Pre WWII
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Since World War II, the swastika has been inseparably associated with German dictator Adolf Hitler and the crimes committed by his Nazi regime. Today, the symbol is rarely seen in public, but before Hitler’s rise to power, swastikas were a familiar and widely accepted part of everyday life. Long before their appropriation by the Nazis,…
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On 3 October 1934, George van den Bergh, one of the initiators of the Jewish Work Village, stated, “Then perhaps a simple stone will be placed here with the words ‘Here stood the Jewish Work Village Nieuwesluis.’ Then may all passers-by […] behold that stone with reverence,” after that, James McDonald, High Commissioner of the…
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Since the initial awards banquet on May 16, 1929, in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Blossom Room, over 3,000 statuettes have been presented. Yes, it is about the Oscars, on May 16 1929 the first Academy Awards were held, and the very first Best Actor award went to Emil Jannings. Emil Jannings was a theater actor…
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I took this photograph about two and a half years ago during a visit to Munich. The venue, Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, was packed with visitors that day. The atmosphere was lively, the food was satisfying, and the beer lived up to its reputation. So why am I telling I went there specifically because I knew…
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It’s hard to believe that the only time the Olympics were held in the Netherlands, was nearly 100 years ago at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. One of the competing Dutch athletes was Ben Bril. Ben (Barend) Bril was born on 16 July 16 1912, in Amsterdam, the host city for the 1928 Summer Olympics. He…
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The Italian Racial Laws (Leggi Razziali): A Dark Chapter in Italy’s History The Italian Racial Laws (Leggi Razziali), enacted in November 1938 under the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini, marked a significant and deeply troubling shift in Italy’s political and social history. These laws institutionalized antisemitism and racial discrimination, marginalizing Jewish citizens and setting the…
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On 20 February 1939, one of the most unsettling political events in American history took place in Madison Square Garden in New York City. More than 20,000 people gathered beneath a striking display of American flags and swastikas to attend a mass rally organized by the German American Bund, a group dedicated to promoting Nazi…
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Heidegger’s famous address, often referred to as “The Rector’s Address” or “The Rectorate Address,” was delivered on May 27, 1933, at the University of Freiburg. Its full title is “The Self-Assertion of the German University” (German: “Die Selbstbehauptung der deutschen Universität”). In this speech, Martin Heidegger, who had recently been appointed Rector of the university,…
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Eva Braun is a bit of enigma. I do think that she was fully aware of what Hitler and his cronies were up to. She did first meet Hitler when she was still a teenager and would have been in awe of the man, but she did become his partner and later his wife, albeit…
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Nowadays, it is easy to blame social media for the widespread distribution of fake news through memes and other formats. However, this phenomenon is far from new. About 100 years ago, propaganda postcards and cartoons served the same purpose (after all, a meme is essentially a digital version of a propaganda or satirical postcard or…
History of Sorts 