Some may grow to be about 50 feet (15
meters) tall. Others are dense shrubs
that are no more than 20 feet (6 meters)
in height.
Hollies generally have single leaves that
grow on both sides of the branches. The
small, greenish flowers develop into clusters
of red, yellow, or black berries. The
berries remain on the plant through
most of the winter. Holly plants are
either male or female. Usually only
females produce berries.
Snaketown
has ruins of
large ball
courts. The
Hohokam
played a
game similar
to soccer using
small rubber
balls.
American holly has prickly leaves and usually
red fruits.
70 Holiday BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
People have used holly in celebrations,
decorations, and religious ceremonies for
hundreds of years. Today holly is used
mostly for decoration. The leaves of one
type, however, are used to make a tealike
beverage called mate. In addition, the
pale wood of some hollies is used to
make furniture.
Holocaust
In 1933 the Nazi Party took control of
the country of Germany. The Nazis
hated Jewish people and tried to make
life hard for them. Later, during World
War II (1939–45), they decided to kill
as many Jews as possible. Their program
became known as the Holocaust. It took
the lives of about 6 million Jewish men,
women, and children.
Jewish people were not the only ones
who died in the Holocaust. The Nazis
also killed Roma (Gypsies), homosexuals,
mentally and physically disabled
people, and anyone who dared to speak
out against them.
Anti-Semitism
Adolf Hitler was the head of the Nazi
Party. He ordered acts of anti-Semitism
(acts against Jews) as soon as he took
power in 1933. Many Jews lost their
jobs. In 1935 Jews lost their German
citizenship.
On November 9–10, 1938, crowds
burned synagogues (Jewish houses of
worship) all over Germany. They also
broke windows of shops owned by Jews.
Instead of arresting the attackers, the
Nazis arrested thousands of Jews. They
sent the Jews to concentration camps
(large prison centers). The event was
called Kristallnacht, or Night of Broken
Glass.
By the timeWorldWar II began in
1939, Jews could not attend school or
own businesses. In many areas, the Nazis
made all Jews wear badges so they would
not blend in with non-Jews. In some
cities, the Nazis forced Jews to live in
overcrowded areas called ghettos.
By late 1941, German victories inWorld
War II put most European Jews under
Nazi control. During this time the Nazis
began to kill large numbers of Jews and
other victims. Special units of soldiers
rounded up Jews, shot them, and
dumped the bodies in mass graves.
Opposition
Many Jews tried to get away from Germany
even before the killings began.
The family of the young diary writer
Anne Frank moved to The Netherlands.
Nazis required Jews to wear identifying
badges in World War II.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Holocaust 71
The Franks hid there for two years
before the Nazis caught them. Other
Jews escaped to the United States, Palestine
(now Israel), and other countries.
Some people helped Jews to hide or to
escape. RaoulWallenberg, a Swedish
man, saved 100,000 Jews in Hungary.
Oskar Schindler, a German, protected
1,200 Jews who worked for him.
Final Solution
In 1942 the Nazis planned a “final solution”
to what they called “the Jewish
question.” They decided to kill all Jews
in all areas controlled by Germany.
The Nazis built special death camps in
Poland. Some of their names were Auschwitz,
Majdanek, Treblinka, Chelmno,
Sobibor, and Belzec. At the camps, the
Nazis killed people with poison gas.
They then burned the bodies. The Nazis
kept some people alive to work as slaves.
Many of these prisoners died of starvation
or disease.
Aftermath
The Holocaust came to an end when the
Allies—the United States, France, Great
Britain, and the Soviet Union—defeated
Germany in 1945. Allied soldiers discovered
the death camps and released
the remaining prisoners.
The Allies also set up a court to try
Nazi leaders for their crimes. The
biggest trial took place in 1945–46 in
Nuremberg, Germany. After this trial,
seven Nazi leaders went to jail, and 10
were hanged.
Today many countries have Holocaust
Remembrance days to remember the
victims. Museums like the Holocaust
Memorial Museum inWashington,
D.C., educate people about what happened.
Many people hope that learning
about the Holocaust can prevent such a
terrible thing from happening again.
#More to explore
Frank, Anne • Hitler, Adolf • Judaism
• Nazi Party •WorldWar II
Hologram
A hologram is like a three-dimensional
photograph. Photographs show only
height and width. Holograms show
height, width, and depth. By moving
from side to side, a viewer can see the
front and the sides of an object shown in
a hologram. The process of making
holograms is called holography.
A typical hologram is created with a
laser. A special mirror splits light from a
laser into two beams. One beam shines
Visitors look out from the steps of a sculptural
memorial at the Majdanek concentration
camp in Poland.
72 Hologram BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
directly onto a piece of photographic
film. The other shines on the object and
reflects onto the film. The two overlapping
