08 May-Victory in Europe Day

— Share your story

During the Battle of Berlin on April 30^th 1945 Adolf Hitler, the NAZI (National Socialist German Workers’ Party) leader, committed suicide. His successor authorised Germany’s surrender a week later. The surrender brought to an end to World War II in Europe.

The German surrender was signed at the Headquarters of General Eisenhower in Reims in France on May 7^th 1945. The following day was declared a public holiday. Celebrations were held to mark Victory in Europe Day in Great Britain, the United States Cities and in formerly occupied cities in Western Europe.

Victory in Europe Day was a public holiday held to mark the end of World War II in Europe in the year 1945 On This Day.

Photo by Richard Elzey

Victory in Europe – VE DAY

31 August-Van Morrison

— Share your story

Van Morrison is a singer songwriter and musician who is a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Known as ‘Van the Man’ his musical genres include rock, rhythm and blues, folk, celtic, country and gospel. He is the recipient of several awards and received an OBE in 1996 for his services to music.

Van Morrison was born George Ivan Morrison in Belfast in 1945. He was educated at Orangefield School in east Belfast where people such as Gerald Dawe Poet & Professor in English at TCD, David Ervine Politician and leader of the Progressive Unionist Party and Brian Keenan writer and former Beirut captive, were also educated. Interested in music from a young age, Morrison performed with several bands as a youth.

During the showband era in Ireland Morrison performed with bands such as the ‘Monarchs’ and ‘Them’. In 1967 he began his solo career with the hit single ‘Brown Eyed Girl’. A string of hits followed including, ‘Jackie Wilson Said’, ‘Domino’, ‘Wild Night’ and ‘Days Like This’. He has received two Grammy Awards and in 1993 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has also been conferred with honorary doctorates by the University of Ulster and Queen’s University Belfast.

Van Morrison, singer, songwriter and musician was born in Belfast in the year 1945 On This Day.

Photo by Piano Piano!

Van Morrison – Moondance

26 June-United Nations Charter

— 1 Comment ↓

The United Nations (UN) was established in October 1945. It is an international organisation which has its headquarters in New York, USA. The headquarters was officially opened on January 9^th 1951. World War II had just ended and the UN was established to prevent another such conflict.

At the founding conference of the United Nations 50 states were represented. The conference was held in San Francisco, California in June 1945. At the conference the UN Charter was drafted. It was signed by the 50 nations present at the conclusion of the conference. Today the organisation has 193 member states and each of them is a member of the United Nations General Assembly.

Ireland applied to join the United Nations in 1946. The application was refused however, because of Ireland’s failure to support the Allies against Hitler and Nazism during World War II. Ireland eventually became a member of the United Nations on December 14^th 1955. The Irish Defence Forces have a continuous presence on peace support operations since 1958. Ireland is also active in many other aspects of UN operations.

The United Nations Charter was signed by 50 nations in the year 1945 On This Day.

Photo by SMU Central University Libraries

Danger in Falling Asleep

02 May-de Valera Condolence on Death of Hitler

— Share your story

The death of Adolf Hitler was announced in April 1945. Taoiseach of Ireland Éamon de Valera signed the book of condolences at the German embassy in Dublin when the announcement was made. During the visit to the embassy he also held a meeting with the German Ambassador to Ireland Edouard Hemple.

The incident gave rise to international anger, dismay and condemnation. It came as the world was trying to come to terms with the barbaric atrocities committed by Hitler and the National Socialist Party of Germany (Nazi’s) during World War II.

Just a couple of months previous to de Valera’s visit to the German Embassy, photo and film coverage had emerged of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. The coverage had shown in graphic detail the horror of the Holocaust. Genocide on an enormous scale had been committed at concentration camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The media in the US carried extensive reports of the visit by de Valera to the German Embassy. The visit was condemned as ‘neutrality gone mad’ (New York Times) and ‘moral myopia’ (Washington Post). Irish Americans were also outraged by de Valera’s actions. Angela Walsh from New York wrote: ‘Have you seen the motion pictures of the victims of German concentration camps, de Valera? Have you seen the crematoriums? Have you seen the bodies of little children murdered by Nazi hands?….Have you seen the living dead, de Valera? Skin stretched over bone, and too weak to walk?’

It was also noted that Salazar, the dictator in Portugal had flags flown at half-mast when the death of the man who had come be regarded as the enemy of the human race was announced. Other neutral counties such as Switzerland and Sweden did not offer their condolence.

Éamon de Valera, leader of Fianna Fáil and Taoiseach of Ireland went to the German Embassy in Dublin following the death of Adolf Hitler to sign the book of condolences in the year 1945 On This Day.

Photo by The Library of Congress

De Valera

Liberation of Auschwitz photo

Auschwitz-Birkenau 65 years later.

Photo by FaceMePLS

30 April-Hitler

— Share your story

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria on April 20^th 1889. He was the leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NAZI Party), which controlled Germany from 1934 to 1945. Hitler was also Chancellor of Germany during those years.

In September 1939 Hitler invaded Poland. The invasion led Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany which began World War II. Hitler and his allies had conquered most of Europe and North Africa by 1941. He invaded the Soviet Union but failed to defeat the Red Army and was forced to retreat. This, together with the entry of the United States into the war, led to the defeat of NAZI Germany in 1945.

Hitler died at the age of 56 in April 1945. Over 5.5 million people of the Jewish faith and millions of others who were regarded as sub human were exterminated during the reign of the NAZI regime. Millions of civilians and soldiers also died during World War II.

Adolf Hitler died in the year 1945 On This Day.

Photo by Tallapragada

Hitler