Dionne quintuplets

On 28 May 1934 in Corbeil, Ont., Annette, Émilie, Yvonne, Cécile, and Marie Dionne were born, the first identical quintuplets to live more than a few days. Considered miraculous, they became world famous. The Ontario government placed them under guardianship and created a tourist attraction known as Quintland, which generated revenues of half a billion dollars. The quintuplets’ parents managed to recover their custody in 1943, but family reunification proved difficult. In 1998 the three surviving Dionne sisters received apologies and financial compensation from the provincial government for making them victims of its exploitation.