Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 in Braunau-am-Inn, Austria. His father was a customs officer on the border crossing with Germany and his mother gave birth to two other children, but both of them died. He dropped out of school early with dreams of becoming an artist, but his application to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna was denied twice. With his hopes destroyed, Hitler lived as a vagabond in poverty after his mother died from cancer in 1908. He moved from homeless shelter to homeless shelter, eating at soup kitchens and, despite job offers, he chose to live in poverty.