The Quintuplets

The Quintuplets

From Criminal by Vox Media Podcast Network

March 20, 2026 · 54 min · Episode 357

About this episode

The episode explores the story of the Dionne Quintuplets and the societal impact of their birth.

When Elzire Dionne gave birth to five identical babies, she caught the attention of reporters and doctors hundreds of miles away, the Chicago World’s Fair – and the Ontario government. Before the quintuplets were ten months old, they passed a new law: the Dionne Quintuplet Guardianship Act. “These children are our own royal family.” Sarah Miller’s book is The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets. Say hello on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Sign up for our occasional newsletter. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts. Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, invitations to virtual events, special merch deals, and more. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Criminal

Topics covered

  • Dionne Quintuplets
  • true crime
  • media attention
  • child guardianship
  • historical events

Keywords

  • Dionne Quintuplets
  • Elzire Dionne
  • Sarah Miller
  • guardianship
  • true crime

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chicago World’s Fair, Ontario government

Books & works: The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets

More episodes of Criminal

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Criminal podcast page.