Unbeknown to many, a German served as the 56th Secretary of State from 1973 to 1977 – Henry Kissinger. Although he became a well-known face in politics, he came from humble beginnings in Bavaria, Germany. His father was a teacher, and his mother was a homemaker. They were German Jews and, in 1938, had to flee to the safety of London and, later, New York.

Although he settled into American life as a child, he never dropped his German accent. After school, he briefly joined City College of New York before being drafted into the US Army in 1943. While he was stationed in South Carolina during the war, he became an American citizen. Due to his intellect and ability to speak German, he was assigned to the Military Intelligence sector and served for three years before leaving the Army in 1946.

After graduating from Harvard in 1950 with a degree in political science and an MA and PhD in the four years following, he took the role of director both of the Harvard Defence Studies Programme and of a study of nuclear weapons and foreign policy, until 1971.

He became a supporter and adviser to the New York Governor, Nelson Rockefeller, and was appointed National Security Adviser when Richard Nixon won the presidency. He was appointed as Secretary of State during this time and remained in the role when Gerald Ford became President.