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What do Albert Einstein, Charles Darwin and HG Wells have in common?
Yes, they were all greats who changed the world in their respective fields of physics, biology and wrote some of the best novels of the 20th century.
But the trio also married their first cousins, as did many other famous figures, including Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, poet Edgar Allan Poe and American outlaw Jesse James.
The controversy over cousin marriage was renewed recently when MP Iqbal Mohamed spoke in its defense in the House of Commons.
He stated that many people view intermarriage as “very positive” and said it is seen as something that could help “build family bonds” and put families in a more secure financial position.”
Mohamed spoke out against Conservative MP Richard Holden’s efforts to introduce new legislation banning first cousin marriage.
King Henry VIII legalized marriage between first cousins in 1540, so he could marry his fifth wife, Catherine Howard.
And, as we reveal below, some famous names have taken advantage of the legal position, both at home and abroad.
Albert Einstein
Einstein’s second wife, Elsa Lowenthal, was his first cousin. In addition to being her mother’s niece, she was Einstein’s second cousin on her father’s side.
The theoretical physicist was married twice. With his first wife, also a physicist Mileva Maric, he had four children.
After the couple divorced in 1919 after 16 years together, Einstein married his first cousin Elsa Lowenthal.
In addition to being her mother’s niece, she was Einstein’s second cousin on her father’s side.
Elsa died childless in 1936, and Albert, known for developing the theory of relativity, survived her by 19 years.
Charles Darwin
Scientist Charles Darwin, whose book On the Origin of Species popularized the theory of evolution, had ten children with his wife Emma Wedgwood.
Emma was the daughter of Darwin’s uncle, making her his first cousin.
Darwin’s studies had made him worry about marrying within his family.
Scientist Charles Darwin, whose book On the Origin of Species popularized the theory of evolution, had ten children with his wife Emma Wedgwood. Emma was the daughter of Darwin’s uncle, making her his first cousin.
Although seven of the couple’s children survived to adulthood, the tenth and last, Carlos the youngest, died while still an infant.
Darwin described him as “late in walking and speaking, but intelligent and observant.”
He also feared that his son Leonard would be “quite slow and backward”, while his daughter Henrietta would have a digestive illness similar to his own.
Darwin even told a friend: “We are a miserable family and should be exterminated.”
But by marrying his cousin, Darwin was following a family tradition. His grandfather, Josiah Wedgwood, had married his third cousin, while his daughter married Darwin’s father.
Emma’s father had nine children in total and four of them married cousins.
HG wells
Isabel, HG Wells’s first wife, with whom he was only three years before divorcing, was his first cousin.
The author of The War of the Worlds courted Isabel while he was staying at the house of his aunt, his mother.
Wells sparked their separation after falling in love with his student Amy Catherine Robbins, who later became known as Jane.
The couple had two children with her and another son, the novelist Anthony West, with his lover Rebecca West.
Isabel, H.G. Wells’s first wife, with whom he was only three years before divorcing, was his first cousin.
Saddam Hussein
Iraq’s late dictator was executed in 2006 after fleeing following the collapse of his regime.
Hussein’s first wife, Sajidah Talfah, was also his first cousin. The couple were raised as brother and sister and their marriage was arranged when they were both young children.
The couple married in 1963 and had five children together. The eldest, Uday, followed his father’s love of brutality and had an obsession with torture.
Hussein took a second wife, Samira Shahbandar. The dictator’s two wives are still alive.
Iraq’s late dictator was executed in 2006 after fleeing following the collapse of his regime. Hussein’s first wife, Sajidah Talfah, was also his first cousin. The couple was raised as brother and sister.
jesse james
American outlaw Jesse James married his first cousin Zerelda, named after his mother, in 1874.
Between bank robberies, stagecoaches and trains, James found time to father four children with his other half.
The law finally caught up with him in 1882, after a disastrous bank robbery attempt that left much of his gang dead.
While fleeing, James was shot in the back of the head by his comrade Robert Ford.
Zerelda lived until 1900, but died alone and penniless.
American outlaw Jesse James married his first cousin Zerelda, named after his mother, in 1874. Between bank robberies, stagecoaches and trains, James found time to father four children with his other half.
Edgar Allan Poe
The American poet Edgar Allan Poe married Virginia, his first cousin, when she was only 13 years old.
However, the couple’s union ended in tragedy just over a decade after they married, when Virginia died of tuberculosis in 1847.
By then, Poe had become a household name with his poem The Raven, which is about a distraught lover who is repeatedly visited by a raven.
Poe died in October 1849 without leaving any children.
The American poet Edgar Allan Poe married Virginia, his first cousin, when she was only 13 years old. However, the couple’s union ended in tragedy just over a decade after they married, when Virginia died of tuberculosis in 1847.