History
General history issues, although a lot will be about WW2
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I have often wondered how many murders have been unsolved because of World War II. And one would also have to wonder how many serial killers were active during the war years. I reckon some may have just joined the SS. However, there were several “civilian” serial killers at large during World War II. Nazi-occupied…
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They say that money of the root of all evil. It isn’t. Hate is the root of all evil and indifference is the root of all hate. Indifference can turn ordinary but ill informed people into hateful individuals and mobs. Ill informed because they believe what their leaders tell them,without questioning them. I could do…
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I don’t think there isn’t one person on the planet who hasn’t heard of Elvis, the undisputed King of Rock N Roll. This is the story of his first ever number 1 hit “Heartbreak Hotel”. ‘Why do a story on just one song?’ I hear you say. The answer is easy, there are so many…
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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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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…
History of Sorts 