Adolf Hitler was born in Australia.

The story behind the answer

False. Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau am Inn, then part of Austria-Hungary (now Austria)—not Australia. Though Austrian-born, he later became the dictator of Nazi Germany.

Austria and Australia are often confused, but they’re very different: Austria is a small, landlocked country in central Europe (note there’s no “L” in “Austria”), while Australia is a vast island continent in the Southern Hemisphere. Hitler’s Austrian origins mattered historically—he moved to Germany, fought for Germany in World War I, renounced Austrian citizenship in 1925, and in 1938 orchestrated the Anschluss, the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany. Memory tip: Austria = Europe, no kangaroos; Australia = continent with kangaroos.