# WWII in real time via Twitter

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-in-real-time-via-twitter/602521>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 10, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-in-real-time-via-twitter/602521 "2011-11-10T17:46:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-in-real-time-via-twitter/602521/1 "2011-11-10T17:46:32Z")

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Has anyone else seen [this](http://twitter.com/#!/RealTimeWWII)? Someone (I believe a recent history grad) is using Twitter to report news and events from World War II as if they are happening in real time. He’s currently up to November 1939.

There are several tweets daily. Today’s include

> [@](#):
>
> New Nazi edict: Due to short supplies of gold (needed to pay Reich’s foreign debts), German wedding rings must now be made of steel

and

> [@](#):
>
> Holland lodging a formal complaint over SS troops crossing frontier at Venlo yesterday despite Hitler’s promise to respect Dutch neutrality

It’s a fascinating use of Twitter.

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**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-in-real-time-via-twitter/602521/2 "2011-11-10T18:03:57Z")

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It’s really well done. He also links to photographs, documents and stuff. I hope he can keep it up for the next six years! Channel 4 had a wee bit about the project:

> **[Real-time WWII Twitter feed will create ‘living memory’](https://www.channel4.com/news/real-time-wwii-twitter-feed-will-create-living-memory)**
>
> A Twitter account is reporting the events of world war two as it happened, minute by minute, for the next six years. Channel 4 News talks to the Oxford graduate behind @RealTimeWWII.

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**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-in-real-time-via-twitter/602521/3 "2011-11-11T01:08:31Z")

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Yup, been following for a couple weeks already. I have no idea how I found it though. Fascinating. I just really wish my dad was alive, he would definitely be an avid follower.

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**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-in-real-time-via-twitter/602521/4 "2011-11-14T01:06:19Z")

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Our local paper is [posting the names of Canada’s war dead to Twitter](http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/canada-in-afghanistan/Dead/5678165/story.html), one name each hour. They expect to finish sometime in 2025.