History

General history issues, although a lot will be about WW2

  • The Steinbach Family

    The title of the blog is ‘The Steinbach Family’ but is really a blog about the Romani people. The reason why I picked the Steinba,ch family name is twofold. Firstly the picture at the start of the blog is of Settela Steinbach. It is one of the most iconic pictures of the Holocaust. Initially she…

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  • A good Church has an organ, it is not just a musical instrument but sometimes also a statement of grandeur. During WWII one of these organs also became a hiding place for 3 Jewish families, well more the attic above the organ. During the Second World War, the Breeplein Church in Rotterdam harboured a secret:…

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  • Before I go into the story of Koenraad , I want to mention someone else. The 2 people are connected by the date January 29,1942. Clazina van Leeuwen-Menassen died on this date, she was a Jewish lady but she was spared the horrors of the camps, she died at the ripe old age of 100.…

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  • On this day 81 years ago, the fate of 11 million European citizens, was decided in this beautiful and majestic building. These 11 million citizens had only one thing in common—they were Jewish. That was reason enough for the Nazi regime to murder every single one. What is so disturbing about this was the business-like…

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  • Russian Flu or Covid?

    Extreme fatigue, high fever, coughing, severe headaches, a loss of smell and taste. We know all the symptoms, we have heard them all, however it is not the first time these symptoms manifest themselves during a pandemic. Those afflicted endured fever, cough, sore throat, aching muscles, and swollen eyes (conjunctivitis). Thanks to a ruined immune…

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  • There are so few things that make sense in relation to the Holocaust, in fact there is nothing that make sense. On January 17,1945 In mid-January 1945,the SS began evacuating Auschwitz and its subcamps. SS units forced nearly 60,000 prisoners to march west from the Auschwitz camp system. This murderous evacuation, known as the “Death…

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  • Happy Birthday, Edith Frank

    I often think that Edith Frank is a forgotten hero. She was stuck with so many people in such a small space while desperately avoiding being discovered. That would be challenging to anyone’s health. But Edith could not afford to lose her sanity, not even for one second.v She was born in the German city…

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  • Happy Birthday Jim Croce

    There is not that many people I call hero, and recently some of the few musician I did see as heroes have disappointed me with some of their political views. However when it comes to Jim Croce I can safely say he is one of my musical heroes. He was born January 10, 1943,in South…

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  • Poor Richard’s Almanack

    December 28, 1732 — The first “Poor Richard’s Almanack” was published by Richard Saunders. He continued to publish new editions for 25 years, bringing him much economic success and popularity. The almanack sold as many as 10,000 copies a year. Below are some quotes and little nuggets of wisdom from the series of books “Three…

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  • 1.5 Million Children

    like to visit the Limerick Gallery of Art from time to time. It is a nice relaxing place. Today, I noticed this photograph taken by Amelia Stein, a Dublin-born photographer and artist. The picture is a memorial to the 1.5 million children murdered during the Holocaust. It brought these thoughts to my mind. 1.5 Million…

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