Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was born on the 20th April 1889, in Braunau-am-Inn. He left school at 16 with no qualifications and struggled to make a living as a painter in Vienna.

In 1913, he moved to Munich and became a member in the German army, where he was wounded. In 1919 he joined the fascist German Workers' Party (DAP).

He played to the indignation of right-wingers, promising extremist 'remedies' to Germany's post-war problems which he and many others blamed on Jews and Bolsheviks.

By 1921 he was the unquestioned leader of what was now the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP or Nazi Party).

In 1923, Hitler attempted an unsuccessful in Munich and was imprisoned for nine months. On his release he began to rebuild the Nazi Party and used new techniques of mass communication to get his message across.

The Nazis grew stronger and in the 1932 elections, Hitler became the largest party in the German parliament. In January 1933, he became chancellor of a coalition government. He quickly took power and began to organise anti-Jewish laws. He also began the process of German militarisation and expanding territory that would eventually lead to World War Two. He united with Italy and later with Japan.

Hitler's invasion of Poland in September 1939 began World War Two. After military successes in Denmark, Norway and Western Europe, but after failing to subdue Britain in 1941, Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union. The Jewish populations of the countries conquered by the Nazis were rounded up and killed.

In December 1941, Hitler declared war on America. The war on the eastern front used up Germany's resources and in June 1944, the British and Americans landed in France. With Soviet troops positioned to take the German capital, Hitler committed suicide in his bunker in Berlin on 30 April 1945.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was as a famous engineer. He was born in 1806 and he died when he was 53 in 1859 in Portsmouth.

He was very clever and loved maths. When he left school, he became an apprentice to a watchmaker in Paris.

When he was 17, he started to work in his father’s engineering office in London. His first job with his father was building the Thames Tunnel. It went underneath the river Thames.

Brunel was injured in an accident when the tunnel collapsed under the water. He went to Bristol and won a competition to build a bridge over the river Avon. The only way to cross the river while the bridge was being built was in a basket. Brunel was the first person to cross the river in the basket.

He had a wife and three children. He loved performing magic tricks to them.

He wanted to build a railway from London to Bristol. He became the Chief Engineer of the Great Western Railway in 1833. He also wanted to build ships that would sail from Bristol to New York.

The first boat he ever built was called The Great Western, which was made from wood. His second ship was even bigger and made from iron. His last ship, The Great Eastern, was the biggest ship in the world (at the time). The Great Eastern took five years to build.

It was difficult to launch but she eventually launched in 1858. In 1859, an explosion on board the Great Eastern really upset Brunel. Brunel died at the age of 53 a week later. His work meant that people could travel and trade in a different way. You can see his suspension bridge in Bristol.

King Henry VIII

Henry VIII was born in 1491 and he died in 1547.

He had special tutors to teach him when he was a boy.

He had a fool to amuse him when he was bored with his books.

He also had to learn jousting, archery, hunting and other military arts.

In 1509 Henry was crowned King and he married Catherine of Aragon.

Henry VIII had 6 wives:

1. Catherine of Aragon (divorced)

2. Anne Boleyn (beheaded)

3. Jane Seymour (died)

4. Anne of Cleeves (divorced)

5. Kathryn Howard (beheaded)

6. Katherine Parr (survived)

In the brackets next to Henry's wives is a little rhyme to help you remember whether they were divorced, beheaded, died or survived ;-)

From his marriages, Henry had three children who lived: Mary, Elizabeth and Edward.

As an older man, Henry became quite overweight as he ate very rich food. There were big differences between rich and poor people in Henry VIII's time. Henry wore very rich, expensive clothes. Some even had jewels sewn into them.

As King of England, it was important that Henry was seen as rich and powerful. He lived in grand palaces like Hampton Court.

The kitchens at Hampton Court were huge.

You can visit some of the places where Henry VIII lived like Hampton Court Palace.

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale was a famous nurse. She was born in 1820 and she died when she was 90 in 1910. She was named after the city, Florence, in Italy where she was born.

She had a sister called Parthenope (‘pop’ for short). She lived with her rich family and was taught at home by her father.

When she was a young woman, she felt God had called her to help and look after others. Florence wanted to be a nurse but her parents would not let her. She disobeyed her parents and started to train to be a nurse.

In 1853, the Crimean War started. In Britain, there were newspaper reports on the terrible conditions of the wounded soldiers and how they were suffering. Florence Nightingale was asked to go to the Crimea to help to look after the wounded soldiers. She was based at the Barrack Hospital at Scutari where there were thousands of sick and wounded men.

There were not enough beds for all of the men so some of them were on the floor. The hospital was dirty and smelly and there were rats running around everywhere spreading diseases making the men worse. The men were dying from the diseases from the rats in the hospital.

When she first arrived, she was not allowed to nurse the men as they carried deadly diseases. She was only allowed to clean the hospital until more wounded men arrived when the doctors had to ask the nurses for help. The nurses had to follow strict rules and wear a uniform.

The hospital was now cleaner and healthier for the wounded soldiers. The soldiers thought that Florence Nightingale was a brilliant person. When she returned to Britain, she became a hero. She had had songs written about her because of her good work and she was given many awards, one of which was given to her by Queen Victoria.

Florence did not want to be famous. She wrote many letters to hospitals asking them to change so that they were cleaner for the sick and wounded. She set up a training school for nurses at St. Thomas’ Hospital where there is now a museum.