico refused, arguing that slaves were free as soon as they set foot on Mexican soil.
The true story of Josephine Myrtle Corbin, the lady born with four legs and two private parts
Josephine Myrtle Corbin, an American sideshow performer born in 1868, had a rare condition known as dipygus, which caused her to have four legs, each smaller inner leg paired with one of her outer legs. Corbin joined the sideshow circuit, captivating audiences as the "Four-Legged Girl from Texas."
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.
The 1976 April Fools' Pranks, Planetary Alignment
On April fool's Day, 1976, the BBC convinced many listeners that a special alignment of the planets would temporarily decrease gravity on Earth. Phone lines were flooded with callers who claimed they felt the effects.
