page_title: October 1946
section_title: October 16, 1946 (Wednesday)
hierarchical_section_title: October 1946 / October 16, 1946 (Wednesday)
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Joachim von Ribbentrop Reichsaussenminister v. Ribbentrop. 19.7.40. [Herausgabedatum] AV. 59951 [Berlin.- Joachim von Ribbentrop. (Porträt) Aufgenommen im April 1938 in Vorbereitung zum 45. Geburtstag am 30.4.1938 auf Gut Sonnenburg bei Freienwalde.] Abgebildete Personen: Ribbentrop, Joachim von: Außenminister, NSDAP, Deutschland
context_page_description: The following events occurred in October 1946:
context_section_description: One by one, the nine remaining Nazi war criminals on death row after the Nuremberg Trials were hanged in a gymnasium on the premises of the Nuremberg Palace of Justice.  Taking the place of Hermann Goering as first in line was Joachim von Ribbentrop, 53, the German Foreign Minister, who dropped from the gallows at 1:16 a.m., with Master Sergeant John C. Woods handled the duties as the U.S. Army's hangman.  Ribbentrop was followed by Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, 64; Ernst Kaltenbrunner, 43, Commander of the German SS national police; Alfred Rosenberg, 53, Minister of Eastern Occupied Territories, 1941–45; Hans Frank, 46, Governor General of Poland, 1939–45; Wilhelm Frick, 69, Interior Minister 1933-43, "Protector of Bohemia and Moravia" 1943-45; Julius Streicher, 61, propaganda publisher; Fritz Sauckel, 51, administrator of "labor deployment" for 5,000,000 workers imported from occupied territories; and General Alfred Jodl, 56, Supreme Commander of Nazi armed forces.  The last was Arthur Seyss-Inquart, 54, Reichskommissar of the Netherlands 1940-44, who was dropped at 2:45
  The RMS Queen Elizabeth made her first voyage as a luxury ocean liner, after having been used to carry British troops during World War II.  Ironically, Sir Percy Bates, who had been chairman of the Cunard Line when the ship was first commissioned, died on the same day of its commercial debut.
  Gordie Howe made his National Hockey League debut, scoring a goal for the Detroit Red Wings in his first game, a 3-3 tie with Toronto. Howe played in the NHL in five decades (40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s), appearing in 1,767 NHL and 419 WHA games.  His final goal was scored on April 9, 1980, in his penultimate game, for the Hartford Whalers in an 8-4 playoff loss to Montreal.
  Born: Suzanne Somers, American TV actress (Chrissy Snow on Three's Company), as Suzanne Mahoney in San Bruno, California
caption: Former German Foreign Minister Ribbentrop first to be hanged
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