MAY 12 - The birth of Otto Frank & the final executions following Easter Rising 1916

On this day 1889, Otto Heinrich Frank, Holocaust survivor and father of Anne Frank, was born in Frankfurt am Main, German Empire to Michael and Alice Frank. He studied economics in Heidelberg from 1908 to 1909 before gaining work experience at Macy’s in New York City. He stayed in the US for 2 years before returning to Germany in 1911.  During World War I, Frank served in the Imperial Germany army, having been called up for service in August 1915. He was attached to the infantry range-finder at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and in 1917 was promoted in the field to Lieutenant serving in the Battle of Cambrai. Following the war, Frank working in the bank that his father had initially run. On 12 May 1925, he married Edith Holländer, at the synagogue in Aachen. They had 2 daughters, Margot was born 16 February 1926 and Anne on 12 June 1929. With nazism on the rise, Frank decided to evacuate his family. In August 1933, they relocated to Aachen before finally relocating to Amsterdam. Twice, once in 1938 and again in 1941, Frank attempted to obtain visas for his family to emigrate to the United States of Cuba but was only granted a single visa for himself to Cuba on 1 December 1941. It is unclear if word ever reached him because 10 days later, Nazi Germany and Italy declared war on the US, and the visa was canceled. Germany invaded the Netherlands in May of 1940 and on 6 July 1942, Frank and his family went into hiding in the upper rear rooms of the Opekta premises on the Prinsengracht. The family later joined by several others, remained hidden for 2 years until they were discovered in August 1944. In September the family was transferred to Auschwitz where Frank was separated forever from his wife and daughters. His wife, starved at Auschwitz and both Margot and Anne were transferred to Bergen-Belsen where they died. Otto Frank was liberated by Soviet troops on 27 January 1945 and by the end of the year he realized he was the sole survivor of his family and of those who had hid together. After the death of his daughter Anne, Frank was given her diary and papers. After Frank typed the diary into a single manuscript, it was accepted for publication in the summer of 1946. Otto Frank is now recognized as co-author of the diary and it has since gone on to be translated in over 60 languages. Otto Frank died of lung cancer on 19 August 1980 in Basel, Switzerland at the age of 91.

On this day 1916, the British forces in Ireland Executed 2 more Irish Republicans following the events of Easter Rising. These were the last executions at Kilmainham following the Rising, totaling 14 of the original 90 sentenced to death. As the execution went on, the Irish public grew increasingly hostile and after Connolly’s execution, the other death sentences were commuted to penal servitude.

Sean Mac Diarmada was born on 27 January 1883 in County Leitrim, Ireland. His father, Donald was an IRB member. Mac Diarmada was eventually promoted to the Supreme Council of the IRB and later elected secretary. In 1910, he became manager of the radical newspaper Irish Freedom and became a national organizer for the IRB. In November 1912, Mac Diarmada was an original member of the Irish Volunteers. In May 1915, he was arrested for speaking out against enlisting in the British Army during World War I. Following his release in September 1915, he joined the secret Military Committee of the IRB. During the Rising, MacDiarmada was stationed at the headquarters in the GPO. He nearly escaped execution following the surrender by blending in with a large body of prisoners but was eventually recognized and court-martialed. He was executed by firing squad at the age of 33. Prior to his execution, Mac Diarmada wrote, "I feel happiness the like of which I have never experienced. I die that the Irish nation might live!”

James Connolly was born 5 June 1868, in Edinburgh, Scotland to Irish parents John Connolly and Mary McGinn. Due to economic difficulties, he enlisted in the British Army at the age of 14, lying about his age and giving a false name. He served in Ireland the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Scots Regiment for almost 7 years. During his service, he developed a deep hatred for the British Army and when his regiment was to be transferred to India, he deserted. After leaving the Army, Connolly married Lillie Reynolds in April 1890. Together they had 6 children.  Connolly was a socialist and spent much of his life involved with different socialist organizations and publications. In 1910, he returned to Ireland and in 1913, co-founded the Irish Citizen Army (ICA). During Easter Rising, Connolly was Commandant of the Dublin Brigade of the ICA. During the fighting he was shot in the ankle. Following the surrender, Connolly was held in a converted, first-aid-station in Dublin Castle. On 12 May, he was taken by military ambulance to Royal Hospital Kilmainham and brought by stretcher to the Gaol courtyard. Unable to stand before the firing squad, he was tied to a chair and then shot. It was Connolly’s execution that caused the most controversy and his death, along with the other 13 men killed at Kilmainham Gaol, brought about public awareness and support for the cause they had died fighting for.