Incredible lesser-known facts about World War II

Incredible lesser-known facts about World War II - The impact of World War II is undeniable. WWII officially ended on 2 September 1945, leaving behind a trail of destruction that forever marked humanity. we look back at some of the most noteworthy facts that marked this historical event. Click on the gallery and learn more.

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Devastating number - More than one million Jewish children died in the Holocaust.

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Dachau - The first concentration camp in Germany was located in Dachau. It was built six years before the war started.

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Extermination - According to the Jewish Vitual Library website, more than a third of the Jewish population of Germany was murdered during the Holocaust.

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Jews in Japan - Japan continually rejected requests from the German government to establish anti-Semitic policies. The Asian country received thousands of Jewish refugees.

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Heart attacks - When Hitler met with the Czech president and informed him of his intentions to occupy the country, the Czech leader suffered a heart attack and had to be kept alive to sign the surrender agreement.

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Mass rape - According to an article published online by the BBC, Soviet soldiers raped German women during the conflict.

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Typhus epidemic - According to the Jewish Virtual Library, during World War II two Polish doctors saved the lives of 8,000 Jews when they pretended that there was a typhus epidemic in a city. This deterred Nazi troops from invading the city.

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Late surrender - Japanese soldier Hiroo Onoda surrendered 29 years after the end of World War II, in 1974.

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Museum - According to an article in the Independent, Hitler planned to collect thousands of Jewish objects and exhibit them in a museum of the "extinct race."

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Miracle? - Sergeant Nicholas Alkemade survived a 18,000-ft (approximately 5,000 m) fall without a parachute, and only suffered a leg injury.

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Climb up - When Hitler visited Paris during World War II, the French cut the Eiffel Tower's elevator cables to inconvenience the dictator's visit.

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Twitter - There is a Twitter account that reports the events of World War II in "real time."

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Female hormones - According to an article in the online edition of The Telegraph, the US secret service tried to put female hormones into Hitler's food.

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Mosque of Paris - According to an article published by the online edition of The New York Times, the Mosque of Paris helped several Jews escape the Nazis by providing false Muslim identities.

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Kuril Islands - At the end of World War II, Soviet forces invaded the Kuril Islands. The USSR didn't sign the Treaty of San Francisco, which states that Japan must give up all claims to the Kuril Islands, but does not recognize the Soviet Union's. The region is still in dispute.

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Declaration of war - After the Pearl Harbor attack, Canada declared war on Japan before the United States.

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Battle of Stalingrad - More Germans were killed by Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad than were killed in clashes with American troops.

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Battle for Castle Itter - According to a BBC article, Germans and Americans joined forces to fight against Austrian troops.

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Survival - Tsutomu Yamaguchi survived both the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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Plaster Oscars - During World War II, the Oscars were made of plaster due to shortage of metal.

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Working Queen - According to the Daily Mail, Queen Elizabeth II volunteered as a mechanic and driver during World War II.

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United States and New Zealand - According to an article in The Telegraph, the United States and New Zealand tested thousands of "tsunami bombs" that aimed to destroy coastal cities.

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Huge numbers - The number of Chinese people killed by the Japanese during World War II is greater than the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust.

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Unlucky rabbit - According to the BBC, the only victim of the first bomb to explode on British soil was a rabbit.

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Lost bombs - According to an article published by the Smithsonian, there are still thousands of undetonated bombs scattered throughout Germany.

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Fanta -

Fanta was created as an alternative to Coca-Cola because it was very difficult to import Coca-Cola syrup to Germany.

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