Hitler’s teeth and the Leaning Tower of Pisa
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What role did a Jewish interpreter play in guarding Adolf Hitler's teeth?
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Hello and welcome to the History Hour with me, Max Pearson.
The past brought to life by those who were there in this week's connection from Witness History. Coming up, the troubled history of multi-party democracy in Nepal. They were just students. Then they opened fire. So many people died. There are no records. American Samoa's record defeat in a football World Cup qualifier against Australia, 31-0. Because it's like you just beat Tonga 22-0. How many goals that you need to have the differential? You know, I don't think that was very sportman to do that. Also, how the leaning tower of Pisa was stabilised and reopened to the public. The tower has been not only stabilised, but 10 years ago has been also restored all the surfaces. And a childhood memory of the first major surrealist exhibition in New York.
Don't talk to anybody. And if somebody tries to stop you, you can say, Marcel Duchamp said we should play here. But first, we've got one of the strangest stories that we've ever featured from the Second World War. It's all about Hitler's teeth. At the end of the war in Europe, Hitler was reported to have killed himself. The body was burned. So how did the world know for sure it was Hitler? Jane Wilkinson has been hearing about Jelena Rzhevskaya, who played a central role in identifying and then keeping secret the truth. It's the 8th of May 1945 and Elena Jeffskaya has just been handed a small box covered in red satin. Inside, so she's been told, are Adolf Hitler's teeth. And so she went around with this box and she felt not very good about it because, well, Hitler's teeth is not what you'd like to have by you.
This is Lubov Sam, and Elena was her grandmother, whose memoir includes an extraordinary story that she says for years was kept hidden by the Soviets. And she proved herself a very reliable, clever and responsible person. But why would a 25-year-old Russian Jew, an interpreter with the Red Army, claim to be entrusted with the last remains of the Fuhrer? Her story begins as the Soviets launch their final assault on the German capital.
Now, at last, the Red Army battles through to the very heart of the city. The climax of total German defeat is reached with the death of Berlin.
And everybody looked for Hitler, because on the 1st of May there was announcement by radio.
This is London calling. Here is a news flash. The German radio has just announced that Hitler is dead. I repeat that. The German radio has just announced that Hitler is dead.
So it was what Germans said. But how can you be certain that he hasn't fled somewhere? So the messages about his death are not quite certain. Rumours soon begin to spread around Berlin, where Hitler has been living in a bunker under the Reich Chancellery, his Nazi headquarters, since mid-January.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What role did a Jewish interpreter play in guarding Adolf Hitler's teeth?
0:00–10:46
2
How was the Leaning Tower of Pisa stabilized and reopened?
10:46–11:59
3
What sparked the pro-democracy protests in Nepal in 1990?
11:59–16:59
4
How did the first major surrealist exhibition in New York change art?
16:59–22:32
5
What led to American Samoa's historic 31-0 loss in a World Cup qualifier?
22:32–25:45
6
How did Jorge the sea turtle end up in an aquarium for decades?
25:45–28:42
7
What efforts were made to release Jorge back into the wild?
28:42–29:32
8
Where is Jorge the loggerhead turtle now after his release?
29:32–1:03:17
Speakers
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