Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Austria is so sick of Nazis visiting Hitler's birthplace they're turning it into a police station

"The role of this building as a memorial to the Nazis has been permanently revoked."

Tperry
By TperryNov 21, 2019
Tperry
Tod Perry is a freelance writer from Long Beach, California.
See Full Bio

On April 20, 1889 at the Braunau am Inn, in Upper Austria Salzburger located at Vorstadt 15, Alois and Klara Hitler brought a son into the world. They named him Adolph.

Little did they know he would grow up to be one of the greatest forces of evil the world has ever known.

The Hitlers moved out of the Braunau am Inn when Adolph was three, but the three-story butter-colored building still stands. It has been the subject of controversy for seven decades.

The building was a meeting place for Nazi loyalists in the 1930s and '40s. After World War II, the building has become an informal pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis and veterans to glorify the murderous dictator.

The building was a thorn in the side to local government and residents to say the least.

RELATED: He photographed Nazi atrocities and buried the negatives. The unearthed images are unforgettable.

For years it was owned by Gerlinde Pommer, a descendant of the original owners. The Austrian government made numerous attempts to purchase it from her, but to no avail. The building has served many purposes, a school, a library, and a makeshift museum.

In 1989, a stone from the building was inscribed with:

"For Peace, Freedom

and Democracy.

Never Again Fascism.

Millions of Dead Remind [us]."

For three decades it was home to an organization that offered support and integration assistance for disabled people. But in 2011, the organization vacated the property because Pommer refused to bring it up to code.

RELATED: 'High Castle' producers destroyed every swastika used on the show and the video is oh-so satisfying

In 2017, the fight between the government and Pommer ended with it seizing the property. Authorities said it would get a "thorough architectural remodeling is necessary to permanently prevent the recognition and the symbolism of the building."

Now, the government intends to turn it into a police station which will surely deter any neo-Nazis from hanging around the building.

Austria has strict anti-Nazi laws that aim to prohibit any potential Nazi revival. The laws state that anyone who denies, belittles, condones or tries to justify the Nazi genocide or other Nazi crimes against humanity shall be punished with imprisonment for one year up to ten years.

In Austria the anti-Nazi laws are so strict one can go to prison for making the Nazi hand salute or saying "Heil Hitler."

"The future use of the house by the police should send an unmistakable signal that the role of this building as a memorial to the Nazis has been permanently revoked," Austria's IInterior Minister, Wolfgang Peschorn said in a statement.

The house is set to be redesigned following an international architectural competition.

austria hitler's birthplacehitler's househitlers house police stationnazi pilgramageworld war iiCNNMSNBCFox Newshitler's birthplace

The Latest

2000-year-old temple featured in 'Indiana Jones' found in the depths of Gulf of Puzzuoli
History

2000-year-old temple featured in 'Indiana Jones' found in the depths of Gulf of Puzzuoli

Groom stops midway through vows to hand bride a scribbled note — it contained a promise
Culture

Groom stops midway through vows to hand bride a scribbled note — it contained a promise

Man reading to his daughter while she sits on his lap
Family

Atlanta fathers step up for literacy as “Library Dads” for the community

Michael Jordan at a podium
Heroes

NBA legend Michael Jordan opens up fourth North Carolina health clinic for the uninsured

More For You

The wild all-female bartending competition Speed Rack is the best bar scene innovation in years

Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero, renowned bartenders and co-founders of Speed Rack, an all-female and femme speed bartending competition.

Elyssa Goodman

The wild all-female bartending competition Speed Rack is the best bar scene innovation in years

“We have no women bartenders, where are all the women?” Lynnette Marrero remembered.

The decorated bartender and mixologist worked a cocktail festival many years ago where some 30 women put it together behind the scenes. But when it came time for a film crew to record female bartenders, they were at a loss. She didn’t want it to happen again and neither did fellow renowned bartender Ivy Mix. “It was an a-ha moment, of what can we do to showcase these women?”

Keep ReadingShow less
A photo of a parent's hand holding a child's hand, a photo of a scientist in a lab

A dad fighting to cure a rare neurodevelopment disorder named after his daughter has announced a major breakthrough.

