Holocaust

Holocaust Timeline

1945 May 9 Soviet Troops Liberate Theresienstadt Concentration Camp
After again visiting the camp on April 6 and April 21, 1945, the International Red Cross took over its administration on May 2, 1945. SS Commandant Rahm and the rest of the SS fle...
1945 Jul Miep Gies Gives Otto Frank Anne's Diary and Notes
Miep Gies, née Hermine Santrouschitz (born 15 February 1909), is one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis during World War II. She discovered and preserv...
1945 Aug 8 London Charter of the International Military Tribunal
The London Charter of the International Military Tribunal (usually referred to simply as the London Charter or Nuremberg Charter) was the decree issued on August 8, 1945, that set down th...
1945 Nov 21 The Trial of the Major War Criminals before the International Military Tribunal (IMT) Begins
The war crimes tribunal tried and punished personnel only from Axis countries. Accusations arose claiming victor's justice, since no war crimes by the Allies were heard. It is, however, u...
1946 Oct 1 Conclusion of the Trial of the Major War Criminals before the International Military Tribunal (IMT)
Throughout the trials, specifically between January and July 1946, the defendants and a number of witnesses were interviewed by American psychiatrist Leon Goldensohn. His notes detailing ...
1946 Dec 9
to 1947 Aug 20
 Doctors' Trial (officially United States of America v. Karl Brandt, et al.)
The Doctors' Trial (officially United States of America v. Karl Brandt, et al.) was the first of 12 trials for war crimes that the United States authorities held in their occupation zone ...
1947 Anne Frank's Diary is First Published in the Netherlands as Het Achterhuis
Otto Frank gave the diary to the historian Annie Romein-Verschoor, who tried unsuccessfully to have it published. She then gave it to her husband Jan Romein, who wrote an article about it...
1947 Jan 2
to 1947 Apr 14
 The Milch Trial: The United States of America vs. Erhard Milch
The Milch Trial (or officially, The United States of America vs. Erhard Milch) was the second of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone in Ger...
1947 Mar 5
to 1947 Dec 4
 The Judges' Trial (or the Justice Trial, or, officially, The United States of America vs. Josef Altstötter, et al.)
The Judges' Trial (or the Justice Trial, or, officially, The United States of America vs. Josef Altstötter, et al.) was the third of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities ...
1947 Apr 8
to 1947 Nov 3
 The Pohl Trial (or WVHA Trial, or, officially, The United States of America vs. Oswald Pohl, et al.)
The Pohl Trial (or WVHA Trial, or, officially, The United States of America vs. Oswald Pohl, et al.) was the fourth of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their ...
1947 Apr 19
to 1947 Dec 22
 The United States of America vs. Friedrich Flick, et al. or the Flick Trial
The United States of America vs. Friedrich Flick, et al. or the Flick Trial was the fifth of twelve Nazi war crimes trials held by U.S. authorities in their occupation zone Germany (Nurem...
1947 Jul 8
to 1948 Feb 19
 The Hostages Trial (or, officially, The United States of America vs. Wilhelm List, et al.)
The trial got its name from the issue it dealt with. The four counts charged the defendants with committing war crimes and crimes against humanity through: participation in the murder of ...
1947 Aug 27
to 1948 Jul 30
 The United States of America vs. Carl Krauch, et al., also known as the IG Farben Trial
The United States of America vs. Carl Krauch, et al., also known as the IG Farben Trial, was the sixth of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their occupation zo...
1947 Sep 29
to 1948 Apr 10
 The Einsatzgruppen Trial (or, officially, The United States of America vs. Otto Ohlendorf, et al.)
On September 10, 1947, the U.S. Military Government for Germany created Military Tribunal II-A (later renamed Tribunal II) to try the Einsatzgruppen Case. The 24 defendants were all leade...
1947 Oct 20
to 1948 Mar 10
 The RuSHA Trial (or, officially, The United States of America vs. Ulrich Greifelt, et al.)
The RuSHA Trial (or, officially, The United States of America vs. Ulrich Greifelt, et al.) was the eighth of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their occupation...
