The forged diaries of Adolf Hitler are a series of sixty volumes of journals created by Konrad Kujau (pictured) between 1981 and 1983. They were purchased in 1983 for 9.3 million Deutsche Marks (US$3.7 million) by the West German news magazine Stern through one of their journalists, Gerd Heidemann. Stern sold serialisation rights to several news organisations, including The Sunday Times. In April 1983, at a press conference to announce the forthcoming publication, several historians—including two who had previously authenticated the diaries—raised questions over their validity, and subsequent forensic examination quickly confirmed they were forgeries. As Stern's scoop began to unravel, it became clear that Heidemann, who had an obsession with the Nazis, had stolen a significant proportion of the money provided. Kujau and Heidemann both spent time in prison for their parts in the fraud, and several newspaper editors lost their jobs. The scandal has been adapted for the screen twice: as Selling Hitler (1991) for the British ITV channel, and the following year as Schtonk!, a German film.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler_Diaries
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1658:
Anglo-Spanish War: English colonial forces repelled a Spanish attack in the largest battle ever fought on Jamaica. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Rio_Nuevo
1910:
The United States Congress passed the Mann Act, which prohibited interstate transport of females for "immoral purposes". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mann_Act
1940:
Second World War: The evacuation of nearly 200,000 Allied soldiers from French ports was completed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ariel
1967:
More than 400 million people viewed Our World, the first live, international satellite television production. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_World_(TV_special)
2006:
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was kidnapped in a cross-border raid from the Gaza Strip on the crossing Kerem Shalom, and was held hostage by Hamas until 2011. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilad_Shalit
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
Brexit: (Britain, politics) The withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Brexit
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred, and schizophrenia. --George Orwell https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Orwell
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