Death of a pamphleteer

On this day, 22 February, 1943, Sophie Scholl was executed by the government of Nazi Germany. She was convicted of high treason after being arrested for distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich along with her brother Hans five days before. She was 21 years old.

Her last words were:

‘How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause? Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us, thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?’

Her head was then chopped off with a guillotine.