Like many other famous historical figures, Jose Rizal also got his fair share of urban legends surrounding his life. His life was the most well documented among Philippine National Heroes. There is also a subject dedicated to him that college students are required to take in college. The most famous of these urban legends is a claim that Jose Rizal is the father of Adolf Hitler.
Conspiracy theorists can sometimes be armchair geneticists. They pointed out that Jose Rizal and Adolf Hitler have striking similarities. Both of these famous men have dark eyes, hair and a below average height. Interestingly, Rizal studied at the prestigious Heidelberg University in Germany. According to Maximo Viola, Jose Rizal dated an Austrian woman while studying at Heidelberg.
These facts led to the speculation that Rizal may have fathered one of the most hated figure in human history. Many people are convinced that this urban legend was legitimate. Conspiracy theorists even pointed out that Klara Hitler was one of the inspirations of the famous fictional character Maria Clara featured in his two novels.
Now let's delve into the facts in order to shed light on this urban legend. According to Ambeth Ocampo in his book Rizal Without The Overcoat (This should be used in the Rizal subject instead of those books filled with half-truths and myths); Rizal made his goodbye in the German soil in 1887. Adolf Hitler was born in 1889. Pregnancy lasts for 6-9 months. Unless Klara Hitler pulled off a Portgas D. Rouge(a character in One Piece) feat of holding her pregnancy for 20+ months. But remember this is the real world, no anime logic applies here.
Written by Adjie Perez, Lucis Philippines contributor.
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