Adolph Hitler – Five Historical Trivia Facts
Interesting Facts about the German Fuhrer's Life and Character
Mar 21, 2009
Adolph Hitler became one of the most loathed dictators in history. The following five areas of trivia explore some fascinating aspects of his life and character.
1. Hitler’s Name
During World War II, there was a propaganda need to discredit Hitler and make him appear foolish. Consequently, it was widely publicized that Hitler had changed his name from his real, and far less auspicious, family name, Schickelgruber. This is not accurate.
Hitler’s grandmother was a Schickelgruber. Hitler’s father Alois was born out of wedlock and hence initially bore his mother’s maiden name. The mother claimed on his baptism that certificate he baby’s father was Georg Hiedler, the man she subsequently married. When Alois himself married his niece, Klara Huettler, at 40, he chose to officially change his name to that of his father, but selected the middle ground and became Alois Hittler.
The name morphed into Hitler. The Fuehrer, Adolph was born Adolph Hitler and did not need to change his name from Schickelgruber.
2. Hitler’s Moustache
There are several stories about the origin of Hitler’s trademark toothbrush moustache. Tony Paterson reports in the Telegraph that a WWI contemporary of Hitler, Moritz Frey, claimed that Hitler was ordered to trim his original bushy moustache to allow a better fit of his gas mask during the war. Nevertheless, the moustache style was not uncommon in the area of Austria where Hitler was raised.
Chris Hick of Munich Walk Tours suggests two other possibilities. Hitler was known to be a huge fan of Charlie Chaplin and may have emulated his hero. The most likely reason for the unusual moustache was Hitler’s shrewd self-marketing. He know such a moustache would make him distinctive, memorable and unmistakable.
3. Hitler’s Artwork
Although Hitler was rejected as a student of the Vienna Art Academy and is generally regarded as a ‘failed artist’, he was nevertheless a prolific producer of quite passable postcard scenes . There are some 2000-3000 known water colours, drawings and oils, some still available at auction. According to Chris Hick, paintings by Hitler are rare in Germany, but there are many in the US Library of Congress, collected when the US entered Germany and secured Hitler’s strongholds .
4. Hitler’s Women
Hitler’s relationships with women were rather odd. It is presumed he had affairs with several young women such as his niece Geli Raubal and, of course, Eva Braun, but Hitler expert Chris Hick suggests that the relationships may not have been strongly sexual. There are even suggestions that Hitler may have been homosexual. Nevertheless, there is no real evidence for this. He maintained considerable secrecy about his private life.
What is unusual about the girls in Hitler’s life is their propensity for committing suicide. His niece Geli shot herself through the heart after a shouting row with Hitler.
Englishwoman and close friend Unity Mitford shot herself in the head when she heard that England had declared war on Germany. Hitler had her flown back to Britain, where she remained, severely brain-damaged, until her death in 1948.
Eva Braun attempted suicide when she felt that Hitler was neglecting her. He bought her a private villa to compensate. As well, Eva joined Hitler in a suicide pact. Hitler married Eva in a strange ceremony in his bunker on April 29, 1945. They committed suicide together the next day when it was clear that Berlin and the Reich had fallen.
5. Hitler’s Nationality
Hitler was born on April 20 1889 in the small Austrian town of Braunau and moved to Vienna with a student friend Kubizek, in the hope of gaining admittance to the Vienna Art Academy. He was influenced by Pan-Germanic ideals and believed Austria should be part of Germany.
Hitler actively dodged the military draft in Austria but, on moving to Munich, which he saw as a centre for the arts, he tried to enlist in the German army, but was considered unfit. On the outbreak of World War I, he was accepted, apparently with no check on his nationality.
After the abortive Beer Hall Putsch, the German authorities jailed Hitler and tried to deport him ‘home’ to Austria. The Austrian government refused to accept the trouble-maker, pointing out that he had served in the German army, which effectively negated his Austrian citizenship.
Hitler existed in no-man’s-land during the years of his political rise, and had to apply for official German nationality in order to accept the position of Reich Chancellor.
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