20 Famous Siblings Who Changed the Course of History

On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made four successful powered flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; the longest lasted 59 seconds and covered 852 feet. They built and tested their aircraft themselves, and since then, nothing has ever been the same in the field of transportation.

Joseph and Étienne Montgolfier launched the first manned hot-air balloon flight on November 21, 1783, carrying two passengers over Paris for about 25 minutes. Long before airplanes were even a dream, they gave people their very first glimpse of flight.

Charlotte and Emily Brontë both published their seminal novels in 1847 under male pseudonyms (Currer and Ellis Bell), as they feared their works would not be taken seriously otherwise. Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights convey a sense of nostalgia, anger, and raw emotional power that still surprise readers today.

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published their first collection of folk tales, Kinder- und Hausmärchen, in 1812; it was eventually expanded to include more than 200 stories across seven editions. Jacob also formulated Grimm’s Law, a fundamental principle in the study of consonants during the first millennium BCE.

William James wrote The Principles of Psychology in 1890, a work that helped establish psychology as a serious academic discipline in the United States. His brother, Henry, wrote novels such as The Portrait of a Lady and The Turn of the Screw, which explore the cultural, social, and ideological differences between the United States and Europe. One studied how the mind works. The other brought it to life on the page.

John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in November 1963, while Robert F. Kennedy served as Attorney General before being assassinated himself in June 1968 during his presidential campaign. Their story continues to evoke a unique blend of glamour, grief, ambition, and unfulfilled promises that people seem unable to let go of.

Sarah and Angelina Grimké grew up in a slave-owning family in South Carolina before becoming pioneers of the 19th-century abolitionist movements. Angelina’s pamphlet, Appeal to the Christian Women of the South, published in 1836, was widely burned in the South as soon as it appeared. They were among the first women in America to speak publicly before a mixed audience of men and women.

Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852, and the book sold 300,000 copies in its first year, helping to fuel the anti-slavery movement in the 19th century. Her sister, Catharine Beecher, founded several schools and wrote A Treatise on Domestic Economy in 1841 to promote the importance of home economics in the American educational system.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his older sister Nannerl traveled throughout Europe together from 1763 to 1766, performing before royalty in Austria, France, and England. Wolfgang composed more than 600 works. Nannerl was considered just as talented as a child, but social expectations quietly brought her artistic career to an end as she grew older.

The Jackson 5 signed with Motown in 1969, and their first four singles—including “I Want You Back”—all reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Michael was the lead singer, but Jermaine also took on significant leadership responsibilities, and his solo career at Motown continued even after the group broke up in the 1980s.

Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack Warner turned Warner Bros. into one of Hollywood’s most iconic studios. The Jazz Singer (1927) became the first feature-length sound film, but Sam Warner, who had championed the project most passionately, died the day before its premiere and never got to see the impact it would have.

Charles and David Koch have built Koch Industries into one of the largest privately held companies in the United States, with interests in the oil, manufacturing, and chemical industries. Their political network, notably the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, has become a major force in shaping conservative policy over the past few decades.

Venus and Serena Williams have won a combined 14 Grand Slam doubles titles. Individually, Serena won 23 Grand Slam singles titles—the most in the Open Era at the time of her retirement—while Venus won seven in total.

Peyton and Eli Manning are known for their success in American football. Peyton Manning won two Super Bowls, one with the Colts in 2007 and the other with the Broncos in 2016. Eli Manning also won two Super Bowls during his time with the Giants, one in 2008 and the other in 2012.

In addition to their fame as members of the British royal family, Prince Harry served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and, in 2014, founded the Invictus Games, an international sports competition for wounded or ill service members. Prince William, for his part, has led significant initiatives in support of mental health alongside his official duties.

Emily Dickinson wrote nearly 1,800 poems, but fewer than a dozen were published during her lifetime. Her brother, Austin, was treasurer of Amherst College and one of the leading figures in the town’s civic life. The world he helped build around her served as a tranquil backdrop for one of the most extraordinary bodies of work in American literature.

Edwin Booth was considered one of the greatest Shakespearean actors of the 19th century, particularly famous for his portrayal of Hamlet. Of course, his brother is far more infamous for assassinating Abraham Lincoln.

Auguste and Louis Lumière organized the first public film screening in history on December 28, 1895, in Paris, presenting a program of short films to a paying audience using their invention, the Cinématographe. They went on to produce approximately 1,400 short films and propelled the film industry to the height of its popularity.

Alexander von Humboldt’s multi-volume work, Kosmos, sought to unify all knowledge of the natural world, and his expeditions to South America revolutionized the way scientists understood ecosystems and geography. In 1810, Wilhelm von Humboldt founded what is now Humboldt University in Berlin and helped develop the concept of the research university. Together, they influenced nearly every aspect of the European conception of knowledge.

Vincent van Gogh produced about 900 paintings over the course of about ten years, and he and his brother Theo exchanged more than 800 letters, all of which have been preserved. Theo was an art dealer who supported Vincent financially and emotionally throughout his life. Without this constant and discreet loyalty, the story of one of history’s most influential painters would have been very, very different.