The persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany was a priority of the
Nazi police state. Before 1933, homosexual acts were illegal in Germany
but a thriving gay culture existed. Nazi persecution of homosexuals
peaked prior to World War II. Between 1933 and 1945, an estimated
100,000 men were arrested. Those arrested were presumed guilty, and
subjected to harsh interrogation and torture to elicit a confession.
Their death rate has been estimated at 60 percent, a higher rate than
other prisoner groups. Nazi Germany's persecution of homosexuals is
considered to be the most severe episode in a long history of
discrimination and violence targeting sexual minorities. After the war,
homosexuals were initially not counted as victims of Nazism because
homosexuality continued to be illegal in Nazi Germany's successor
states. Few survivors came forward to discuss their experiences. This
changed during the gay liberation movement of the 1970s, and the pink
triangle was reappropriated as an LGBT symbol.
Read more:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_homosexuals_in_Nazi_Germany>
_______________________________
Today's selected anniversaries:
1820:
A Russian expedition led by the naval officers Fabian Gottlieb
von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev made the first sighting of the
coast of Antarctica.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctica>
1945:
The Soviet Red Army liberated about 7,000 prisoners left behind
by the Nazis in Auschwitz concentration camp (entrance pictured), in
Oświęcim, Poland.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp>
1974:
Brisbane, Australia, was flooded when the Brisbane River broke
its banks.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_Brisbane_flood>
2003:
The first selections for the United States National Recording
Registry were announced by the Library of Congress.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Recording_Registry>
_____________________________
Wiktionary's word of the day:
mulga wire:
1. (Australia, New Zealand)
2. An informal gossip network, especially in a rural area such as the
outback; also, a component in the network (either a person or an
imagined wire).
3. A message or story transmitted through such an informal network,
especially one containing false information.
4. (Australia, historical) A system for long-distance communication used
by Aboriginal Australians, chiefly using smoke signals; also, a message
or signal sent using such a system.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mulga_wire>
___________________________
Wikiquote quote of the day:
What it takes to do a job will not be learned from management
courses. It is principally a matter of experience, the proper attitude,
and common sense — none of which can be taught in a classroom …
Human experience shows that people, not organizations or management
systems, get things done.
--Hyman G. Rickover
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hyman_G._Rickover>