1. Hitler was rejected from art school more than once
We know that Hitler’s failed art career eventually led to his life of
fascism, but you may not know that he actually applied to art school
twice – and was rejected so hard the second time that he wasn’t even
allowed to sit in on the entry exams. Even now, art experts maintain
that Hitler was a sub-par artist. You lose, H.
2. Speaking of art, surprise: Hitler loved iconic German artists
Hitler’s affinity for classic German artists could be seen in his own
work, which is why it’s easy to draw the parallels between Hitler’s
sketches and the works of painter Hans Thoma. Other favourites? Albrect
Durer, Lucas Cranach the Elder, and Johannes Vermeer – all of which who
probably would have preferred not to be.
3. He practiced for speeches by taking photos of himself . . . making speeches
A megalomaniac supreme, Hitler was so obsessed with his image that he
had photographer Heinrich Hoffman take photos of him making speeches, so
he could see how badass he looked. Fortunately for us, despite being
told to destroy the photos afterwards, Hoffman did not and included them
in his memoir instead. (And for that we are all truly grateful.)
4. He was an out-of-control spender
Hitler was out-of-control in general (obviously), but biographer
Volker Ullrich recently uncovered that the Fuhrer actually spent
thousands on opulence (cars, champagne, clothes, etc.) while pretending
to be “a man of the people.” What didn’t he spend money on? Income tax.
Because of course he didn’t.
5. Hitler was once ordered to trim his moustache
Hitler and his moustache go together better than any comparison I can
possibly make, but his preferred moustache style was actually of the
handlebar variety. Unfortunately for him, during WWI service he was
ordered to scale it back so it would fit underneath gas masks. (Which
didn’t work – he was gassed in 1918 and temporarily blinded.)
6. He loved Disney
The sooner we stop trying to understand Hitler, the better. However,
while Disney represents kids’ films and family to us, to the dictator,
it represented the advance of technology since "Snow White" boasted some
pretty impressive animation circa its 1937 release. Rumour has it he
also felt strongly for "King Kong" because of its special effects, and
watched both that and war films repeatedly.
7. Hitler’s obsession with Wagner began eons before WWII
At age 12, Hitler stumbled upon Wagner and he never looked back.
Writing in Mein Kampf that he was “addicted” after attending the opera,
"Lohengrin", Hitler reportedly skipped school to attend the opera well
into his teens. (Probably should’ve gone to those art classes instead.)
8. Rumour has it that Hitler had bred an army of talking dogs
According to Dr. Jan Bondeson, Hitler and his henchman rounded up
“educated” dogs with whom they communicated (through tapping paws,
barking, and wagging their tails) – and got even one to bark, “Mein
Fuhrer!” These dogs were supposed to help win the war (apparently),
which makes a bit of sense considering Hitler was heavily attached to
his dogs, Blondi and Bella. (The former, he killed before killing
himself.)
9. Hitler was a vegetarian who was diligent about food testing
Surprisingly (just kidding), Hitler was a paranoid person. So
paranoid, in fact, that he employed food tasters who, on one side, got
to enjoy the crème de la crème of German cuisine (during a time of
rations and starvation). On the other? After an attempted assassination,
he basically kept his food tasters imprisoned, according to Margot
Woelk, who had to suffer through the terrible ordeal.
10. His favourite actor only died in 2011
At age 108, Hitler’s favourite actor – the Dutch Johannes Heesters –
passed away. However, despite being a favourite of the dictator and the
S.S., Heesters was still allowed to perform because the Allies didn’t
think he was involved in Nazi propaganda. However, because he did
perform for the Nazi regime, he was still scrutinised for several
decades.