History has brought several famous couples, from Kings and Queens to civil rights activists. While not all of these couples were good for each other, they left a mark on history that has kept them alive in textbooks or verbal stories. These are ten of the most famous historical couples throughout time.
10. Queen Victoria & Prince Albert
Along with the birth of nine children, German Prince Consort Albert and Queen Victoria also brought around the idea of Victorianism. The term idolizes “faith, thrift, discipline, marital fidelity, parental control, and social cohesion.” The couple changed the view of British royalty by changing its scandalous image into one that showed a couple very much in love and focused on their family.
9. Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera
You may recognize both of these Mexican artists, but did you know they were a couple for years? Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo were well-established artists in their time, but Rivera always believed that Kahlo would have a lasting reputation compared to him. While he is right, their relationship is quite special too. Art historians believe the couple was very much in love, even though their affairs caused them to separate in 1940, but they did reunite after a year apart.
8. John & Abigail Adams
We head to colonial America for our eighth famous couple, John and Abigail Adams. During the Revolutionary War, the marriage of John and Abigail later helped shape the nation. Abigail was able to soften her husband’s stuffy and critical personality, allowing America’s second president to have a deepened mental state than before. The two were deeply in love before marriage, sharing personal vows that would soften the coldest heart.
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7. Cleopatra & Marc Antony
Love stories can often be messy, and one of the most famous messy couples would be Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The story begins with Cleopatra having an affair with Caesar until he gets stabbed to death, and this is when Cleopatra falls in love with Antony. Antony’s current wife found out but later died, and instead of marrying Cleopatra he married another for political reasons, even though Cleopatra was pregnant with his child. When war broke out and misinformation caused the couple to kill themselves, it truly became a story worthy of Romeo and Juliet.
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6. Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn
Henry VIII‘s history is filled with numerous wives and scandals, but one of the most memorable was his relationship with Anne Boleyn. King Henry first noticed Anne when she was a lady-in-waiting to his Queen, Catherine of Aragon. She later became Henry’s second wife, shocking the court with his divorce from Catherine. It did not end well for Anne, as she was beheaded in 1536 under the charges of adultery, with many scholars believing Henry was getting rid of her to pursue Jane Seymour.
5. Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt
It didn’t matter that Eleanor was a distant cousin of Franklin, he believed they were destined to be together. Later residing in the White House, this is when Franklin and Eleanor’s true purpose came about. Eleanor did discover her husband was having an affair but continued to stay by his side, even when he suffered from polio and began to lose the use of his body. Eleanor stepped in and acted in her husband’s stead several times, becoming quite the historical figure herself.
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4. Marie & Pierre Curie
Radioactive elements can’t get in the way of our fourth couple’s love. Pierre and Marie Curie met at the Sorbonne in Paris, leading to a life in the lab together. The two achieved fame for their studies of radioactivity, later earning a Nobel Prize. When Pierre was killed in 1906, Marie took over his position at the Sorbonne, working until she succumbed to the radiation poisoning she’d endured for decades. Her remains and journals are still radioactive to this day.
3. Bonnie Parker & Clyde Barrow
By far the most dangerous couple on our list is Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, more colloquially known as the murder pair “Bonnie and Clyde.” The two were wanted on charges of murder, kidnapping, robbery, and auto theft. Their criminal spree ended abruptly when the two were gunned down in Louisiana on May 23, 1934, but many still remember their legacy today.
2. Martin Luther King Jr. & Coretta Scott King
Couples who fight for civil rights together should be remembered in history. While Martin Luther King Jr. was the champion and face of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s, his wife Coretta Scott King supported his activism and stood alongside him at protests. Coretta was also a trained singer, meeting Martin at the New England Conservatory of Music.
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1. Adam & Eve
Most commonly found in the Bible, our most famous historical couple is Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. The two learned together but suffered too when Eve ate the Forbidden Fruit and the couple was banished from the Garden of Eden. Numerous stories and debates have been made about Adam and Eve and will continue for decades.
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