Remember A DayHitler’s son, fish bowels and the death sentence: headlines from four decades ago

A journey back through time to look at significant news and events reported by the South China Morning Post from this week in history

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A HK$100,000 imperial banquet with exotic dishes served to Japanese TV celebrities at the Ambassador Restaurant. Photo: C.Y. Yu

Published: 5:07pm, 2 Nov 2017Updated: 10:20pm, 2 Nov 2017

The idea of animal welfare and animal rights was non-existent four decades ago, as no eyebrows were raised when some Japanese celebrities were reported to have attended a banquet in Hong Kong serving exotic delicacies such as an elephant’s trunk and a bear’s paw. Outside the city, a West German historian was said to have tracked down a son of Adolf Hitler, while in the Philippines, all martial law restrictions were lifted after five years.

October 30, 1977

● Ten people were sentenced to death and executed in Beijing, according to an official notice signed by the Beijing Municipal People’s Court and dated October 11. The notice listed more than 20 names of people found guilty of common law crimes with sentences ranging from one to 20 years’ jail, as well as death sentences. Ten of the names were marked with a red cross followed by the label “condemned to death – execution followed”.

Philippe Loret (right), son of Jean-Marie Loret who in 1977, was told he was the son of Hitler.

October 31, 1977

● A West German historian claimed to have found the son of Adolf Hitler. The discovery contradicted the assumption that Hitler had been impotent. His supposed son, Jean-Marie Loret, 59, was married with nine children and said to be living somewhere near the German border in northern France.