Photo credit: Canva

Dad fighting to cure rare genetic disorder named after his daughter announces breakthrough

When he isn’t working as a lobbyist, Sacramento’s Joe Lang spends much of his spare time fighting to find a cure for Jordan’s Syndrome, the highly rare neurodevelopment disorder named after his daughter. After learning Jordan was among a small handful of children with the condition, which can result in significant intellectual disability, Lang made it his life’s mission to fund research—and that tireless work has now resulted in a breakthrough, with Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi announcing plans to start a clinical trial into potential treatment.

"When my daughter, Jordan, was finally diagnosed after years of testing, it became my family’s mission to cultivate and grow a supportive community with the shared goal of advancing the understanding of this disorder and progressing towards potential treatment options,” said Lang—who co-founded the nonprofit foundation Jordan’s Guardian Angels with his wife, Cynthia—in a statement announcing the trial. "While we know this is just the beginning, this is a profound moment for our community, and we are hopeful for our children’s futures and the future of rare disease drug development."

Keep ReadingShow less
A photo of two people look at each other confused, with a Reddit comment pasted on top

People with autism shared things they considered "normal" until neurotypical folks told them otherwise.

Photo credit: Canva, with screenshot of comment by Reddit user sharkboi42069

People with autism share the 5 unique behaviors they thought were 'normal' for everyone

There are lots of behaviors I once thought were universal. For example, I recently learned that not everyone has an internal monologue running through their head all day long—a fact that, frankly, I’m still struggling to process. In a recent viral thread, people with autism shared things they thought were "normal" until a neurotypical told them otherwise. It’s an absorbing read top to bottom, with the responses exploring everything from body language to conversational style to following social rules and etiquette.

One of the top comments on r/AskReddit relates to "maladaptive daydreaming," which Cleveland Clinic describes as a "mental health issue that causes a person to lose themselves in complex daydreams," usually as a "coping mechanism for other mental health conditions or circumstances."

Keep ReadingShow less
12 years since 30 Rock ended 6 classic lines from the show are more relevant than ever
Liz and Tracy | ca. 2006 --- Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan --- I… | Flickr
www.flickr.com

12 years since 30 Rock ended 6 classic lines from the show are more relevant than ever

In 2006, the TV show 30 Rock was released into this world, and some of us have never stopped laughing. For over six years, this offbeat sitcom helped provide a much-needed distraction and consistently gave people joy. It received 104 Emmy nominations and 16 Emmy wins, plus countless other awards.

But upon a recent re-watch, it became apparent that the show wasn't just brilliantly funny. Through humor, some could argue that it often delivered more sage advice than most ancient scripture. In fact, even the most absurd lines of dialogue could be applied to current, everyday situations. And (most of) it totally holds up in the modern world.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man looks through binoculars
man using black binoculars at daytime
Representative photo by Forest Simon on Unsplash

Video captures scientists' euphoria after spotting bird believed extinct for 140 years

From mammoths to saber-toothed cats, extinct creatures have fascinated us for decades. But the idea of a supposedly extinct species reappearing after more than a century is nearly unimaginable. That’s exactly how a group of scientists felt during an expedition in Papua New Guinea, where they spotted the black-naped pheasant pigeon—a bird that was thought to be extinct for 140 years. Their elation, captured in a viral video, was shared on Reddit by u/rarepredator in the r/interestingasfuck group, where it’s generating buzz across social media.

“Suddenly I was confronted with this image of what at that time felt like a mythical creature,” shared Jordan Boersma, the expedition's leader, with the National Audubon Society. “It was, without exaggeration, the most surreal moment of my life.” The camera trap had captured an unmistakable image of the elusive pheasant pigeon, which hadn’t been seen since 1882. John Mittermeier of the American Bird Conservancy, who co-led the expedition, echoed the wonder: “To find something that’s been gone for that long, that you’re thinking is almost extinct, and then to figure out that it’s not extinct, it feels like finding a unicorn or a Bigfoot. It’s extraordinarily unusual.”