1947 Dec 8
to 1948 Jul 31
 The Krupp Trial (or officially, The United States of America vs. Alfried Krupp, et al.)
The Krupp Trial (or officially, The United States of America vs. Alfried Krupp, et al.) was the tenth of twelve trials for war crimes that U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone a...
1947 Dec 30
to 1948 Oct 28
 The High Command Trial (or, officially, The United States of America vs. Wilhelm von Leeb, et al.)
On December 23, 1947, the U.S. Military Government for Germany created Military Tribunal V-A to try the High Command Case. The 14 defendants, formerly all leading command or staff officer...
1948 Jan 6
to 1949 Apr 13
 The Ministries Trial (or, officially, The United States of America vs. Ernst von Weizsäcker, et al.)
The Ministries Trial (or, officially, The United States of America vs. Ernst von Weizsäcker, et al.) was the eleventh of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in thei...
1949 Founding of the Ghetto Fighters' House
The Ghetto Fighters' House (Hebrew: בית לוחמי הגטאות‎), full name, Itzhak Katzenelson Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Heritage Museum and Study Center, was founded in 1949 by members of K...
1953 Israel Establishes Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem (Hebrew: יד ושם‎ also spelled Yad VaShem; "Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority") is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust establish...
1955 Oct 5 The Diary of Anne Frank, a Play Based on the Book, Debuts in New York
A play based upon the diary, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, premiered in New York City on 5 October 1955, and later won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was followed by the 1959 mo...
1959 Mar 18 The Film, 'The Diary of Anne Frank', Based on the Play, is Released
The Diary of Anne Frank is a 1959 motion picture based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name, which was based on the diary of Anne Frank. It was directed by George Stevens, ...
1960 May 3 Anne Frank House Opens on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam
The Anne Frank House on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is a museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank, who hid from Nazi persecution with her family and four...
1962 Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation Opens
The Mémorial de la Déportation is a memorial to the 200,000 people deported from Vichy France to the Nazi concentration camps during the Second World War. It is in Paris, France on the si...
1963 Oct Simon Wiesenthal Locates Karl Silberbauer, Anne Frank's Arresting Officer, In Response to Claims that Anne Frank was a Fictitious Person
Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal's search for the man who had arrested Anne Frank began in 1958 when he was challenged by Holocaust deniers to prove the existence of Anne Frank by finding the...
1971 Dedication of the Scroll of Fire Monument in the Forest of the Martyrs
Dedicated in 1971 by Bnai Brith, the Scroll of Fire is the work of Warsaw-born Nathan Rapoport. Memorials to the Holocaust were a central theme in Rapoport’s works. His sculptures can als...
1979 Founding of the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre
The Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre (MHMC) is a museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, dedicated to Holocaust education and awareness. It was founded in 1979 by a group of Holocaust survi...
1984 Establishment of the Dallas Memorial Center for Holocaust Studies (Now Called the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education & Tolerance)
The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education & Tolerance is a Holocaust museum located in Dallas, Texas. In 1977, 125 Jewish Holocaust Survivors and North Texas residents joined toget...
1984 George Segal Completes the Holocaust Memorial at California Palace of the Legion of Honor
George Segal's public sculpture, "The Holocaust," sits in Legion of Honor Park in San Francisco overlooking a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean. Often visitors find the sculpture an une...
1984 Oct Dedication and Opening of the Holocaust Memorial Center
Ground was broken for the Holocaust Memorial Center on the property of the Jewish Community Campus at Maple and Drake Roads in West Bloomfield, Michigan December 6, 1981. Almost three yea...
1986 The Netherlands State Institute for War Documentation Publishes the "Critical Edition" of Anne Frank's Diary
In 1986, the Netherlands State Institute for War Documentation published the "Critical Edition" of the diary. It includes comparisons from all known versions, both edited and unedited. It...
1986 Dec 10 Elie Wiesel is Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE (born September 30, 1928) is a writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, the best known of whic...
