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Events on Wednesday 23 May 1945 1
1900 – 1945Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945)Died 23 May 1945, aged 45Himmler led the SS and Gestapo and was the chief architect of the Holocaust's administrative machinery. Captured by British forces after fleeing in disguise, he killed himself with a cyanide capsule while in custody. He was among the most powerful and feared figures in Nazi Germany.