Ivan the Terrible, who ruled Russia from 1533 to 1584, beat his pregnant daughter-in-law for wearing revealing clothes. She miscarried. When her husband (also named Ivan) protested, the czar beat his heir on the head with a scepter. His son died a few days later, while Ivan the Terrible prayed at his bedside for a miracle. For the story of another bad dad, read The Great Stork Derby, based on an actual contest in which a husband pressures his wife to have babies for cash and, fifty years later, learns the true meaning of fatherhood. Read more about the book in NOVELS.
