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 writing some of the greatest novels of the 20th century.
But the trio also all married their first cousins – as did many other famous figures, including Iraqi dictator Sadam Hussein, poet Edgar Allan Poe and American outlaw Jesse James.
The controversy over cousin marriage was recently renewed when MP Iqbal Mohamed spoke out in its defence in the House of Commons.
He claimed that many people view family intermarriage as ‘very positive’ and said it was seen as something that could help ‘build family bonds’ and put families on a more secure financial foothold’.
Mr Mohamed spoke out against Tory MP Richard Holden’s efforts to bring in new legislation to prohibit the marriage of first cousins.
King Henry VIII legalised first-cousin marriage in 1540, so he could tie the knot with 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
The theoretical physicist was married twice. With his first wife, fellow physicist Mileva Maric, he had four children.
After the couple divorced in 1919 following 16 years together, Einstein went on to marry his first cousin Elsa Lowenthal.
As well as being the niece of his mother, she was Einstein’s second cousin on his father’s side.
Elsa died without having children in 1936, and Albert – known for developing the theory of relativity – outlived her by 19 years.
Chares Darwin
Scientist Charles Darwin, whose book On The Origin of Species popularised 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 concerned about marrying within his family.
Although seven of the couple’s children survived into adulthood, their tenth and last – Charles the younger – died while still a baby.
Darwin described him as ‘backward in walking & talking, but intelligent and observant.’
He also feared that his son Leonard was ‘rather slow and backward’, whilst his daughter Henrietta had a digestive illness similar to his own.
Darwin even told a friend: ‘We are a wretched family & ought to be exterminated.’
But in marrying his cousin, Darwin was following a family tradition. His grandfather, Josiah Wedgwood, had married his third cousin, whilst their daughter married Darwin’s father.
Emma’s father had nine children in total, and four of them married cousins.
H.G. Wells
H.G. Wells’ first wife Isabel, who he was with for just three years before they divorced, was his first cousin.
The War of the Worlds author courted Isabel while staying at the home of his aunt, her mother.
Wells triggered their split after falling in love with his student Amy Catherine Robbins, who was later known as Jane.
The couple had two sons with her and another child, the novelist Anthony West, with mistress Rebecca West.
Saddam Hussein
The late dictator of Iraq was executed in 2006 after going on the run following the collapse of his regime.
Hussein’s first wife, Sajidah Talfah, was also his first cousin. The pair were raised as brother and sister and their marriage was arranged when both were small children.
The couple married in 1963 and had five children together. The eldest, Uday, took after his father’s love of brutality and had an obsession with torture.
Hussein went on to take a second wife, Samira Shahbandar. Both of the dictator’s wives are still alive.
Jesse James
American outlaw Jesse James married his first cousin Zerelda – who was named after his mother – in 1874.
In between robbing banks, stagecoaches and trains, James found the time to father four children with his other half.
The law finally caught up with him in 1882, after a disastrous attempted bank robbery that left much of his gang dead.
While on the run, James was shot in the back of the head by his comrade Robert Ford.
Zerelda went on to live until 1900, but died penniless and alone.
Edgar Allan Poe
American poet Edgar Allan Poe married his Virginia, his first cousin, when she was just 13.
However, the couple’s union was ended by tragedy just over a decade after they tied the knot, when Virginia died from 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 passed away in October 1849, leaving no children.