Timeline Description: Adolf Hitler was a German dictator from the Nazi Party who rose to power during the 1930s. He tried to build a German empire throughout Europe, but Germany was defeated in World War II. Hitler is remembered for the Holocaust, the systematic killing of millions of Jews by the Nazi Party.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| April 20, 1889 | Hitler is born in Austria. Hitler is born in Braunau Am Inn, Austria. His parents, Alois and Klara, come from poor peasant families. |
| January 14, 1907 | Hitler's mother dies. Klara Hitler dies of cancer. The loss of his mother affects Hitler deeply and it is said that he has a photo of her in his pocket when he dies. |
| February 1908 | Hitler moves to Vienna. At the age of 17, Hitler moves to Vienna, the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He plans to attend art school there but when he is rejected by the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts for the second time in October, he gives up on his dream. |
| 1914 | Hitler begins military service in World War I. After ignoring his army orders in 1909 because of his hate for Austria and later being rejected by the Austrian army for being too weak, Hitler volunteers for Germany. With a war happening, medical examinations were not a strict and Hitler is accepted. |
| October 1918 | Hitler is blinded by mustard gas. While fighting the British, Hitler is blinded by a mustard gas attack. He regains his sight but while he is recovering he is deeply depressed and spends much of his time crying. |
| May 1919 | Hitler volunteers to identify Socialist Republic sympathizers. In Munich, Hitler convinces the German army that he is against socialism and avoids arrest. He helps the army find other soldiers who did support socialism and he is recruited to be a political officer. |
| 1921 | Hitler is elected the leader of the new Nazi Party. Hitler wins an election and becomes the leader of new political party, nicknamed Nazi. The party's official name is National Socialist German Workers Party and it believes that equality is only for Germans, not Jews or immigrants. |
| April 1, 1924 | Hitler is sentenced to five years in prison for treason. The Nazis unsuccessfully try to take over the German government and Hitler is sentenced to prison for five years for treason. While there, he dictates his autobiography and book of political ideas, "Mein Kampf," to Rudolph Hess. |
| 1933 | The Jewish Holocaust begins. The Nazis, led by Hitler, begin to systematically eliminate Jews from Eastern Europe. At least six million Jews will be killed, many in brutal concentration camps, before the Holocaust ends in 1945. |
| August 2, 1934 | Hitler becomes Germany's dictator. After being named chancellor of Germany in 1933, a presidential election is held in 1934 that Hitler easily wins, partially because he vows to fight communism. He is now firmly in power as dictator of Germany with the title of Fuhrer. |
| January 2, 1939 | Hitler is named Time magazine's "Man of the Year." Due to his political dominance and being such as central figure in the world, Time magazine names Hitler as "Man of the Year." The magazine describes the actions of his Nazi Party as "ruthless." |
| December 11, 1941 | Hitler declares war against the United States. Four days after Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, Hitler declares war against the U.S. Germany had no agreement with Japan, but Hitler likes the fact that he is now the center of World War II, the biggest war the world has ever seen. |
| July 20, 1944 | Hitler survives an assassination attempt. Hitler escapes serious injury when a bomb explodes at his headquarters in Berlin. It is the third assassination attempt against Hitler. A senior officer is blamed for planting the bomb. |
| March 19, 1945 | Hitler orders the destruction of the Germany's infrastructure. Hitler decides that since Germany has lost the war, the country does not deserve to survive. He orders the destruction of the railroads, highways, and other important features of German industry, but the order is not obeyed. |
| April 30, 1945 | Hitler commits suicide in Berlin. Probably trying to avoid being captured by Soviet troops, Hitler kills himself. He commits suicide by shooting himself in the head while biting down on a poisonous cyanide capsule. |