1941: Adolf Hitler becomes Commander-in-Chief of the German army.

Today: Right-wing military groups and neo-Nazis are gaining in popularity in Germany once again.

1941: German writer Bertolt Brecht's play about the absurdity of war, Mother Courage, is staged for the first time, foregrounding the relationships between capitalism and war.

1991: President George Bush sends American troops to the Persian Gulf to fight against Iraqi troops who have invaded Kuwait, claiming that it is in America's political as well as economic interest.

1943: Joe Louis knocks out Buddy Baer to retain the world heavyweight boxing championship. Boxing's popularity is soaring.

Today: Boxing's heavyweight division is in chaos, and many of its former stars are considered to be jokes by the public. Former champion George Foreman continues to fight, though he is approaching fifty years old, and former champ Mike Tyson continues to make a spectacle of his life both...