23. Kaminsky Becomes a Self-Taught Chemistry Expert
Adolfo Kaminsky started reading up on chemistry, and took a part-time job working for a chemist on the weekend. That knowledge and love of chemistry ended up coming in handy during his subsequent career as a forger.
When France fell to the Germans in 1940, Adolfo was 15 years old. It did not take long before he felt the Nazi yoke. First, his home was seized early in the occupation to quarter German troops, and his family was evicted. The following year, the Nazis shot Adolfo’s mother dead.