The Infographic Show discusses the life of Josef Mengele, a notorious Nazi doctor known as the "Angel of Death." Born on March 16, 1911, in Bavaria, Germany, Mengele studied philosophy and medicine at university and later earned a PhD in physical anthropology. He joined the Nazi party and SS, working as a medical expert and later being sent to Auschwitz, where he became infamous for his brutal experiments on prisoners, particularly twins. His experiments included testing the effects of freezing, attempting to change eye color, and trying to create conjoined twins. Mengele was known for his charming and polite demeanor, which belied his sadistic nature. After the war, he went on the run, eventually fleeing to Argentina and later Brazil, where he died in 1976. Despite his horrific actions, Mengele never showed remorse and remained a racist until his death.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Joseph Mengele was born on March 16, 1911, in Günzburg, Bavaria, Germany.
2. His father had a company called Firma Carl Mengele and Son.
3. Joseph had two younger brothers, Karl and Alois.
4. Mengele studied philosophy at the University of Munich and was heavily influenced by Alfred Rosenberg.
5. He earned a degree in medicine at the University of Frankfurt.
6. Mengele finished his PhD in physical anthropology five years later.
7. He joined the Nazi Party and the SS in 1937.
8. Mengele was drafted into the army and worked as a medical expert on the Eastern Front.
9. He was seriously wounded and sent to work at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Anthropology, Human Genetics, and Eugenics.
10. Mengele received the Iron Cross First Class for rescuing two German soldiers from a burning tank.
11. He was sent to work at Auschwitz, where he was responsible for selecting people for the gas chamber.
12. Mengele was also responsible for testing the gas used in the gas chambers, a cyanide-based pesticide called Zyklon B.
13. He experimented on twins, dwarfs, and pregnant women at Auschwitz.
14. Mengele injected dye into children's eyes to change their eye color.
15. He performed surgeries without anesthesia and transfused blood from one twin to another.
16. Mengele tried to sew two twins together to create conjoined twins.
17. After the war, Mengele went on the run and worked as a farmhand and a carpenter.
18. He escaped to Argentina under an alias and worked as a doctor, performing abortions.
19. Mengele died in a swimming pool in Brazil in 1979 from a stroke.
20. He lived in poverty most of the time and never repented for his actions.
21. Mengele's son, Ralph, visited him in the 1970s in San Paulo and said he was a frightened, hounded creature full of fear.
22. Mengele's experiments were aimed at refining the "master race" and were based on his interests in genetics and physical anthropology.