365 Days of Twinipedia - Day 82

Day Eighty-two of Twinipedia:

Fact #82

Women giving birth to multiples today is relatively common. We hear about twins being born pretty regularly.  Quads, Quints or more are less common but are still less unique then years ago.  

To have multiple babies at one time in the 1920s and 30s was far less common and many babies born as multiples then did not survive their birth or the 1st year of life.  But on May 28, 1934 Canada's most famous multiple birth, the Dionne quintuplets, occurred in a  northern Ontario farmhouse. They become famous during this time known as the Great Depression.  They were both local and international stars, becoming a tourist attraction. The Dionne quints were the world's first set to survive through infancy.  They were also born naturally before the advent of fertility treatments.

The Dionne quintuplets in bed with their mother, Olivia Dionne, in their
farmhouse in Callander, Ontario, on May 28, 1934.(Canadian Press)

Born naturally!  Now that is one tough mama!

My helpful source tonight is:    

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2009/01/27/f-multiple-births.html