History’s “The World Wars” begins with German soldiers in a trench, pulling gas masks over their faces. A skinny private with a bushy mustache finds that his mask won’t seal because his whiskers are too thick. As soon as the gas clears, he takes out a knife to cut his mustache into a compact rectangle.
The little-known account of how Adolf Hitler got his strange mustache is only one of the surprising stories told in the series, which is Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction, Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming, and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
Also read: ‘Auschwitz Selfie’ Outrage: But You’re Supposed to Take Pictures
Executive producer Stephen David, whose “Men Who Built America” was also Emmy-nominated last year, talked to us about how he brought two World Wars to life.