Giovanni and Giacomo, the Tocci Brothers. Marc Hartzman Collection.
Giovanni and Giacomo Tocci were born in Turin, Italy in 1875. Joined from the sixth rib downward, they shared one abdomen, one pair of legs, and one set of genitals. Each controlled one leg, which prevented them from learning how to walk. Both brothers, however, had his own two arms, heart, lungs and stomach.
Despite being conjoined, the brothers had small degrees of independence. They had their own personalities. One could sleep while the other played. And if one got ill, the other might remain healthy.
The Tocci Brothers inspired Mark Twain to write “Those Extraordinary Twins.”
Their father immediately began capitalizing on their anomaly by putting them in sideshows when they were just one month old. The twins proved quite popular and spent years traveling across Europe and the United States. Hailed as “the greatest human phenomenon ever seen alive,” they reportedly earned as much as $1,000 a week at one point.
However, fame and fortune did not bring them happiness. Life stuck to each other was difficult, and so by the age of sixteen they returned home and went into seclusion. As adults, it is believed that they each married.
The Tocci Brothers later passed away in 1912. But their spirit lives on through the words of Mark Twain. The famous author made them the subject of his story, Those Extraordinary Twins. Read more about the Tocci Brothers in my book, American Sideshow.
