The Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp grew to become a large group
of Nazi concentration camps that were built around the villages of
Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria. Though initially it consisted
of a single camp at Mauthausen, with time it was expanded to become
one of the largest labour camp complexes in German-occupied Europe.
Apart from the four main sub-camps at Mauthausen and nearby Gusen,
more than 50 sub-camps of the camp complex, located in all parts of
Austria and southern Germany used the inmates as slave labour.
Several
subordinate camps of the KZ Mauthausen complex included quarries,
munitions factories, mines, arms factories and Me 262 fighter-plane
assembly plants. In January of 1945, the camps — directed from the
central office in Mauthausen — had a total of roughly 85,000
inmates.
The death toll remains unknown, although most sources place it
between
122,766 and 320,000 for the entire complex. The camps formed one of
the first massive concentration camp complexes in Nazi Germany, and
were the last ones to be liberated by the Allies.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauthausen-Gusen_concentration_camp
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1357:
The foundation stone of Charles Bridge in Prague was laid by Holy
Roman Emperor Charles IV at 5:31 a.m.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Bridge)
1816:
The Congress of Tucumán declared the independence of Argentina, then
known as the United Provinces of the River Plate, from Spain.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Tucum%C3%A1n)
1922:
Johnny Weissmuller swam the 100-meter freestyle in 58.6 seconds,
breaking a world swimming record and the "minute barrier."
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Weissmuller)
1955:
The Russell-Einstein Manifesto was issued in the midst of the Cold
War, calling for a conference where scientists would "appraise the
perils that have arisen as a result of the development of weapons of
mass destruction".
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell-Einstein_Manifesto)
2002:
The African Union was launched in Durban, South Africa.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Union)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"I can get excitement watching rain on a puddle. And then I paint
it.
Now, I admit, there are not too many people who would find that
exciting. But I would. And I want life thrilling and rich. And it
is.
I make sure it is." -- David Hockney
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_Hockney)