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I always like ‘What if?’ scenarios. Sometimes, I wonder what would have become of Anne Frank if she had survived. The following are diary entries in Kitty that I envisage Anne may have written after the war. Diary Entry – September 13, 1948 Dear Kitty, I have not written to you in so long. Sometimes,…
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Men do not have a ‘monopoly’ on evil. Women can be just as evil if not more. This is one of those stories where it’s difficult to decide what is more disturbing: the atrocities committed by Herta Oberheuser, or the fact that she ultimately evaded full accountability. Herta Oberheuser (15 May 1911, Cologne – 24…
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Hermann Fegelein’s execution took place on April 28, 1945, during the final days of World War II and the collapse of the Nazi regime. Fegelein, a high-ranking SS officer and member of Adolf Hitler’s inner circle had fallen out of favor with Hitler due to his perceived desertion and betrayal. Fegelein was arrested by the…
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The story of Emanuel Arnold Maurice Speijer reminds me a lot of that of Nikolai Vavilov, a scientist who sacrificed his life to save the seeds in the Leningrad seed bank. Emmanuel Speijer was more fortunate though. Speijer was an entomologist. Entomology is the study of insects and their relationship to humans, the environment, and…
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Until recently I had a Peugeot 407—very much like the one above. A few years ago it functioned as a microcosm of a united world. I was doing a course in web design, and several times I gave a few of my fellow students a lift to town, or near to where they lived after…
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When I was younger, in my late teens, one of my uncles took his own life. I was devastated, not just because I was very fond of my uncle but because I never faced a situation like that. I didn’t know if there was anything I could do. Also, the fact that I had the…
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More than 80 years later, researchers still regularly uncover more new findings about World War II, including the atrocities committed in concentration camps. A study by Robert Sommer reveals that between 1942 and 1945, the SS established ten brothels in various concentration camps, where a total of 200 women were “put to work.” The clients…
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George Leitmann was just 19 years old when he arrived in Germany as a soldier in the spring of 1945, shortly before the end of World War II in Europe. American, British, and Soviet forces were advancing on all fronts, closing in to liberate the continent from the crimes of National Socialism under Adolf Hitler.…
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To be honest, I’m not entirely convinced of his nobility, he had many flaws. Nonetheless, his actions were remarkable, especially considering his family background. When people hear the name Göring, it usually conjures images of Hermann Göring, the notorious Nazi leader and one of Adolf Hitler’s closest confidants. Yet few know about his younger brother,…
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Saint Joseph’s Day—also known as the Feast or Solemnity of Saint Joseph—is the principal feast in Western Christianity honoring Saint Joseph, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the legal father of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on 19 March. Saint Joseph is one of the most quietly influential figures in Christian tradition. Though he…