Transcript
Lindsey Graham (0:00)
There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad free. Listen with Wondry plus in the Wondery app as a member of Noiser plus at noiser.com or in Apple Podcasts. Or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com It's February 17, 1939, at a motor show in the Messe Exhibition center in Berlin, Germany. A journalist strokes his hand along the smooth bodywork of a car in the center of the busy hall next to him. A salesman runs through his patter about the brand new model, the Kade Fwagen, an affordable and practical car that every German family will soon be able to purchase. A journalist asks whether he can look at the engine and without waiting for an answer, lifts the hood. But there's nothing underneath, just an empty compartment. He furrows his brow and asks if the car is just a dummy. The salesman laughs and beckons the journalist to the rear of the vehicle. He opens the trunk and points to the car's 25 horsepower engine. The journalist nods, impressed by the innovative idea to put the engine in the back. He asks whether he can see the engine running. The salesman looks unsure, but the journalist says he can't really give the car a good report if he doesn't see it in action. After a moment's hesitation, the salesman fires the engine up. A journalist smiles at the humming sound reverberating around the hall. People turn their heads and stare, and after a few seconds a red faced, officious looking man bustles over. The man pulls the journalist away from the car and the salesman kills the engine. The journalist starts to protest, but the man shushes him and tells him not to disturb the Fuhrer. He points across the hall to a group of men in military uniform. At their center is the instantly recognizable leader of Germany, Adolf Hitler. The Kade Fwagen is Hitler's passion project. He's here to enjoy its official launch at the Berlin Motor show and bask in the overwhelmingly positive reaction the vehicle receives. The new car is an engineering triumph for Germany and the Nazi regime, but the imminent outbreak of war means the Fuhrer will never see the Kade F Wagen take to Germany's roads. Instead, the car will be relaunched after 1945 with a new name. The vehicle, now known as the Volkswagen Beetle, will be an instant hit. Not only will it help Germany's economy bounce back after the devastation of war, but it will eventually become the world's best selling car, overtaking a record long held by the Ford Model T on February 17, 1972.
Capital One (2:46)
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