About 20th Century History

Hitler's House for Sale

2009-11-11T22:38:32Z

Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in a room on the first floor of the building at Salzburger Vorstadt 15 in Braunau-am-Inn, Austria. At the time, Hitler's parents rented a room upstairs in the building. During the Nazi era, Martin Bormann declared the building a national monument.

The building is now being put up for sale for an estimated $3.3 million (£2 million). Town officials are worried that neo-Nazis might buy the property and turn it into a shrine to Hitler. Although the town officials would like to buy the property, they currently lack the funds to meet the asking price.

For more information about Hitler's birthplace, read this Mail Online article.

Hitler's House for Sale originally appeared on About.com 20th Century History on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 22:38:32.

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Beer From the Hindenburg for Sale

2009-11-11T22:07:56Z

After the Hindenburg burst into flame on May 6, 1937, one of the firefighters who was helping clean up the area after the disaster noticed six bottles of Lowenbrau beer and a pitcher that had survived the disaster. He then buried his treasure and went back for it later.

Now one of these bottles of beer and the pitcher are going up for auction this Saturday. If the bottle of beer reaches its expected $8,337 (�5,000) sell price, then it will become the most expensive ever purchased.

Beer From the Hindenburg for Sale originally appeared on About.com 20th Century History on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 22:07:56.

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U.N. Creates Nelson Mandela Day

2009-11-11T21:50:39Z

The United Nations has declared that July 18 will be known as "Nelson Mandela International Day." The U.N. chose to honor Mandela because of his work toward freedom around the world. July 18 was chosen because it is Mandela's birthday.

U.N. Creates Nelson Mandela Day originally appeared on About.com 20th Century History on Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 at 21:50:39.

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Slinky Toy Hits Shelves

2009-11-10T22:51:48Z

The first Slinky toys were sold in 1945 at Gimbel's Department Store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. And since then, stairs have never been left alone.

Slinky Toy Hits Shelves originally appeared on About.com 20th Century History on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 22:51:48.

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The First Peanuts Cartoon Strip

2009-11-05T13:35:41Z

We all love Snoopy and sympathize with Charlie Brown. Yet when did the Peanuts cartoon strip first appear? Which characters were in the very first four panels?

The First Peanuts Cartoon Strip originally appeared on About.com 20th Century History on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 13:35:41.

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When Does the Past Become History?

2009-11-04T23:23:33Z

A recent BBC History Magazine survey asked readers, "When do events in the past become history?" The survey received 1,897 votes. The most popular answer, with 31 percent of the vote, was that the past becomes history a second ago. The next most popular answer also considered the past turning to history quite quickly, with 28 percent of the voters responding that the past turns to history within ten years. Answers that ranged from 20 to 50 years ago each received one to six percent of the vote. A few (4 percent) believed that events were only history if they occurred before that individual was born.

When do you think past events become history?

When Does the Past Become History? originally appeared on About.com 20th Century History on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 23:23:33.

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High Hopes for New SS Memoir

2009-11-04T23:00:53Z

Fritz Darges, the last surviving member of Hitler's inner circle, passed away at the age of 96 on October 24, 2009. Darges' will stipulated that upon his death his memoirs would be published. Since Darges was very close to Hitler, some historians hope his memoirs may contain an eye-witness account to Hitler giving verbal orders for the Final Solution. For more of the story, see this Telegraph article.

High Hopes for New SS Memoir originally appeared on About.com 20th Century History on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 23:00:53.

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Restoring a Section of the Berlin Wall

2009-11-04T22:05:56Z

When the Berlin Wall toppled in 1989, most of the Wall was chiseled away or taken down. However, there was one long stretch that remained and artists from around the world came to Berlin and painted murals on it. Unfortunately, time and the elements have worn down those paintings.

In order to prepare this stretch of the Berlin Wall for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the same artists who painted the original murals were asked to come back to Berlin and repaint their murals once again.

To prepare the section of the Berlin Wall for the new art, the disintegrating old murals were scraped off and the concrete on the Wall had to be removed and replaced.

Restoring a Section of the Berlin Wall originally appeared on About.com 20th Century History on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 22:05:56.

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Is It Wrong for Relatives of Top Nazis to Sell Memorabilia?

2009-10-29T09:50:54Z

Recently, the grandson of Auschwitz commander Rudolf Hoess contacted Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Israel, via a letter. In this letter, Reiner Hoess offered to sell the museum rare artifacts that had belonged to his grandfather. The objects included a fireproof box that was a gift from Heinrich Himmler, a letter opener, pictures of Auschwitz that have never been seen before, and letters written by Hoess when he was imprisoned in Krakow before he was executed.

Yad Vashem was disgusted by the offer. They would accept the items as a donation, but would never pay for them. Reiner Hoess said that others had offered to pay for the items, but thought it would be most appropriate for Yad Vashem to have the items.

Should people buy Nazi memorabilia from relatives of Nazi officials?

Is It Wrong for Relatives of Top Nazis to Sell Memorabilia? originally appeared on About.com 20th Century History on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 09:50:54.

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The Berlin Twitter Wall

2009-10-28T22:44:12Z

In messages of up to 140 characters, people can make comments about the Fall of the Berlin Wall and have them appear on The Berlin Twitter Wall website. This happens when someone uses the hashtag #fotw (fall of the Wall) in their "tweet" on Twitter. The short message will then be automatically displayed on a backdrop of a section of the Wall that still stands.

The Berlin Twitter Wall website was established in time for the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall and asks that people will "Share your thoughts on the Fall of the Berlin wall now or let us know which walls still have to come down to make our world a better place!"

The Berlin Twitter Wall originally appeared on About.com 20th Century History on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 22:44:12.

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