Today in History - May 28: Parents made deal to save their quintuplets, but it cost them custody

The first quintuplets to survive beyond infancy were born in a small Canadian town on May 28, 1934. Needing access to incubators for the premature babies, which were not available in nearby hospitals, the father of the so-called Dionne quintuplets signed a deal to have them exhibited at a show in Chicago. The premier of Ontario passed a specific law to make them wards of the state, and for nine years they were unable to live with their parents. READ MORE: Out-of-control fire under small town expected to burn for centuries Instead, the quintuplets were presented as a tourist attraction, with 3000 people watching them play each day.

The girls featured in three Hollywood movies and were used in advertisements for milk, toothpaste, chocolates, disinfectant and other products. A specially-designed theme park was built with the Dionne quintuplets as the centrepiece. They were raised by doctors and nurses rather than their parents and were treated like zoo exhibits. When they were finally returned to their parents as eight-year-olds, they were deeply unhappy.

READ MORE: Child actor had no idea he was starring in a horror movie Both their parents were abusive and their siblings spoke English rather than French. But the money raised as a consequence of their celebrity status allowed their family to move into a 20-room mansion with many modern amenities. The first of the quintuplets died tragically when she was 20 when a candidate to be a nun. She had a seizure and rolled onto her face on a pillow where she died of suffocation.

A nun who was supposed to be watching her had gone to mass instead. The two longest living quintuplets both died last year, aged 91. READ MORE: House painter never told he was given enormous dose of plutonium For more from our Today in History archive, click here NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms. Download the 9NEWS App here via Apple and Google PlayMake 9News your preferred source on Google by ticking this box hereSign up to our breaking newsletter here