New Delhi: The German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler was always known as a man of mystery. He had quite a long struggle in life, as a struggling artist in Vienna, and his encounters with Jews early in life. These incidents provoke considerable intrigue, as commentators seek to gauge the extent to which his experiences shaped the thoughts of the future fascist dictator. There is a myth about this dictator that he was associated with occult and black magic, a subject addressed at length in a plethora of publications, many of which cite his fascination with ‘the Holy Lance'. Here we share ten interesting facts about Hitler: Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria on April 20, 1889. For roughly six months during his childhood, Hitler's family lived in the vicinity of a large Benedictine monastery. It's coat of arms was adorned with a prominent swastika – a possible inspiration in later life. Hitler was known as “Adi” in his youth. Hitler's father, Alois, was in his third marriage and 51 years old when Hitler was born. He was known as a strict man who retired from the civil service when Hitler was only six. Alois died when Hitler was 13. Throughout his youth, Hitler dreamed of becoming an artist. He applied twice to the Vienna Academy of Art (once in 1907 and again in 1908) but was denied entrance both times. Hitler endured and survived four years of World War I. During this time, he was awarded two Iron Crosses for bravery. Hitler sustained two major injuries during the war. The first occurred in October 1916 when he was wounded by a grenade splinter. The other was on October 13, 1918, when a gas attack caused Hitler to go temporarily blind. Hitler had only one sibling that survived childhood, Paula (1896-1960). Hilter made the decision to become vegetarian following the autopsy of former girlfriend (and niece) Geli, who committed suicide by shooting herself in the heart. On 2nd January 1939, Hitler was declared Time Magazine's ‘Man of the Year 1938'.
