Throughout history, mankind has endured the regimes of several villainous individuals who took control of their given governments. Power can be used in many ways, some for the better of humanity, and some that can be detrimental to the wellbeing of people. There have been great leaders who have come and gone, ones who brought change and left a legacy, and others who brought brute tyranny during their reign.
One of the more unforgiving dictators in human history was Adolf Hitler. He was the leader of the Nazi Party and initiated World War II, where he led the tragic events of the Holocaust. Hitler had a particular vision, where anyone who wasn’t of his kind was to be eliminated, referring to them as Untermenschen, or sub-humans. This resulted in the genocide of six million Jews, and a total of 19.3 million civilians and prisoners of war.
The devastating impact that Hitler created has had a lasting mark on generations to this day. Too many people were affected by a vision that was evidently destructible. Most people are aware of who he was, and what he did, but today, we look at 8 facts about Hitler that you likely did not already know.
1. He Had A Crush On A Jewish Girl
Adolf Hitler was widely known for his hatred towards the Jewish people, and the way he aimed to eliminate any that he could, which makes the first fact a little bit ironic. It may sound unusual, but he fell in love with a Jewish girl at school, who went by the name of Stephanie Isak. She wasn’t aware of how he felt, as Adolf was very shy and reserved when it came to talking about his romantic feelings. He did develop fantasies about her, however, it never transpired, and he later developed a detestation towards the entire Jewish nation.
2. He Behaved Quite Freely With Women
On the contrary to his shyness in his earlier years, it wasn’t so much the case when he became an adult. He was known for having no issue with freely grabbing women, even by their private parts, consensually or not. He even developed a relationship with his niece, Geli Raubal, which had many people speculating that it was beyond friendly affection. She committed suicide at the age of 23, leaving many to wonder if it had anything to do with the disturbing sexual acts that he involved her in.
3. He Wanted To Become A Priest
Earlier in his life, at the age of 4, he had an accident in which he had fallen into a lake in the middle of winter. He was saved by a priest, which left him wanting to return the favor and become a priest himself. As he grew older, it was apparent that instead of wanting to serve God, he wanted to play God himself, and this idea of his was no longer.
4. He Couldn’t Drive
Relying on a personal driver during his time in power, Adolf Hitler never learned how to drive himself. Many believed that this was due to his fear of failing in front of people in public. There are no records of his driver’s license, but in fact, a record of a speeding ticket that was issued to the owner of the vehicle, who despite not driving, was Hitler himself.
5. He Was Against Smoking
Once he came into power, Adolf Hitler was known to be anti-smoking. Despite smoking heavily in his youth, he proclaimed that cigarettes were nothing but a waste of money, and began an anti-smoking campaign which led to the prohibition of smoking on public transit. Although he was known for making unjust and inhumane decisions, this one would be considered a noble one.
6. He Was Vegetarian
Hitler was known to be pro-animal welfare, and that went hand in hand with his decision to become vegetarian. He had a genuine love for animals and was against any testing on them, which he expressed in his renowned diary. He even had an idea to introduce vegetarianism as an official ideology after the war, hoping that others alike would follow him in his endeavor.
7. He Had Digestion Problems
Adolf suffered from gastrointestinal tract issues for much of his life, which led to him experiencing stomach pain, gas, diarrhea, and immense discomfort after consuming food. Fearing this ailment getting out to the public, he resorted to 29 different drug options, all of which did nothing to help.
8. He Only Had One Testicle
While fighting in the Battle of Somme for the German Empire during the first World War, Hitler was injured, leading doctors to remove one of his testicles, which would save his life. It’s widely believed that this defect “provoked his inferiority complex”. A popular British marching tune was created in World War II, sung “Hitler has only got one ball” which only led to further mockery.
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