History Today: How the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated 80 years ago

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On January 27, 1945, during World War II, Soviet forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a Nazi German concentration and extermination camp where more than one million people, the majority of them Jewish, were murdered.

For those fascinated by history, Firstpost Explainers’ ongoing series, History Today , serves as an excellent resource to explore significant events from the past.

On this date in 1973, the United States, South Vietnam, Viet Cong, and North Vietnam formally signed the “Agreement Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam” in Paris. This treaty marked the conclusion of the Vietnam War, America’s longest war at the time, and included provisions for a prisoner exchange.

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Also, on January 27, 1984, Michael Jackson sustained severe burns while filming a Pepsi commercial in Los Angeles. A pyrotechnic malfunction caused his hair to catch fire during the shoot.

Let us take a look at these events in detail:

Auschwitz is liberated

Auschwitz was an extensive network of camps situated around Oswiecim and Brzezinka, Poland. Between 1942 and 1944, mass gassings occurred at Birkenau, the most infamous of the three main sites.

During this period, over 1.1 million people, primarily European Jews, were systematically killed through gas chambers, shootings, hangings, starvation, disease, and relentless exhaustion.

The camp, a symbol of the Nazi regime’s horrific crimes, was discovered in ruins. Most prisoners had been forced into westward “death marches,” but around 7,000 individuals remained. These survivors, many gravely ill and weakened by starvation and exhaustion, were unable to leave.

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On January 27, 1945, soldiers of the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front liberated Auschwitz Concentration Camp. The prisoners greeted the soldiers as true saviours.

The importance of January 27 exceeds historical records, as it is now observed as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It stands as a tribute to the millions of victims of the Holocaust and a reminder of humanity’s darkest chapter.

Vietnam War comes to an end

The protracted Vietnam War, which took place from 1955 to 1975, took a step towards resolution on January 27, 1973, with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords.

This conflict saw North Vietnam’s communist government and its South Vietnamese allies, the Viet Cong, battling against the South Vietnamese government and its key supporter, the United States. Known in Vietnam as the “American War,” the conflict was part of a broader regional struggle and a Cold War proxy battle between the US and the Soviet Union, along with their respective allies.

The agreement, titled “An Agreement Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam,” was signed by the United States, South Vietnam, Viet Cong, and North Vietnam.

Key provisions included a ceasefire throughout Vietnam, the withdrawal of approximately 23,700 U.S. troops and advisors, and the dismantling of all US bases within 60 days. In return, North Vietnam committed to releasing all U.S. and other prisoners of war.

Michael Jackson burnt during a Pepsi commercial shoot

On January 27, 1984, an accident occurred during the filming of a Pepsi commercial featuring Michael Jackson.

The commercial wanted to feature the pop icon performing his hit song Billie Jean amid an elaborate pyrotechnic display at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

However, during the sixth take, a pyrotechnic malfunction caused sparks to ignite Jackson’s hair, resulting in severe burns. The incident left him with second and third-degree burns.

Jackson underwent several surgeries to address the injuries and faced several physical and emotional challenges.

Pepsi offered Jackson $1.5 million as compensation, but the singer donated the amount to the Brotman Medical Centre, where he received treatment.

This Day, That Year

1888: The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington.

1943: The United States launched an air raid on Germany for the first time.

1967: Three astronauts died in a flash fire during a test aboard their Apollo 1 crew capsule at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

1988: India’s first helicopter postal service was inaugurated to improve communication in remote areas.

1996: Germany celebrates its first Holocaust Remembrance Day.

2009: R. Venkataraman, the 8th President of India, passed away.

2013: A fire started by pyrotechnics in the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil, killed 242 people and injured over 600.

2017: Donald Trump issues executive order banning travel to the US for seven mostly Muslim countries and suspending admission for refugees.