12 Facts About Adolf Hitler

As one of history’s most reviled figures, Adolf Hitler remains the subject of grim fascination, with the details of his life revealing a troubled, complicated figure. Here are 12 facts about Adolf Hitller.

1. He was Austrian

The fact that Hitler was Austrian, born in Braunau am Inn in April 1889, might seem odd given his association with German nationalism. This affinity was not, however, all that unusual among Austrians.

Influenced by the tutelage of his high school teacher, Leopold Poetsch, who had strong German nationalist sensibilities (and also taught Aldolf Eichmann), Hitler grew to despise the Austro-Hungarian Empire and express loyalty only to Germany.

In 1914, while living in Munich, Hitler managed to enlist in the Bavarian Army before renouncing his Austrian citizenship in 1925 and officially becoming a German citizen in the early 30s.

Despite the family moving from Braunau am Inn to Linz when Adolf was three years old, the border town and the house that he was born in (but only stayed in for a couple of weeks) have a lasting issue with their connection to Hitler.

2. He was a frustrated artist

It’s tempting to wonder how different the 20th century might have been had Hitler’s youthful aspirations to become an artist been realised.

He twice failed the entrance exam of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna (in 1907 and in 1908) when it was noted that, though he had some talent for…