Before reshaping parenting, Benjamin Spock had already proven himself as a member of Yale’s rowing team, where he won the gold medal in the men’s eight in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Two decades later, his Baby and Child Care (1946) became one of the best-selling books of the twentieth century, translated into dozens of languages and embraced by millions of parents worldwide. Spock’s blend of medical expertise and psychological insight encouraged a more empathetic, child-centered style of parenting that transformed family life across the globe.