National Twins Day – August 3, 2024

History of National Twins Day

Twins have been around for a long long time. They’ve been celebrated, revered, and sometimes persecuted for their perceived witchery. The twin phenomenon has appeared in every single form of art and culture from civilizations all around the world.

The fact that they had captured the people’s imagination was probably the reason for twins’ appearing in mythology around the world. Greek mythology mentions twin gods, Apollo and Artemis, who rule the sun and the moon respectively. There’s the tale of twin brothers Romulus and Remus, who were raised by a she-wolf and founded the Roman state. Zoroastrian tradition has an evil twin, Angra Mainyu, battling with the good one, Spenta Mainyu.

Religious texts are no exception. Even the “Bible” records twins, such as the brothers Esau and Jacob’s legendary rivalry in the book of Genesis.

Writers, too, used twins to nudge audiences toward reading more, with giants like Shakespeare wielding twins into comedic storylines in his “Twelfth Night.”

By the 19th century, we realized that twins were not to be slotted into predefined roles as our forefathers did. As science advanced, so too did the curiosity about twins: why they were born, what factors contribute to their likeness, and how the environment influences their development. Scientists began studying this twin bond, and many influential theories were also released during this period, like Francis Galton’s paper, ‘The History of Twins,’ and Sigmund Freud’s analysis of the sibling bond between twins.

By the 20th century, the craze and wild speculation about twins died down slightly, and people were able to see them for the individuals they were. Of course, the fascination never completely went away, and twins continue to grace our T.V. screens, books, and other places.

Seeing how popular twins are, a pair of twins named Moses and Aaron Wilcox donated six acres of land to a town in Ohio called Millersville. They only had one stipulation: rename the town ‘Twinsburg.’ Of course, the townspeople did exactly that, and in 1976, the town hosted its first annual twin-themed festival. This largest-ever gathering of twins in the world — according to the Guinness Book of World Records — was the inspiration behind our event and has also spurred various other Twin Day celebrations.