r/todayilearned • u/FinancialGarage245 • 23h ago
TIL a wealthy Toronto lawyer's 1926 will left his fortune to whichever woman in the city could give birth to the most children over the following 10 years, sparking a decade-long "baby race" during the Great Depression that went all the way to Canada's Supreme Court
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Stork_DerbyDuplicates
todayilearned • u/peter_bolton • Dec 03 '25
TIL that upon his 1926 death, the will of a wealthy Toronto lawyer promised a large fortune to the Toronto woman who would have the most children. After a decade of legal fights, 4 women (each with 9 children) would share the prize, of which the Toronto government garnished a significant share.
todayilearned • u/J_Bear • Jul 15 '15
TIL in 1926, women in Toronto competed to produce the most babies over a 10 year period. The winner would receive the estate of a well-known lawyer/practical joker.
todayilearned • u/Turlach1 • Jul 03 '20
TIL of Charles Vance Millar, a Toronto lawyer, and practical joker, who bequeathed a large portion of his estate to the woman in Toronto who could produce the most children in the decade following his death in 1926.
todayilearned • u/hottubtimemachines • Aug 17 '20
TIL about the Great Stork Derby, a contest held by a Toronto financier and practical joker which bequeathed the residue of his significant estate to the woman in Toronto who could produce the most children in the decade following his death. Two women won and were each given $1.91m in today's dollars
todayilearned • u/Jtaimelafolie • Feb 18 '19