Gallagher, Gallagher Too & The Motorcycle Twins

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By Ian Lendler

Benny and Billy McCrary

Also Known As: those guys on the motorcycles from the Guinness Book of World Records

Famous for: being wildly obese. At 814 lbs. and 784 lbs., respectively, they were the largest twins on earth.

Teamed up: when they were 4 years old, after a bout of German measles destroyed their pituitary glands and caused their massive weight gain. They capitalized on their Guinness recognition in the 1970s by doing a promotional stunt for Honda, in which they rode specially designed motorcycles across America. The iconic photo of the twins was taken during that trip.

Trouble: Plenty, if you were on the receiving end of "The Big Splash" or "The Steamroller." These became their signature moves after they decided to use their fame to form a professional wrestling tag team using the last name McGuire.

The Relationship: ended tragically in 1979, when Billy died performing a motorbike stunt at Niagara Falls. Benny wrestled on, but without his brother, he soon lost interest in showbiz. He retired to a life of evangelical Christian charity golf tournaments before passing away in 2001.

Leo and Ron Gallagher

Also Known As: Gallagher and Gallagher Too

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Teamed up: when Ron, the comedian's younger brother, realized they looked so much alike he could perform Gallagher's comedy routine without anyone noticing the difference. He proposed a franchising deal, offering to tour any smaller towns that Gallagher didn't have time to visit. Leo agreed, but only if his brother performed as "Gallagher Too."

Trouble: started almost immediately. The "Too" was dropped from some of Ron's publicity material, and he began performing shows the same night as his brother in neighboring towns. Gallagher asked the neo-Gallagher to stop using his act and, while he was at it, to stop using the family name altogether. Ron refused.

The Relationship: was battled out in court, where the twins' respective lawyers argued over the intellectual property rights of abusing a piece of fruit with a sledgehammer. In 2000, the court ruled in favor of Leo.

This article originally appeared in a 2007 issue of mental_floss magazine.

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