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Adolf Hitler is born in Austria.
At 6:30 p.m., Adolf Hitler is born in the small village of Braunau Am Inn. It was just across the border from Germany Bavaria. -
Adolf's father dies.
Alois Hitler died of a lung hemorrhage at a bar. Adolf, then 13, broke down crying at his father's funeral. -
Hitler moves to Vienna.
Following his mother's death, Hitler moved to Vienna, hoping to pursue fine arts. He wasn't successful. When Hitler lived in Vienna, he became interested in anti-Semitic beliefs. By the time he had left, he was a "confirmed anti-Semite." -
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Hitler serves in WWI
Hitler was an unusual soldier. He never complained about the food or the living conditions. Instead, he always volunteered for the dangerous jobs. He was notable for his luck in avoiding injury as well as bravery. -
Hitler joins the German Workers' Party.
Hitler was sent to investigate a meeting by an organization known as the German Workers' Party. He sat through the meeting, and just as he was about to leave, he heard something he agreed with. He stood up and had a long outburst on what he thought. When he was done, one of the men handed him a leaflet about the organization. Hitler liked it and joined, as it had all the same beliefs as him. Nationalist, pro-military, and anti-Semitic. -
Nazi Party formed
After joining the German Worker's Party, Hitler was determined to make it succeed. He started putting up propaganda everywhere to get people to join. It kept growing, and he changed the name to the National Socialist German Workers' Party. -
Hitler is named the leader (führer) of the Nazi Party.
Since Hitler was so effective at speaking in front of crowds, he was soon named leader of the Nazis. They were centered in Munich, and made up of German Nationalists. They were determined to overthrow the German Democracy. -
Nazis come to power through Great Depression
When the stock market crashed, financial markets worldwide were sent into a tailspin. The German economy was especially vulnerable. German workers were laid off and banks failed. They called for a new election, and Hitler knew his chance. The German people were willing to listen to anyone, even Hitler. -
Nazi Concentration Camp at Dachau is Opened
The first Concentration Camp at Dachau is opened. In total, over 200,000 prisoners from more than 30 countries. Nearly one third were Jews. Their main targets were Communists, Social Democrats, trade union leaders, spies, resistance fighters, religious dissidents, common criminals, Gypsy men, homosexuals, asocials and others who were considered "enemies of the state." -
Hitler becomes Führer of Germany
After Hindenburg's death, Hitler was named Führer. He replaced the offices of chancellor and president with one single dictator- himself. -
Hitler commits suicide
When Hitler was informed of his inevitable defeat, and that Mussolini was violently killed, he was determined to avoid capture. He married Eva Braun, who had known for 12 years. Then, when he was warned that the Russians were less than a day away from capturing him, he and his wife Eva took cyanide capsules. Then, for good measure, Hitler shot himself through the mouth with a pistol. Their bodies were cremated by bunker survivors and recovered by Russian troops. He wasn't ruled dead until 1956
