History

General history issues, although a lot will be about WW2

  • The history of the Trump family has been the subject of considerable public interest, particularly following Donald Trump’s rise to prominence in U.S. politics. One of the most contentious aspects of this family history is the connection between Fred Trump, Donald Trump’s father, and an incident involving the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) in 1927. While

    Read more →

  • In the fall of 1944, South Limburg was liberated by American troops. Many young men subsequently volunteered for the Domestic Forces to contribute to the liberation of the Netherlands after years of occupation. Among them were veterans Cor van Wageningen (1918–2013) and Frits Faro (1921–2012). In the fall of 1944, they were assigned as guards

    Read more →

  • “Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows

    Read more →

  • The Victorian age is often imagined as an era of high collars, tight corsets, and unsmiling faces frozen in early photographs. Yet beneath this austere exterior, Victorians possessed a sharp, often irreverent sense of humor. One outlet for this was the then-new tradition of sending Christmas cards—a practice less than two centuries old. It began

    Read more →

  • Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, first published on 19 December 1843, is one of the most enduring works of English literature and a defining text of the Victorian era. Although it is often regarded as a simple holiday story, the novella is a sophisticated moral narrative that addresses social inequality, personal responsibility, and the possibility

    Read more →

  • Dated 16 September 1919, the ‘Gemlich letter’ is the first known written statement of Hitler’s Antisemitism. It a letter written by Adolf Hitler at the behest of Karl Mayr to Adolf Gemlich, a German army soldier. The letter, written in 1919 in response to a request for clarification on the Jewish question. (Karl Mayr in uniform

    Read more →

  • Christmas during WWII

    During this festive season it’s time to look at how Christmas was celebrated during the darkest era of mankind. It’s amazing that at the height of the war the all time best selling Christmas song was first released. From the movie ‘Holiday Inn’ White Christmas Below are some pictures of Christmas celebrations during WWII Christmas

    Read more →

  • The Malmédy Massacre: A Tragedy of War and the Story of Survival The Malmédy Massacre, which occurred during the Battle of the Bulge on December 17, 1944, stands as one of the most heinous war crimes committed by German forces during World War II. This event, marked by the ruthless execution of unarmed American prisoners

    Read more →

  • Harassment of the Dutch Jews

    Like in Germany, the Holocaust in the Netherlands didn’t start with the mass murder of Jews—it was a gradual process. It started with a number of measures to initially humiliate the Dutch Jews. Summer 1942SD agents check the identity cards of Jewish citizens on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, in Amsterdam. At the beginning of January 1941,

    Read more →

  • The Journey of No Return

    The above photograph is a rail track I pass over nearly every day. Yesterday, when I passed it, I had to think of all those who went on train journeys and never returned. The trains that travel over this rail track are comfortable, They have soft seats you can sit on, and some even have

    Read more →