Berlin
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I know that in recent months I have done several sexually themed blogs. But they were all in a historical context, as this one will be. The blog will contain a depiction of the female genitalia. As the title suggests, a part of this blog will relate to medical science during the Third Reich. Thus…
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People are often surprised to learn I am not Jewish, and a few have even questioned my decision to write about the Holocaust as a non-Jew. While Jewish people were the primary targets and largest group of victims, Nazi persecution extended to millions of others as well. My connection to this history is personal: members…
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(Originally posted on July 25, 2023 on Dr Helmy’s 122 birthday) When you opened your Google page today, you would have seen a doodle celebrating the 122nd birthday of the birthday of Dr Mohamed Helmy. Before I go into the important story of this great man, I want to highlight a disturbing trend that is…
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On 2 August 1942, 245 Jewish Catholics in the Netherlands were arrested. To the Nazis it didn’t matter if they had converted to Catholicism, in their eyes and according to their laws these people were still considered Jewish. Else Michaelis was among them. Else Michaelis was born in Berlin on March 30, 1889. Her father…
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I interviewed Limerick based author Seosamh Ó Cuinneagáin. Though long settled in Limerick, Ó Cuinneagáin’s journey began in Co. Kilkenny, rooted in childhood stories told by Paddy Stapleton, a veteran of the Somme. Stapleton’s tales of German precision planted the seed of a lifelong obsession. Decades later, that curiosity manifested in twenty consecutive summers spent…
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Even after death, the Nazi victims were still subjected to evil science. Hermann Stieve and His Connection to Liane Berkowitz and Mildred Harnack: An Intersection of Science and Ethical Transgression Hermann Stieve, a German anatomist who held a prominent position at what is now Humboldt University of Berlin, is remembered not only for his contributions…
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Some of you may know that I’m a rock fan, and one of my favourite bands is Queensrÿche(with Geoff Tate). One song in particular has always stayed with me: “Home Again.” The song explores the emotional toll of war from two perspectives — a father on the battlefield and his daughter waiting for him at…
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Stewart’s draft number was 310, and when he appeared before Draft Board No. 245 in West Los Angeles in February 1941, the 6’3” actor weighed just 138 pounds—five pounds under the minimum requirement. He was rejected for service. Undeterred, Stewart took matters into his own hands. Aware he was nearing the age limit for flight…
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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.…
History of Sorts 