The first ever quintuplets
In 1934, the Dionne babies became the first quintuplets to survive birth but grew up away from their parents. Millions travelled to see them in their specially-adapted nursery.
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 ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ archive.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the βIndian Titanicβ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemyβs Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and GΓΆrel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence theyβve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of Americaβs occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.
(Photo: The quintuplets on their fourth birthday. Credit: Bettmann via Getty Images)
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Witness History
History as told by the people who were there