H is for Schicklgruber?

Blogging From A to Z April 2014 Challenge
H
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com
H is for  Schicklgruber Hitler

Adolph's father, Alois, was not born with the last name Hitler.
He actually changed it to Hitler in 1877, many years before Adolph was born.
What might the most evil man in history have been named if not for this change?
ADOLPH SCHICKLGRUBER
Heil Schicklgruber?????

Date	Event
1837	Birth of Alois Schicklgruber, Adolf's father, as the illegitimate son of Maria Anna Schicklgruber and - ?
1842	Marriage of Alois' mother to Johann Georg Hiedler.
1847	Death of Maria Anna Hiedler.
1850	Alois Schicklgruber apprenticed to a bootmaker in Vienna, Austria.
1855	Alois Schicklgruber given employment by Board of Inland Revenue.
1857	Johann George Heidler, Alois' stepfather, dies.
1873	Alois Schicklgruber marries Anna Glassl (no children).
1876	Alois Schicklgruber's name changed to Hitler.
1880	Alois divorced by his wife on grounds of adultery with Franziska Matzelsberger.
1882	Franziska Matzelsberger bears Alois a son, also given the name of Alois.
1883	Death of Alois' first wife, Alois marries Franziska Matzelsberger, Angela Hitler born.
1884	Death of Alois' second wife.
1885	Alois' third marriage with Klara Pölzl, granddaughter of Johann Nepomuk Hiedler, brother of Alois' deceased stepfather.
1889	Adolf Hitler born, the fourth child of his father's third wife, at Braunau, Austria,

Hitler.  Six letters of the alphabet, when combined, initiates a response from nearly every person in the world today.  I'm sure some people may be upset with me for blogging about about him, saying things like,

• "Hitler does not deserve any further discussion" or
• "Hitler is evil incarnate so why on earth would you want to write about him?" 
• And my personal favorite, "You're a racist, antisemitic Nazi bitch!"

I've heard all of these and many more. Comments like these are born in:

• Blind acceptance of values instilled by parents and grandparents.
• Lack of exposure to belief systems different from their own/Isolation
• Fear of learning new ideals that makes them "different" from their friends and family.

In light of these statements, I want to begin this post with a personal disclaimer.

1. I am an avid historian, not a Nazi.
2. I enjoy discovering little-known facts about historical people without regard to their actions and beliefs. 
3. I find a wide variety of people fascinating, again, without regard to their politics or actions.
4. I have a sense of humor.  Highly inappropriate most days but damn, lighten up.  Yes, Hitler was a rotten bastard but I still laugh at the memes.
5. My blog, my rules.

If you are unable to view things from a perspective other than your own, this may not be the blog for you.  

Strange Facts about Hitler:

1. He only had one testicle.
There are two schools of thought on this subject.  At first it was believed that he lost a testicle in WWI.  Now, according to this article in the Guardian, it seems that Hitler's right testicle never fully descended during puberty. That is a condition called Cryptorchidism.

2. He was obsessed with his young niece.
Geli Raubal, Hitler's teenaged niece, was the daughter of his half-sister Angela. Hitler had invited Angela to come live with him and be his housekeeper. She brought her young daughter "Geli" with her. No one can prove for sure that it was a sexual relationship, but many people have insinuated that it was very intimate.

Geli has been called "the love of his life" by many Hitler biographers throughout the years. He was so obsessed with her that he kept her a virtual prisoner in one of his apartments during the six years of their relationship. It ended abruptly with Geli's death at the age of 23. Some say she committed suicide out of depression and a desperate attempt to escape Hitler's control. She wanted to go to Vienna and become an actress but allegedly, he forbid her to leave his side. Others say she was murdered because Hitler refused to let her go and if he couldn't have her, no one else could either. To this day, no one knows the truth behind their mysterious and tragic relationship. To read more about them and to see some amazing historical photos, check out this link.

3. He was the first European leader to ban the operation of human zoos.
Okay folks, I had to do some research into this one. First of all, I had no idea what a "human zoo" was.  I am horrified to say the least. Second, I'm amazed that Hitler was the first to BAN such a gross display of humanity, but what can I say, horrible people aren't always ALL bad. That being said, for those of you who may not know, a human zoo is exactly what it sounds like: A group of unique and unusual people on display for the viewing pleasure and oft times mockery of others. Not quite as bizarre as a circus freak show, but still as unkind, human zoos were popular in the US and Europe from the 18th to 20th centuries, particularly at places like The World's Fair and Coney Island.

For more photos and details about the history of human zoos, click HERE.

Well folks, that's a wrap on this one. There are more strange facts out there about Hitler but I don't feel like devoting any more of this beautiful day to him.

~TP