The true story of a decade-long contest like no other

On Halloween night in 1926, an unconventional millionaire in Toronto with a wicked sense of humour died, leaving behind an unusual clause in his will that haunted Canada for a decade: Charles Vance Millar offered to give the bulk of his estate to the woman who had the most babies in the decade after his death, close to $10 million in today's money. The bequest prompted a mad rush by desperate women to make babies—and a media frenzy. Newspapers covered the contest as a melodrama, with heroines and villains, courtroom showdowns, and unexpected twists and turns.

Contests say as much about the public and its prejudices as they do about the contestants. For a competition that was ostensibly about motherhood, it raised troubling questions about race, class, eugenics, birth control, and women’s rights. The Great Stork Derby is the remarkable story of both the ordinary and famous people caught up in a dark, little-known chapter of Canada’s history, with powerful themes that resonate to this day.