PN1501

When Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, it marked a turning point that would destroy democracy and establish a Nazi dictatorship. Guided by racist and authoritarian ideas, the Nazis dismantled democratic institutions, suppressed political opposition, and sought to unite society under one leader. As the regime consolidated power, Germany was … Read more

Eva Braun died alongside Adolf Hitler in a Berlin bunker in April 1945, marrying him in their final hours before taking her own life. Her name has become forever linked with the darkest chapter of human history. Yet far less attention has been paid to those who shared her bloodline. What became of Eva Braun's … Read more

Just after 8:00 in the morning on September 27, 1864, a train pulled into the depot at Centralia, Missouri. The town held maybe 500 people. The platform was dusty, and the air smelled like goldenrod and late summer heat. On board were 23 Union soldiers, mostly boys from the 100th Missouri militia, heading home on … Read more

When Henry VIII came to the throne in 1509, he was a symbol of strength and power. He was tall, handsome and athletic, and he excelled in physical feats. By the time he approached death in January 1547, he was a shadow of his former self. His waist measured 52 inches and his chest around … Read more

In the final months of World War II, Adolf Hitler turned against the men who had once led his armies. His distrust of the German High Command became total, and even his most decorated officers were dismissed, accused, or condemned as the Reich collapsed. After the capitulation in May 1945, Germany's generals faced an uncertain … Read more

In December 1944, during the frozen misery of the Battle of the Bulge, soldiers of General George S. Patton Jr.'s Third Army found a wounded German SS officer slumped against a shattered oak tree. He was bleeding into the snow, but it was not his wounds that stopped them. Around his neck hung a necklace … Read more