Little-Known Facts About Hitler That History Books Don’t Always Mention

Here are some shocking, bizarre, and surprising facts about Hitler that you probably didn’t learn in school.

1. He Was Almost Never Born

✔ Hitler’s father, Alois Hitler, was illegitimate, and historians debate whether Adolf could have had Jewish ancestry.

✔ His mother, Klara Hitler, had multiple children before Adolf, but most of them died in infancy.

✔ As a child, Hitler was reportedly weak and sickly, and his parents feared he wouldn’t survive past early childhood.

✔ Fact: If Hitler’s father had never been legitimized under Austrian law, Adolf would have been Adolf Schicklgruber—a name that might have made his rise to power less appealing for propaganda purposes.

2. He Was Once a Homeless Artist in Vienna

✔ In his late teens and early twenties, Hitler struggled to make a living as an artist in Vienna.

✔ He applied twice to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts but was rejected both times.

✔ After failing to make money from painting postcards and architectural sketches, he ended up homeless for a time, living in shelters and cheap hostels.

✔ Fact: Some historians believe Hitler’s resentment of Vienna’s multicultural society during this period influenced his later extremist beliefs.

3. He Was Obsessed With Astrology and the Occult

✔ Hitler and his top Nazi officials had a deep interest in astrology, mysticism, and occult rituals.

✔ The Thule Society, a secret Germanic mystical organization, heavily influenced early Nazi ideology.

✔ Hitler’s deputy, Heinrich Himmler, was obsessed with runes, Norse mythology, and the idea of a German master race, incorporating these elements into SS rituals.

✔ The Nazis even had a division dedicated to studying ancient relics, including an attempt to find the Holy Grail and other mystical artifacts.

✔ Fact: Hitler consulted astrologers about war strategies, and some reports suggest that the D-Day invasion was deliberately planned on a date that his astrologers had warned against.

4. He Was a Drug Addict

✔ Hitler relied on a mix of over 70 different medications given to him by his personal doctor, Theodor Morell.

✔ He was regularly injected with methamphetamine (crystal meth), cocaine, and opioid painkillers.

✔ He also took hormones, barbiturates, and digestive tonics, many of which contained dangerous chemical cocktails.

✔ Towards the end of the war, Hitler reportedly suffered from severe withdrawal symptoms, which impacted his ability to make rational decisions.

✔ Fact: Some historians argue that Hitler’s erratic behavior and paranoia in his final years were worsened by his drug addiction.

5. He Had a Strange Fear of Doctors and Needles

✔ Despite taking daily injections of drugs, Hitler hated traditional doctors and avoided medical treatments when possible.

✔ He suffered from severe stomach problems and chronic flatulence, yet refused to undergo major medical procedures.

✔ There are claims that Hitler had only one testicle, although modern historians debate this.

✔ Fact: Hitler reportedly feared cancer, syphilis, and premature aging, and relied on bizarre alternative medicine treatments instead of scientific medical care.

6. He Ordered the Development of Superweapons That Never Worked

✔ The Nazis invested heavily in "Wunderwaffe" (Wonder Weapons), including:

A giant sun gun designed to reflect sunlight to Earth as a weapon.

The V-3 Cannon, a massive artillery gun that was too impractical to use.

The Landkreuzer P. 1000 "Ratte", a tank so massive it couldn’t be built.

Stealth bombers and flying saucer-like aircraft, which never made it past early designs.

✔ Fact: Hitler wasted huge amounts of resources on fantasy projects, while the Allies focused on more practical military innovations.

7. He Loved Disney and Cartoons

✔ Hitler was fascinated by Walt Disney movies, particularly Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

✔ He reportedly watched Mickey Mouse cartoons in private and admired their animation quality.

✔ He even sketched Disney characters in his free time.

✔ Fact: The irony is that Disney represented everything the Nazis opposed, yet Hitler was captivated by American animation.

8. He Had a Bizarre Diet and Food Phobias

✔ Hitler was vegetarian, but not for moral reasons—he believed meat caused illness and premature aging.

✔ He had a strong fear of being poisoned, so he employed food tasters to check his meals before eating.

✔ His diet consisted mainly of pasta, potatoes, and vegetable purees, and he drank massive amounts of tea.

✔ Fact: Some believe Hitler’s strict diet and excessive drug use contributed to his erratic mood swings and declining health in his later years.

9. He Had an Unusual Love Life

✔ Hitler had several romantic relationships, but he rarely showed public affection.

✔ His longtime companion, Eva Braun, was kept out of the spotlight, and they married only a day before their suicide.

✔ There are claims that Hitler had fetish-like preferences, including reports that he enjoyed being dominated.

✔ Some reports suggest Hitler had a secret illegitimate son with a French woman, though this remains debated.

✔ Fact: Hitler’s personal relationships were highly secretive, and many of his closest aides knew little about his private life.

10. He Was Terrified of Cats

✔ Hitler reportedly suffered from ailurophobia—an extreme fear of cats.

✔ This is ironic, considering that many Nazi officers were known for their love of animals.

✔ Some speculate that his dislike of cats was related to his obsession with control—cats, being independent creatures, couldn’t be easily controlled.

✔ Fact: While Hitler feared cats, he was fond of dogs, particularly his German Shepherd, Blondi.

11. He Was Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize

✔ In 1939, a Swedish politician nominated Hitler for the Nobel Peace Prize as a sarcastic joke.

✔ The nomination was never taken seriously, and the suggestion was quickly withdrawn.

✔ Hitler, ironically, banned the Nobel Prize in Nazi Germany after one of his critics won it.

✔ Fact: This bizarre incident remains one of the most ironic moments in history.

12. His Death Was Surrounded by Conspiracy Theories

✔ While official records state that Hitler committed suicide in his Berlin bunker, many alternative theories exist:

Some believe he escaped to Argentina, where former Nazis fled after WWII.

Declassified FBI files from the 1940s show reports of people claiming to have seen Hitler in South America.

Soviet reports were inconsistent, leading to speculation that the Nazis faked Hitler’s death.

✔ Fact: Most historians agree that Hitler died in his bunker, but conspiracy theories about his escape continue to circulate today.

Final Thoughts: The Strange and Surreal Life of Adolf Hitler

Hitler is often portrayed as a ruthless dictator, but many lesser-known aspects of his life reveal a bizarre, paranoid, and deeply flawed individual. His obsessions, phobias, and strange personal habits offer a darker and more surreal perspective on the man behind WWII.

While history rightly focuses on the atrocities he committed, understanding these lesser-known facts can help us see how powerful leaders can also be deeply irrational and misguided.