On the night of 9 to 10 November 1938, Nazi stormtroopers of the SA, along with other party members and civilians, attacked Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues across Germany and Austria. The event is called Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, for the shattered windows that covered streets. At least 90 Jews were killed, many synagogues and thousands of shops were destroyed or looted, and about 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and taken to concentration camps. The regime presented it as a spontaneous outburst of public anger after a Jewish teenager shot a German diplomat in Paris, but it was organised by party leaders. Afterwards, Jews were fined collectively and pushed further out of economic life.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.