On this day in 1961, Adolf Eichmann was sentenced to death by an Israeli war crimes tribunal. Eichmann was held responsible for playing a central role in the Final Solution. He coordinated the process whereby Jews were identified, arrested, and deported to killing centers where up to four million Jews were murdered. After the war, Eichmann escaped prison and, after moving from Europe to the Middle East, eventually settled in Argentina where he lived under the assumed name ‘Ricardo Klement’ until the Mossad captured him.Eichmann spent his years in Argentina living with his family and working for Mercedes-Benz in Buenos Aires; the Mossad kidnapped Eichmann after being tipped off about his whereabouts by a German official. They immediately snuck him on a plane to be tried in Israel. There, starting in April 1961, the Eichmann Trials were televised and globally watched. The prosecuting lawyers solicited testimony from survivors and, as a result, encouraged many victims to end their years of silence. Eichmann’s defense rested on claims that he was just following orders, that he had masterminded nothing, that he was a small piece in a large machine. On December 12, 1961, Eichmann was found guilty and on June 1, 1962, he was executed by hanging, becoming the only case of capital punishment in Israel’s history.