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London Immigration

The Last of England. Illustration by Ford Madox Brown (c. 19th century). PD+100; PD-US. Wikimedia Commons.
The Last of England. Illustration by Ford Madox Brown (c. 19th century). PD+100; PD-US. Wikimedia Commons.

I normally would not take up an issue that is a political hot potato. That’s not what this blog site is about. However, I saw a very interesting article in the BBC entitled DNA Study Finds London was Ethnically Diverse From Start.

If you’ve traveled to London and Paris and walked around a bit, you might have noticed the difference right away: London isn’t an English city any longer, it is an international one. Yet, Paris on the other hand, remains quite French. The BBC article begins by pointing out London was a cosmopolitan town even 2,000 years ago.

It seems there are more than 20,000 human remains (each in their own cardboard box) located at the Museum of London. These remains are former residents of London dating back almost 5,500 years. Scientists and researchers are using new DNA and chemical processes to analyze, among other things, the origins of these folks (why they don’t just go to Ancestry.com I’ll never know). Read More London Immigration

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Night and Fog

The body of Wilhelm Keitel after being hanged, 16 October 1946. Photo by U.S. Army. P.D.-U.S. Government. Wikimedia Commons.
The body of Wilhelm Keitel after being hanged, 16 October 1946. Photo by U.S. Army. P.D.-U.S. Government. Wikimedia Commons.

Early on the morning of 16 October 1946, Wilhelm Keitel walked up 13 steps of the scaffold, had the rope adjusted around his neck, and dropped 6 feet through the trap door. The Nuremburg Court’s verdict of death by hanging was carried out on one of the major architects and perpetrators of the Nazi war machine.

Today, we tend to see World War II through the lens of the History Channel framed by the events of Pearl Harbor, D-Day, and the Holocaust. Rarely do we dig below the surface and become exposed to the sheer brutality, horrors, and inhuman behavior of the Nazi regime and its criminals (yes, these were criminals, thugs, lowlife, misfits, and degenerates). Researching my new book Where Did They Put the Gestapo Headquarters? A Walking Tour of Nazi Occupied Paris has brought many of these barbaric events and behaviors to my attention. I have trouble comprehending so many horrific stories as I scratch the surface. One of these stories is Nacht und Nebel. Read More Night and Fog