20:
75:
140:
from a
Cologne businessman and an offer of 1 million ℛ︁ℳ︁ from an American millionaire called Harris. In 1930, 15 of his defrauded clients brought criminal charges against him, and after being found criminally responsible (if "not very intelligent") this time, he was convicted to
82:
In 1914, the young
Kurschildgen began an apprenticeship in a dye factory in Hilden, Germany. Fascinated by the chemicals he worked with, he cobbled together a chemical laboratory of his own and after a short time claimed to have made numerous sensational discoveries. He convinced several investors
216:
concentration camp in 1936, and sentenced by a criminal court to three years of imprisonment. He was released early for "diligence and good behavior" in 1938, but was soon rearrested on
Himmler's orders, who feared that Kurschildgen would reveal his involvement with the SS and thereby embarrass
179:
received a warning that
Kurschildgen was prone to "fantastic experiments". He was visited by party leaders in his laboratory, who were not convinced by his petrol-making apparatus, and ordered the inventor with all his machinery to be moved to the
114:
examined them and found them to be fraudulent. In May 1928, as a result of the publicity
Kurschildgen now enjoyed, the apothecary of his hometown Hilden had a bust of Kurschildgen installed in town, mockingly dedicated to the "genius goldmaker".
229:
After the end of World War II, Kurschildgen unsuccessfully sought to be recognized as a victim of Nazi persecution, claiming that "the
Gestapo would stop at nothing to get at my invention". He retained his old acquaintance
149:
After his release from prison, Kurschildgen sought the attention of the new Nazi government with claims of being able to make petrol from water. He was visited by
163:
as well as to surrender the exclusive rights to his invention to the government. After his claims seized the interest of high-ranking Nazis such as
245:
for the 1936 conviction, which
Kurschildgen refused. Kurschildgen then spent years trying to have his conviction overturned, which the
199:"Himmler ist auf einen Gold- und Benzinmacher Kurschildgen hereingefallen. Wollte mich auch beschwindeln. Ich hab ihn gleich erkannt."
110:
306:
378:
93:, and the case was dismissed on the condition that Kurschildgen stop approaching investors with gold-making schemes.
383:
83:
that he had found a way to make gold, and was prosecuted for fraud in 1922. Kurschildgen was, however, found to be
204:
Himmler fell for a gold and petrol maker, Kurschildgen. He wanted to defraud me, too. I recognized him at once.
118:
In 1929, Kurschildgen returned to the gold-making business. He unsuccessfully contacted the German president
373:
368:
84:
141:
18 months imprisonment. The news of his trial and conviction was reported as far away as
Australia.
133:
96:
Complying with this restriction, Kurschildgen then began claiming that he was able to synthesize
78:"To the genius gold-maker, his grateful home town": The bust to Kurschildgen installed in Hilden.
105:
136:. With private backers, Kurschildgen had more success, obtaining an advance of 100,000
23:
Heinz
Kurschildgen with a diagram of his radium-making machine in a 1920s press photograph.
19:
8:
191:
declared his contraption to be useless, Kurschildgen became a factor in Party intrigues.
119:
100:, a very rare and expensive radioactive element. He demonstrated his "transmutation" of
218:
108:, but declined to explain his procedure. When the newspapers took up his claims, the
172:
89:
47:
339:
235:
192:
159:
150:
129:
311:
74:
362:
212:
101:
333:
39:
231:
164:
137:
124:
35:
238:
proceedings by testifying to Best's good conduct towards detainees.
265:
by Paul Tabori (1962) and (under the heading "worst alchemist") in
217:
Himmler. Kurschildgen however successfully petitioned
Gestapo head
176:
51:
242:
157:'s scientific advisor, and agreed to reveal his methods to the
154:
97:
63:
59:
31:
224:
55:
43:
334:"Gold from Sand: German makes Claim, Imprisoned for Fraud"
132:
with proposals to manufacture gold to pay back Germany's
168:
69:
360:
42:Germany. He fooled numerous people, including
307:"Alles nur erfunden: Der Alchemist der Nazis"
195:sneered in a diary entry of 27 January 1935:
234:as legal counsel, whom he had supported in
225:After the war: attempts at rehabilitation
300:
298:
296:
294:
292:
290:
288:
286:
284:
282:
269:by Bruce Felton and Mark Fowler (1985).
