10 Most Shocking Facts about Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)- Führer und Reichskanzler (leader and chancellor of the Reich).
Adolf Hitler was a brutal German dictator, infamous for instigating World War II and the Holocaust; events which took away millions of lives around the globe. His name has become synonymous to genocide, mass killings, racism and autocracy. The following are 10 shocking facts that you probably did not know about the German Führer Adolf Hitler:
He wrote a dangerous book
While locked behind bars (in 1924), Hitler started to pen his highly controversial book titled “Mein Kampf”; which translates into “My Struggles”. His two-volume book was racist in nature. The publication was banned in Germany after his death but it later became a best-seller. The book is popular among neo-Nazi groups.
Power was not the only thing that Hitler amassed
After rising to power, he used his position to accumulate a lot of wealth. He wasn’t an income tax payer; much of his estimated $5 billion were embezzled state funds.
Hitler was a big admirer of art
Hitler tried to be a successful artist, but he was simply not that talented. Consequently, he lived a poor life before reigniting his art interest when he rose to power. It is a known fact that as World War II raged with Germany sweeping through many parts of Europe, Hitler asked his men to steal precious artworks from around the world that would later be used to stock a museum.
He was a vegetarian
Another very surprising fact about the man responsible for the murder of 60-80 million people is that he was a vegetarian. Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party were strong advocates of healthy living and protection of animals. As a result, it has been reported that Hitler avoided meat and alcohol, he even stopped smoking. However, he couldn’t stay away from drugs. Many people believed Hitler’s doctor – Dr. Theodore Morell – used to prescribe cocaine, morphine and other opiates for him.
Four siblings his died very early
Unknown to many people, Hitler wasn’t the only child of his parents; he had 6 siblings. Unfortunately, four of them died before Hitler turned 25. Hitler was the 4th child of his parents – Alois Hitler & Klara Polzl.
Hitler was once nominated for a Nobel Prize
Believe it or not, it happened in 1939; Hitler was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by one Swedish politician. Ironically, the nomination was meant for fun. It was later nullified, much to the German dictator’s annoyance. Allow this shocking fact sink in for a moment or two. The most reviled figure in all of history being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize!
Hitler’s death was equally as tragic and awful as the life that he lived
When Allied pressure mounted on Germany during World War II, Hitler refused to be captured. Together with his new wife Eva Braun, Hitler shot himself to death while Eva also killed herself.
He earlier admired the priesthood
Adolf Hitler came from a Christian family; his mother was a devout Catholic. In his childhood, Hitler sang with the church choir. He initially wanted to become a priest.
For 7 Years, Adolf Hitler was stateless
By birth, Hitler was an Austrian citizen. He however developed a strong admiration for the German Empire at an early age. After renouncing Austria as his country in 1924, he became stateless for 7 years before obtaining a German citizenship.
Read More:
- History, Atrocities and Symbols of the Third Reich
- Adolf Hitler’s Sick and Unwarranted Hate of the Jews
Adolf Hitler proposed having a “Museum of Extinct Races”
This fact is undoubtedly the most shocking of all Adolf Hitler facts. Hitler was a well-known hater of Jews. His Nazi regime murdered millions of Jews. As he ordered Jewish killings, Hitler asked for the collection of their artworks. His intention was to build a “Museum of Extinct Races” to showcase the works of the so called slain “inferior races” (racially undesirables) to Germans.
