The first ever quintuplets

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.4 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 28 May 2024

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Ninety years ago, the first surviving quintuplets were born in a small village in northern Canada.

The Dionnes grew up in a specially-adapted nursery where millions of people could visit them.

But, years later they struggled to adapt to life back with their parents which led to a fight for compensation.

This programme was produced and presented by Simon Watts in 2012 using BBC archive.

(Photo: The quintuplets on their fourth birthday. Credit: Bettmann via Getty Images)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Take some time for yourself with soothing classical music from the mindful mix,
0:06.0	the Science of Happiness Podcast.
0:08.0	For the last 20 years I've dedicated my career to exploring the science of living a happier more meaningful life and I want
0:14.4	to share that science with you.
0:16.1	And just one thing, deep calm with Michael Mosley.
0:19.4	I want to help you tap in to your hidden relaxation response system and open the door to that
0:25.4	calmer place within. Listen on BBC Sounds. Hello and welcome to the Witness History podcast from the BBC World Service.
0:41.0	We're bringing you the story of five baby girls who were worldwide
0:45.0	celebrities in the 1930s. In 2012 Simon Watts spoke to the biographer of
0:51.2	the Dion Quintuplets.
0:53.0	It's May the 28th, 1934.
0:56.0	In the tiny Canadian farming community of calendar,
0:59.0	incredible news is spreading.
1:01.0	It was in the morning we were on our way to school
1:05.1	and my girlfriend lived next door to Dionys.
1:08.5	She stopped in and told us there were five little babies born
1:12.3	next to her home there.
1:14.0	Yvonne Boyce remembered the day for the rest of her life.
1:17.0	So we were all very excited.
1:19.0	My mother said, it can't be. I said it can't be. We couldn't believe it. Five babies, one mother. So way we went. We walked a whole
1:29.2	mile. We looked at the babies from the back window.
1:33.0	It was fabulous.
	...

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