Posts Tagged ‘Germany’
History of VE-Day: End of WWII in Europe 81 Years Ago
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF VE-DAY ighty-one years ago today, World War II ended in Europe with the Allies accepting the unconditional surrender from Germany on VE-Day. Or did it? May 7, 1945, VE-Day Adolf Hitler had committed suicide in his Berlin bunker a week earlier on April 30, 1945, as I describe in my article on…
Read MoreHistory of the Liberation of Dachau: Present Day. Part 3
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF THE LIBERATION OF DACHAU: Present Day. Part 3 n Part 1, I discussed the Nazi Concentration Camps and Dachau. In Part 2, I talk about my father’s involvement in the liberation as part of the 42nd “Rainbow” Division and his subsequent capture of the Nazi general in charge of Munich’s anti-aircraft artillery. …
Read MoreHistory of the Diet of Worms: Martin Luther on Trial Over 500 Years Ago
Reading Time: 5 minutesHISTORY OF THE DIET OF WORMS: MARTIN LUTHER ON TRIAL, OVER 500 YEARS AGO Podcast version ver five hundred years ago, on April 17, 1521, Martin Luther was tried before the most powerful ruler in Europe, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. While the name may sound unappetizing, the Diet of Worms was a…
Read MoreHistory of Starkbierfest: the Lesser-known Beer Festival
Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF STARKBIER FESTIVAL Podcast version tarkbierfest is a public celebration throughout March this year, though some biergartens began in February. The heart of this festival is in Munich, Germany, specifically at Paulaner am Nockherberg Brewery, where it all began. The two-week Salvator tap on the Nockherberg, which is traditionally opened with the “Salvator-Probe“ in…
Read MoreHistory of Christmas Eve and the Battle of the Bulge: 81 Years Ago
Reading Time: 5 minutesHISTORY OF CHRISTMAS EVE AND THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE: 81 YEARS AGO Podcast version n Christmas Eve, 1944, my father, Staff Sergeant John Petro, entered the frontline at Strasbourg with the 42nd “Rainbow” Infantry Division in 20-degree weather. He was part of three regiments – hurried from training in the U.S. – to…
Read MoreHistory of October 31: What’s Martin Luther got to do with it?
Reading Time: 5 minutesHISTORY OF OCTOBER 31: MARTIN LUTHER See my miniseries on the life of Martin Luther. On October 31, 1517, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther nailed 95 propositions or theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, marking the beginning of the Reformation. Of course, the Reformation began long before that, but this date…
Read MoreHistory of Oktoberfest: Why Does it Start in September?
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF OKTOBERFEST Podcast Why is the famous German beer festival held in September if it’s called Oktoberfest? Officially, the beer festival begins on the third Saturday in September and lasts for sixteen to eighteen days, running through early October. This year, Oktoberfest runs from September 20 to October 5. What is the backstory of…
Read MoreHistory of Beethoven: 250th Anniversary — 5 Things You Didn’t Know
Reading Time: 2 minutesHISTORY OF BEETHOVEN: 250TH ANNIVERSARY — 5 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW The renowned German composer and virtuoso pianist Ludwig van Beethoven celebrates his 250th anniversary today. Anniversary of what? Here are 5 things you may not have known about the famous composer who came to fame between the Classical and Romantic periods of European music. …
Read MoreHistory of the Liberation of Dachau — a Personal Reflection
Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF THE LIBERATION OF DACHAU, a Personal Reflection On April 29, 1945, 81 years ago, toward the end of World War II, the Allies captured and liberated Dachau. My father, Staff Sergeant John Petro, was one of the liberators. It was one of the few stories from The War that my father told me…
Read MoreHistory of Starkbier Festival
Reading Time: 3 minutesHISTORY OF STARKBIER FESTIVAL March 13 begins the Starkbierfest. The heart of this festival is in Munich, Germany, specifically at Paulaner am Nockherberg Brewery, where it all began, and lasts about two weeks. It is unlike its more well-known sibling Oktoberfest in a few ways. Little Known Outside of Germany and Munich in particular, it’s not widely known,…
Read MoreHistory of Martin Luther: Part 8 – Legacy
Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER: PART 8 – LEGACY If you stand outside the door of the house where Martin Luther was born in Eisleben, you can see above the rooftops the towers of St. Andreas Church. You can walk to it in 5 to 10 minutes. St. Andreas is still in use today. It rises…
Read MoreHistory of Martin Luther: Part 7 – Family Man
Reading Time: 4 minutesHISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER: PART 7 – FAMILY MAN How did Martin Luther, the bull in the China shop, the… “…fox [that had] arisen seeking to destroy the vineyard, [the] wild boar from the forest [that] seeks to destroy it…” …how did he become the very model of a modern Christian Family Man? My Lord…
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