257:Kurschildgen's exploits are reported in
73:
18:
259:The goldmakers: 10,000 years of alchemy
144:
361:
304:
279:
182:Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt
111:Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt
50:, into believing that he was able to
326:
13:
252:
221:to obtain his definitive release.
14:
395:
210:Kurschildgen was detained at the
104:into radium to physicists of the
305:Franke, Manfred (18 June 2010).
263:The natural science of stupidity
70:Weimar Republic: gold and radium
1:
343:. 22 December 1930. p. 9
272:
267:Best, worst, and most unusual
261:by Kurt Karl Doberer (1948),
28:Heinrich "Heinz" Kurschildgen
247:Oberlandesgericht Düsseldorf
187:After the physicists of the
7:
249:ultimately declined to do.
241:Best proposed requesting a
30:, called the "goldmaker of
10:
400:
85:not criminally responsible
379:People convicted of fraud
384:20th-century alchemists
134:World War I reparations
66:out of base materials.
52:make valuable resources
79:
24:
106:University of Cologne
77:
22:
145:Nazi Germany: petrol
120:Paul von Hindenburg
138:ℛ︁ℳ︁
80:
25:
374:German alchemists
369:German fraudsters
219:Reinhard Heydrich
391:
353:
352:
350:
348:
330:
324:
323:
321:
319:
302:
173:Heinrich Himmler
90:dementia praecox
48:Heinrich Himmler
16:German fraudster
399:
398:
394:
393:
392:
390:
389:
388:
359:
358:
357:
356:
346:
344:
340:Melbourne Argus
332:
331:
327:
317:
315:
303:
280:
275:
255:
253:Further reading
236:de-Nazification
227:
193:Joseph Goebbels
160:Reichspatentamt
151:Wilhelm Keppler
147:
130:Hjalmar Schacht
72:
17:
12:
11:
5:
397:
387:
386:
381:
376:
371:
355:
354:
325:
312:Spiegel Online
277:
276:
274:
271:
254:
251:
226:
223:
208:
207:
200:
146:
143:
71:
68:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
396:
385:
382:
380:
377:
375:
372:
370:
367:
366:
364:
342:
341:
335:
329:
314:
313:
308:
301:
299:
297:
295:
293:
291:
289:
287:
285:
283:
278:
270:
268:
264:
260:
250:
248:
244:
239:
237:
233:
222:
220:
215:
214:
213:Columbia-Haus
205:
201:
198:
197:
196:
194:
190:
189:Reichsanstalt
185:
183:
178:
174:
170:
166:
162:
161:
156:
152:
142:
139:
135:
131:
127:
126:
121:
116:
113:
112:
107:
103:
102:uranium oxide
99:
94:
92:
91:
86:
76:
67:
65:
61:
57:
53:
49:
45:
41:
37:
33:
29:
21:
345:. Retrieved
337:
328:
316:. Retrieved
310:
266:
262:
258:
256:
246:
240:
228:
211:
209:
203:
188:
186:
181:
158:
148:
123:
117:
109:
95:
88:
81:
40:World War II
27:
26:
232:Werner Best
184:in Berlin.
165:Werner Best
122:as well as
87:because of
363:Categories
273:References
128:president
125:Reichsbank
36:charlatan
34:", was a
54:such as
347:19 June
318:19 June
177:Gestapo
171:leader
46:leader
38:in pre-
243:pardon
175:, the
155:Hitler
98:radium
64:petrol
60:radium
32:Hilden
349:2010
338:The
320:2010
167:and
56:gold
44:Nazi
62:or
365::
336:.
309:.
281:^
169:SS
153:,
58:,
351:.
322:.
206:)
202:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