Keep ReadingShow less
A man proposes to his girlfriend on air in her newsroom

Camila Orti was doing a segment on a wedding proposal, entirely unaware she was the subject

ABC 8 Eyewitness News

News anchor unwittingly introduces boyfriend's wedding proposal on the air

Weather reporters are usually focused on forecasts and climate updates, but every now and then, they’re hit with surprises that change their lives in ways they didn’t expect. That’s exactly what happened to Camila Orti, a media personality who was working with Channel 8 Eyewitness News a decade ago. In 2013, while getting ready to go live, Orti was surprised with an on-set proposal from her longtime boyfriend, Johnny—a moment she later shared on her YouTube channel.

Though the proposal didn’t happen on air, the heartfelt clip quickly circulated across social media, touching viewers everywhere. In the video, Orti introduces the segment, saying, "And a big surprise today for one Channel 8 Eyewitness news reporter when her longtime boyfriend showed up to propose to her," reading from the teleprompter in the studio. Right on cue, Johnny stepped onto the set, dropped to one knee, and proposed, leaving Orti and the studio staff in awe as the moment unfolded in front of them.

via GIPHY

"Will you marry me?" Johnny earnestly asked. "Oh my god, yes. This is so embarrassing," Orti said as she accepted Johnny's proposal, laughing while she cried happy tears. The staff in the studio helped Johnny set up his proposal and some of them looked at the loving couple with smiles on their faces. The couple kissed and hugged, and Johnny even revealed a huge engagement cake. The video was later shared by a Reddit user u/ash_jisasa.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

Reacting to the proposal u/Critical-Art-9277 wrote, "She got the surprise of her life without actually knowing what she was doing, wonderful, she's so happy." u/Alternative-Peak-486 noted, "I love how this shows how much she was just reading her lines without comprehension and you can see the understanding dawning on her face." u/ericlikesyou mentioned, "Just a friendly reminder, this woman's fiancee probably knew she liked things like this and that's why he did it (good job dude). Do not assume every person wants this kind of proposal in public or at work, that is some fairytale non-existent reality." u/LegendaryOutlaw added, "Sounds like she wasn't live on air, she said it was a 'run-through' which is just a rehearsal. So he DID do it in front of most of her co-workers, but at least she didn't cry on live TV."

Fast forward to 2024, Orti gave birth to their son Enzo on September 9, 2024, and shared her joy on Facebook. "He’s here! Some of you out there did think he’d come early, well, he was two weeks ahead of schedule! Say hello to Enzo! We’re smitten with the little dude and we’re all healthy and happy, albeit sleep-deprived. I’m so overwhelmed with how kind everybody has been throughout my pregnancy journey on air- I so appreciate the kind words and encouragement, both here online and in person! Thank you," she wrote in the caption of her post where she shared the pictures of her infant.

This article originally appeared last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
Howard Snitzer next to a man performing CPR

Howard Snitzer survived a heart attack thanks to over 20 people performing CPR on him.

Photo credit: Mayo Clinic

After a rural Minnesota man had a heart attack, 20 strangers performed CPR to save his life

By all logic, Howard Snitzer should have died on March 4, 2011. On that day, he collapsed on the sidewalk outside of Don’s Foods grocery store, suffering a massive heart attack. However, thanks to over 20 strangers performing CPR on him for 96 minutes, Howard survived.

Howard lived in Goodhue, Minnesota, a small Midwestern town that has a population of less than 1,000 people and barely has any traffic lights. Even if Howard was in a bustling, heavily-populated city, 94% of people who suffer sudden cardiac arrest die before they make it to the hospital. However, the quick action of the few neighbors around him saved his life.

Keep ReadingShow less
Photos of an Egyptian sarcophagus and a person inhaling deeply

In an innovative study, researchers have determined that ancient Egyptian mummies actually smell nice.

Photo credit: Canva

Ancient Egyptian mummies actually smell nice, according to science

If I asked 100 strangers to predict the odors of mummified bodies, I would expect adjectives like "disgusting," "rotten," and "putrid." I definitely wouldn’t expect "woody," "spicy," and "sweet"—three positive descriptors used by scientists who recently examined the scents of nine ancient Egyptian mummies.

The fascinating experiment, conducted by a team from UCL and the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, is beneficial on multiple fronts. By analyzing the chemical signatures of various aromas, researchers can assess potential degradation without disturbance, helping museums preserve the mummies. Another bonus: being able to recreate the smell on a chemical level.

Keep ReadingShow less
© Copyright 2025