1. The Danish

My dad told me that Hitler sent a letter to the King of Denmark that said Hitler thought they should unite their countries—it would have been a decisively strategic move for Hitler if it had worked.

But the King wrote back, Thanks for the offer, but I’m getting too old to rule two countries.

Later, Hitler sent the King a telegram congratulating him on his birthday. For months he didn’t get a response. Finally, Hitler sent another telegram asking the King if he received the first telegram.

The King sent a telegram back. All it said was, Thanks.

2. The Belgian

My mom told me that her aunt’s father was the mayor of the small Belgian town she grew up in when the Nazis invaded Belgium, and, wanting to keep the town in line, they shipped him off to a concentration camp in Belgium.

The people of the town didn’t know what to think—everyone sent to the camp never came back, so they grieved for him. He was a popular mayor. People cared about him.

In the camp, he noticed there were fewer and fewer Germans around. One day, a German guard appeared at his cell, unlocked it, and said, Don’t leave for three days. He was a good man. He waited three days. When he walked out of his cell, there weren’t any Germans for miles. He walked back to his town, and the people were elated to have him back again.

3. This I Know

In camps, the Nazis designated Jewish prisoners by making them wear an armband with a Star of David on it. Gay people—because they believe gay people to be also the scourge of humanity—gay people they assigned a pink armband with a triangle on it. Half a Star of David. A pink triangle.