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In November 1942, Fritz Pfeffer joined the Frank and Van Pels families in hiding, bringing the total number of people to eight. He was a solitary figure among two families and shared a room with the adolescent Anne Frank. Fritz was also a father—he had a son, Werner, with his first wife, Vera Henriette Bythiner.…
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During World War II, one of the most daring and ambitious prisoner-of-war (POW) escapes in history took place in the German POW camp Stalag Luft III. Known as “The Great Escape,” Allied airmen executed this remarkable event, which demonstrated extraordinary resilience, ingenuity, and bravery in their pursuit of freedom. While the escape itself was a…
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During the final days of World War II, in the spring of 1945, the Nazi regime intensified its brutal campaign against political dissidents, resistance fighters, and those deemed enemies of the state. Among the many atrocities committed during this period, one of the most harrowing took place in Rombergpark, Dortmund, where 289 anti-fascists were executed…
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Ankie Stork was a Dutch resistance fighter during the German occupation of the Netherlands. She saved thirty-five Jewish children from the Nazis by hiding them in several locations in the town of Nijverdal during World War II. She acted as part of Utrecht’s Kindercomité (Utrecht Children Committee), a Dutch resistance group based in Utrecht. Louis…
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The modern monarchy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands was formally established on 16 March 1815, when William I of the Netherlands proclaimed himself king, transforming the earlier principality into a kingdom. This event occurred during a critical moment in European history following the collapse of the Napoleonic Empire. The creation of the monarchy was…
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The highlight of the year for the movie industry is without a doubt, or at least it used to be. But when did it all start? In 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was established by Louis B. Mayer, the founder of the Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation, which then would…
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Tonight, the 98th Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, will take place. Unfortunately, many award shows have increasingly become platforms for politics rather than celebrations of the arts, and I fear the Oscars may be no exception. Yet I want to take a moment to look back at the life of a man who…
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Two years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Jim Peterik known from Survivor, but also from “The Tides of March”. However, this blog will not be about the band, although the name is clearly inspired by the actual event called Ides of March. Julius Caesar must be without a doubt the most well-known historical…
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Below are the translated lyrics of a Dutch song by the Jazzpolitie, they released it in 1993. The song is about the rice if extreme politics and the rise of anti Semitism. Considering what happened in Amsterdam yesterday, lessons have not been learned, And then she wakes upFrom mother’s last kissThe one she could still…
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Every meal could have been her last. After finishing the bland vegetarian dishes placed before her, 25-year-old Margot Wölk and her young female colleagues would burst into tears, “crying like dogs,” grateful simply to still be alive. Hitler was a vegetarian. While the exact timing of his conversion to vegetarianism is unclear, it is known…