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Born in Hanover, Germany, he was a radio operator and artillery observer in Hitler's Wehrmacht during World War II.
He founded Der Spiegel in 1946/ 1947, which became (and still is) the most important investigative weekly magazine in Germany. During the Spiegel scandal in 19611961 (As MAD Magazine pointed out on its first cover for the year) was the first "upside-down" year i. one that looked the same upside down since 1881, and the last until 6009. Events January January 1 The farthing coin, used since the 13th century, cease and 1962Events January January 1 Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand January 3 Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro January 4 New York City introduces a train that operates without a crew on-board January 8 Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is e, he was arrested and jailed for several months, until Franz Josef Strauß was forced to resign as Minister of the Defense under continuing public protest.
While in prison for the alledged high treason, he read an anti-christian pamphlet by Albert Schweitzer which summed up all 19th-century "historical" literature on the Gospels. Having read this book Augstein changed his magazine's policy on religion. While having reported until then from a rather christian-friendly perspective, Der Spiegel evolved into an explicitly anti-christian voice (the cover story of the Christmas issue of 1996 read:"God is dead, Satan lives"). Augstein at the end of his life proudly stated to be a cynic; on his death bed he refused even to consider an afterlife with the words: "I only believe in what I know." He was tough on facts but careless with their proper interpretation.
Augstein became a member of the BundestagThe Bundestag ("Federal Diet") is the parliament of Germany. It was established with West Germany's constitution of 1949 (the Grundgesetz) and is the successor of the earlier Reichstag. Originally convened in Bonn in 1949, since 1999, the Bundestag has as in 1972, but gave back his seat already in 1973 to focus on his duties as a journalist. It has been speculated that he considered himself to extert much more influence with his magazine.
A hobby historianGenerally speaking, a historian is a person who studies history. This is harder than many think; the study of history requires careful attention to detail and neutrality. Historians can often have a profound impact upon the way people think. For example,, Augstein published several successful books, among them Preußens Friedrich und die Deutschen (1981, BooksEnthsiast.com), Otto von Bismarck (1990, BooksEnthsiast.com), and, about his lifetime opponent, Überlebensgroß Herr Strauß. Ein Spiegelbild (1983, BooksEnthsiast.com).
Since Stefan Aust became editor-in-chief of Der Spiegel, Augstein retreated more and more to private life, although he continued to publish commentaries regularly in the magazine almost until his death. For his lifetime achievements for peace, civil liberties and freedom of the pressFreedom of the press (or press freedom is the guarantee by a government of free public speech often through a state constitution for its citizens, and associations of individuals extended to members of news gathering organizations, and their published rep he was honoured with the title "Journalist of the century" in 2000 by 101 German journalists.
Augstein married five times, the last time in 2000. He died on November 7, 2002 from pneumonia and was buried on the island of SyltMap of the island of Sylt Sylt is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland, Schleswig-Holstein. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands. The island was once part of the mainland, and is still shrinking due to erosion from the North Sea. Local.