Adolf Hitler changed the course of history in the darkest way possible. Most people know him as the dictator who started World War II, but his personal life remains full of strange contradictions. He was a vegetarian who loved animals yet caused immense human suffering. He wanted to be an artist but ended up as a politician. His actions reshaped global borders and politics forever. Consequently, historians continue to study his life to understand how such a figure rose to power. Let’s examine some surprising historical details about this infamous leader.
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1939. A Swedish politician submitted the nomination as a satirical joke, but many people did not understand the irony.
Time Magazine named him their “Man of the Year” in 1938. The publication chose him because he was the most influential newsmaker, not because they supported his actions.
He originally wanted to become a professional painter. However, the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna rejected his application twice because they felt he lacked talent.
During his time in Vienna, he lived in a homeless shelter for several years. He earned money by painting postcards and shoveling snow before he moved to Germany.
His father was born with the last name Schicklgruber. Fortunately for the dictator, his father changed it to Hitler just before Adolf was born.
The French Resistance cut the elevator cables of the Eiffel Tower when he visited Paris. Therefore, he had to climb 1,665 steps if he wanted to reach the top.
He suffered from a severe fear of dentists and oral surgery. Consequently, his personal dentist had to spread a simple root canal procedure over eight days.
Adolf Hitler loved the Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He owned a private copy and considered it one of the greatest films ever made.
He protected a Jewish doctor named Eduard Bloch who had treated his mother. He called Bloch a “Noble Jew” and helped him emigrate to the United States.
The dictator followed a strict vegetarian diet during the later years of his life. He often told graphic stories about slaughterhouses to discourage his guests from eating meat.
He personally helped design the Volkswagen Beetle car. He wanted a cheap vehicle that could carry two adults and three children at 62 miles per hour [100 km/h].
His famous toothbrush mustache was not a fashion choice. He trimmed it that way so it would fit tightly under a gas mask during World War I.
He survived over 40 known assassination attempts during his lifetime. The most famous attempt happened in 1944 when a bomb exploded in his conference room.
During the war, his personal physician injected him with many strange drugs. These included methamphetamine and extracts from bulls to keep his energy levels high.
He refused to pay income taxes on the royalties from his book Mein Kampf. By the time he became Chancellor, he owed the government a massive fortune in back taxes.
