Ronald, Eric & David
Britain’s oldest set of triplets—Ronald, Eric and David Thurman—turned 80 years old in May 2011, and it’s a minor miracle they even survived childbirth, as their mother gave birth in her own bed without doctors. She was hoping for one girl … and had three boys instead, making her a mom to four boys under the age of 4. “I don't know how she managed it, but she did,” Ronald told The Daily Mail.
Photo via Cascade News
Audrey, Alan & Eric
Doctors thought the Lucas triplets’ mother, Doris, might be carrying twins, but everyone was in for a surprise when she gave birth to a girl and two boys in 1933, weighing in at 5, 3 and 2 pounds, respectively. “It was a real shock when three of us arrived, there was a dash to get more nappies,” Audrey, now a grandmother to 21 children, told The Daily Mail. “They wrapped us all in cotton wool and cooking foil to keep us warm.” Since Audrey, Alan and Eric were so small, no one had predicted three babies. Docs warned that they might not all make it, but the triplets celebrated their 80th birthdays together this year.
Photo via Manchester Evening News Syndication
Minna, Luise & Bertholdine
It’s amazing for three siblings to survive into old age at all, but the German-born Hoberg triplets take the cake. In 2005, Guinness called Minna Dora Blöcker, Luise Amalie Stefenerand and Bertholdine Alwine Bernecker the oldest living triplets just after they blew out 91 candles for their milestone birthday. They were born January 31, 1914.
Catherine, Frances & Marguerite
Although they don't get together often, triplets Catherine Roth, Frances Hornberger and Marguerite Miller congregated in Batavia, N.Y., for a major milestone: their 93rd birthday. Their mother had wanted one boy, but instead had three girls. The multiples were incredibly healthy despite the high risk for complications at the time of their birth. That said, their childhood wasn’t entirely idyllic. “Twins are closer,” Catherine told The Daily News. “We sometimes argue.”
Photo via The Daily News Online
Derek, Rodney & Henry
In 2009, The New Zealand Herald caught up with the country’s oldest living triplets—Derek, Rodney and Henry Mossman—who are also identical. The 86-year-olds admitted to pranking their girlfriends, and even unintentionally tricking their wives into believing one was another when they were married; one Christmas, Harry’s wife slid into bed with the wrong brother. "Nobody could ever tell the difference between us," he said.
Photo via OldBoys
Helen, Edna, Sarah & Wilma
According to the Los Angeles Times, Helen, Edna, Sarah and Wilma were widely considered one of the oldest living sets of quadruplets when Wilma died at age 72 in 2002. The sisters were a medical marvel, surviving childbirth to a first-time mother. They became entertainers as they grew up, tap-dancing and singing for audiences around Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Photo via Argenta Images
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Faith, Hope & Charity
As of 2002, the oldest triplets to ever live were 95 years old, born in the United States on May 18, 1899. According to Guinness, Faith passed first in 1994, survived by her sisters Hope and Charity.
Annette, Cecile, Yvonne, Marie & Emilie
In 1934, in the middle of the Great Depression, the Dionne quintuplets were born to Canadian parents. Identical sisters Annette, Cecile, Yvonne, Marie and Emilie were the first quints to survive past their infancy, making them the oldest ever at that time. They were taken in by the state and housed at a hospital nicknamed “Quintland” where the government and surrounding establishments reportedly made a half billion dollars off the circus-like sideshow, according to CNN. Sadly, Emilie passed away first in 1954 at the age of 20 from an epileptic seizure.
Adolf, Ann-Marie, Emma & Elisabeth
The oldest set of surviving quadruplets to make the record books were the German-born Ottman siblings: Adolf, Ann-Marie, Emma and Elisabeth. Born in 1912, Adolf passed away first in 1992, at age 79. (Factoid: According to Guinness, as of 2000, there were just 992 quadruplets around the globe, and a mere 20 identical sets.)
