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Adolf Hitler Commits Suicide
Adolph Hitler commits suicide in his bunker below the Berlin sewer system. -
Period: to
The Nuremberg Trials
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Robert Jackson to be Prosecutor
President Truman appoints Robert Jackson as chief U. S. counsel for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals. -
World War II Ends
Colonel General Alfred Jodl signs the terms of unconditional surrender for Germany in Rheims World War II in Europe ends. -
Location for Trials Chosen
Robert Jackson visits Nuremberg--a city 91% destroyed by Allied bombs. He inspects the Palace of Justice and decides to recommend it as a site for the upcoming trials. The Soviets prefer that the trials take place in Berlin, within their zone of occupation. -
Top Nazis Taken to Nuremberg
Major war criminals that had been housed in Luxembourg are flown to Nuremberg, where they are incarcerated in a prison adjacent to the Palace of Justice. -
Trials Begin
The trial of the major war criminals by the International Military Tribunal begins at 10 a.m. in Nuremberg, Germany. -
Nazi Concentration Camps Film Shown
The prosecution introduces a film shot by Allied photographers in liberated areas. The graphic footage of Nazi horrors causes weeping in the courtroom. Some defendants appeared shocked by what they see; others seem bored. -
Artifacts from Buchenwald Concentration Camp Presented
The prosecution introduces grisly evidence from Buchenwald concentration camp. Items include tattooed human skin (favored by the commandant's wife for use in table lamps and other household furnishings) and the head of an executed Pole used as a paperweight by Commandant Karl Koch. -
Presentation of Evidence Against Nazi Organizations Begins
The prosecution begin introducing evidence to prove the criminality of seven German organizations: the Nazi party leadership, the German High Command, the SS, the SA, the SD, the Reich Cabinet, and the Gestapo. -
Prisoners Made to Eat in Groups of Four
The decision is made to end the practice of allowing all the defendants to eat together on days the court is in session. From this date on, the defendants eat in groups of four--except for Goering who is left to eat alone in an attempt to reduce his influence over the rest of the defendants. -
Iron Curtain Speech Given
In Fulton, Missouri, Winston Churchill delivers his famous "Iron Curtain" speech, urging the West to unite against the Soviets. -
Taylor Becomes Chief Prosecutor
Robert Jackson appoints Telford Taylor to succeed him as chief prosecutor in the subsequent Nuremberg trials. -
Sentences Given
The verdicts against the major war criminals are handed down by the International Military Tribunal. Eleven of the twenty-one defendants are sentenced to death. -
Goering Escapes the Noose
Goering commits suicide by swallowing a smuggled cyanide pill. -
War Criminals Hanged
Ten of the war criminals are hanged in Nuremberg.
