Author: Jan Huisman
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Former Auschwitz guards will not be prosecuted
Many of the former Auschwitz guards against whom criminal investigations were started, wont be called to justice. The elderly defendants, aged from 88 to 94 years old, are not fit enough for a trial says newsmagazine Der Spiegel sunday. Certainly eleven alleged camp guards who were arrested in April (DisputedPast reported) are now exempt from prosecution. Der Spiegel says it will…
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The SS built a secret army after WWII
The notorious Waffem-SS continued their military activities after the Second World War. They built on a secret army in West Germany, starting in 1949. Their aim was to fight off a Russian invasion. Since Germany wasn’t allowed to have an army, they wanted to filled the gap left by the demise of the Wehrmacht. At first without…
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Neanderthals nurtured and had good parenting skills
Neanderthals are getting a better press lately. As it turns out, they were actually quite similar to our direct ancestors. In fact some would argue they are, at least in part, our ancestors. There lifestyle seems to be quite like the one our ancestors lived. Now, new research challenges our traditional view on Neanderthal childhood.…
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No more lying about WW2 in Russia – or face 5 years imprisonment
The Russian Duma passed a law that criminalizes lying about the Second World War. From now on, offenders will face up to five years imprisonment. The law specifically forbids to lie about the actions of the Soviet-Union during the Second World War and the denial of the judgments of the Nuremberg trials from 1945 to…
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Archaeologists discover 2 ancient tombs in Minya, Egypt
Two tombs from the 26th dynasty (685BC -525BC) are unearthed at the archaeological site of Al-Bahnasa, in Middle Egypt. The tombs contain mummified fish, coins and several mummies. The archaeological site of Minya was known in ancient Egypt as the town of Pr-Medjet. In the Graeco-Roman period the city was called Oxyrhynchus. The Egyptian ministry…
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Ancient Rome’s city water was a real health hazard
The water that Romans drank in their city’s contained up to 100 times the lead compared to water drawn from local springs. This was caused by the metal pipes, the fistulae, used for the plumbing system in their cities. This is suggested by new research, published yesterday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.…
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Hitler’s Jewish neighbor publishes diaries
Edgar Feuchtwanger lived in Munich, Germany, during the rise and heydays of the nazi-regime, from the early 1930’s to the outbreak of the war in 1939. Munich was the beating heart of the nazi-movement and the Feuchtwanger family was Jewish. To make things worse, the family had an infamous neighbour, none other than the Führer…