The story of Barack Obama being a distant cousin of Dick Cheney leaps to mind.

pagawne's people have been here in North America for a long time, slowly migrating across the southern tier of states toward Texas where she was born. I have yet to confirm a direct black ancestor of hers, though I do have my suspicions, but she's a distant cousin of the first African-American to be elected to the US Congress in the 20th century. (Oscar Stanton De Priest)