Today in History: Hitler Attacks the Mentally Disabled

On this day (September 1) in 1939, Adolf Hitler authorized the systemic murder of the mentally ill and disabled in Germany, Austria, Poland and what is now the Czech Republic. Between 275,000 and 300,000 people were put to death in what the Nazis deemed “mercy killings”. Their justification for their acts remains ambiguous to this day. At the time they offered various excuses such as compassion for the disabled, reducing the strain on the welfare budget, and eugenics.