Hitler's BirthHis father's deathHis mother's deathWorld war 1Hitler & the German workers partyThe beer hall putschHitler becomes führeran attempt on hitler's lifeHitler's death |
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20th, 1889 to Alois Hitler and Klara Pölzl. Here he is pictured about age 1. At this early age, no would would be able to know what an influential person he would become. Adolf Hitler's father, Alois Hitler, died on January 3, 1903. Adolf was merely 13 years old at the time. Alois died of a pleural hemorrhage, or a filling of the pleural layer of the lungs with liquid, constricting breathing and often times being fatal. His father's death prompted Hitler to transfer schools to Realschule in Steyr in September of 1904. Hitler's mother, Klara Hitler, died on December 21, 1907. Adolf Hitler was 18 at the time and this tragedy hit him hard. Hitler took to living on the streets as a painter and eating at public soup kitchens. Klara died of complications of breast cancer, more specifically- the toxic medical side-effects of iodoform. Adolf Hitler joiner the war effort in 1914 and quickly rose through the ranks. Joining the military saved him from the life of poverty he was living, only supporting himself with his watercolor paintings. He was wounded twice during his service and won the Iron Cross first class for bravery in battle, the Iron Cross second class and the Wound Badge for being wounded in combat. In 1918, he was temporarily blinded by Mustard Gas and was hospitalized. While in the hospital, he received the news of Germany's defeat, at which he suffered yet another period of blindness. In 1919, Hitler joined The German Worker's Party, or DAP- later the NSDAP. Hitler here designed the emblem of the Swastika. At this time, the Soviets had their hammer and sickle, the National Socialists had no flag or emblem. Hitler wanted a symbol that was powerful enough to strike fear into the hearts of the Communists. It has now become the most recognized flag in history. In 1924 Hitler attempts to overthrow Munich with an armed force. He succeeds at taking the Bürgerbräukeller, a beer hall in Germany where Gustav Ritter von Kahr (the state commissioner) was giving a speech. Once the hall was successfully occupied by Hitler and his followers, they marched from the beer hall to the Bavarian War Ministry in an attempt to overthrow the Bavarian Government. However, they were stopped in their tracks by police. 16 NSDAP members and four police officers were killed in the failed seizure of power. Hitler was later tried for high treason and was given a light sentence. Following the death of Paul von Hindenburg, the president of Germany while Hitler was chancellor, Hitler claimed the title of Führer. This took place August 2, 1934. Hitler told a British news correspondent, "... I tell you that the National Socialist movement will go on for 1,000 years! ... Don't forget how people laughed at me 15 years ago when I declared that one day I would govern Germany. They laugh now, just as foolishly, I shall remain in power!" On July 20, 1944, a bomb goes off in Adolf Hitler's briefing room. This was an attempt to kill Hitler himself. The blast killed four men and injured others. Hitler was only victim to splinters and a ruptured eardrum. 2 inches of oak saved Adolf Hitler's life. The bomb was placed close to Hitler until Colonel Heinz Brandt sensed something at his feet. He moved the briefcase (bomb inside) behind a table leg, unwittingly saving Hitler's life and losing his own. On April 30, 1945 in Berlin, Germany, Hitler was dead. He and His wife Eva had committed suicide. Hitler had shot himself in the temple and Eva had taken a cyanide capsule. SS officers found the two dead on a sofa in Hitler's bunker. The most hated man of the 20th century was dead. |