1990 Feb 4 Opening of the Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach
The Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach is a Holocaust memorial in Miami Beach, Florida. It was conceived by a committee of Holocaust survivors in 1984, formally established in 1985 as the ...
1991 Sep 29 Monument to Jews Killed at Babi Yar Massacre Opens
Soviet leadership discouraged placing any emphasis on the Jewish aspect of the Babi Yar tragedy; instead, it presented these atrocities as crimes committed against the Soviet people in ge...
1992 Florida Holocaust Museum (Formerly the Holocaust Center) Opens
The Florida Holocaust Museum is a Holocaust museum located in St. Petersburg, Florida. Formerly known as the Holocaust Center, the museum officially changed to its current name in 1999. F...
1992 Sep 1 First Participant in the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service
The first participant of the Austrian Holocaust Memorial Service (AHMS) started his work on September 1st 1992 at the Muzeum Auschwitz-Birkenau. Since then more than 400 Austrian Holocaus...
1993 Museum of Tolerance Opens
The Museum of Tolerance (MOT), a multimedia museum in Los Angeles, California, USA, with an associated museum and professional development multi-media training facility in New York City, ...
1993 Apr 22 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Opens on the National Mall in DC
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' living memorial to The Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM is dedicated to he...
1994 Steven Spielberg Establishes the USC Shoah Foundation
The USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, formerly Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, is a nonprofit organization established by Steven Spielberg...
1994 Sep 1 Dedication of Holocaust Memorial at Site of Klooga Concentration Camp
On September 1, 1994, a memorial dedicated to Jews killed in the Second World War was opened in Klooga, on the territory of the former concentration camp. This memorial stone was erected ...
1995 Beth Shalom Holocaust Centre Opens
Beth Shalom is a Holocaust memorial centre near Laxton in Nottinghamshire in England. Opened in 1995, it is England's only Holocaust museum. The centre was founded by brothers James and S...
1996 Holocaust Museum Houston Opens
The Holocaust Museum Houston, is located in Houston, Texas and was opened in 1996. The museum is located in the Houston Museum District. The museum is the fourth largest Holocaust memo...
1997 Founding of the Virginia Holocaust Museum
The Virginia Holocaust Museum was founded in 1997 by Mark Fetter, Al Rosenbaum, and one of Richmond’s youngest Holocaust survivors, Jay Ipson, in an effort to preserve and educate people ...
1997 Sep 15 Museum of Jewish Heritage Opens in Manhattan
The Museum of Jewish Heritage, in lower Manhattan, was created as a living memorial to the Holocaust. The hexagonal shape and tiered roof of the building are symbolic of the six points of...
1998 Founding of the Holocaust History Project
"No holes, no Holocaust" has long been one of the denier community's favorite slogans. It refers to the holes in the roof of Kremas (crematoria) II and III at the Auschwitz-Birkenau exter...
1998 Dec 9 Amsterdam District Court Imposes a Penalty on Denial of Authenticity of Anne Frank's Diary
In 1991, Holocaust deniers Robert Faurisson and Siegfried Verbeke produced a booklet titled The Diary of Anne Frank: A Critical Approach. They claimed that Otto Frank wrote the diary, bas...
1999 Centre de la mémoire d'Oradour Opens
The Centre de la mémoire d'Oradour (the memorial center of Oradour) has made its mission to commemorate the crimes of the 2nd armored division of the Waffen-SS "Das Reich" in Oradour-sur-...
2000 Sep Opening of Auschwitz Jewish Center
The main exhibition presents the nearly 500 years of Jewish history, tradition, and culture in Oswiecim. Visitors to the Center have the opportunity to connect with Oswiecim’s pre-war Jew...
2000 Oct 25 Unveiling of Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial
The Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial (German: Mahnmal für die 65.000 ermordeten österreichischen Juden und Jüdinnen der Shoah) also known as the Nameless Library stands in Judenplatz in the ...
2001 Dutch Government Retrieves Five Omitted Pages of Anne Frank's Diary
Cornelis Suijk—a former director of the Anne Frank Foundation and president of the U.S. Center for Holocaust Education Foundation—announced in 1999 that he was in the possession of five p...