html Copy code German Inventions that Changed the World: A Comprehensive Exploration

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 Leibniz, Zuse German Inventions Planck, Einstein

Inventions, innovations or discoveries known or generally recognised to be German.

Main source: Wikipedia, abbreviated version, youtube, et.al.

 

 

  Famous inventors, Discoverers and Engineers (direct links!):

 

 - The movable-type Printing Press by Johannes Gutenberg 15th century: the most important of the second millennium.[11]  - Time Life 1997,

  -   - "the most influential person of the second millennium" A&E Network 1998, "Biographies of the Millennium".[11]

 - Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion by Johannes Kepler. Pocket Watch by Peter Henlein. Newspaper by Johann Carolus.

  -

 - Calculus[298] + Leibniz's Notation[299] by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: 1675 Integral symbol [301] + Binary Numeral System.

 - First Automatic Digital Computer(!) (Z3) by Konrad Zuse[5] + commercial computer (Z4)  & High-level Programming Language[6]

  -

 - Air transportation: Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin,[7] Otto LilienthalHugo Junkers...

 - Bicycle (dandy horse, "Laufmaschine") 1817 by Baron Karl von Drais[568][569]

 - Car / Automobile by Karl Benz [579][580] ...on four wheels, by Gottlieb Daimler[584] ...motorcycle ...1885 by Daimler + Wilhelm Maybach.[581] 

 - Space rocket + NASA Saturn V Moon Rocket / Moon landing by Aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun.

  -

  -  Modern World View:

 - Special Relativity + General Relativity theories / Gravity by Albert Einstein in 1905 + 1915.

 - Quantum Mechanics by Max Planck, with major contributions by Werner Heisenberg + Max Born.[9] 

  -

 - X-rays by Wilhelm Röntgen.[10] Microbiology by Ferdinand Cohn + Robert Koch.

 - Electromagnetic Radiation, pivotal to modern telecommunication by Heinrich Rudolf Hertz.[8] Radiochemistry + Nuclear Fission by Otto Hahn.

 

 Christmas Market  - Telescope  - Calculator  - Wheelchair  - Oktoberfest  - Accordion  - Complete blood count  - Telephone transmitter 

 - Contact lenses  - Pension insurance  - Gramophone record  - Bodybuilding  - Teddy bear  -  Radar system  - Mass–Energy Equivalence 

 (E = mc2)  - Laundry detergent  - Coffee filter  - Passenger airline  - Echo sounding  - Parachute  - Electron microscope  -  TV Station 

 - SMS  - Tea bag  - YouTube  - Combined oral contraceptive pill  - Morphine  - SIM card - Christmas tree  - Refrigerator  -  Aspirin 

 -  Antibiotic  - Condom  -  Tape recorder 

 

 

 

      Follow the specific links in wikipedia!

1434

The world's first Christmas Market (Striezelmarkt) in Dresden[515]

1517

Protestantism and Lutheranism by Martin Luther[516]

1600<

16th century: Modern Christmas tree[517][518]

1608

Telescope by German-Dutch Hans Lippershey[419]

1623

Mechanical Calculator by Wilhelm Schickard[296][297]

1650

First vacuum pump by Otto von Guericke[420]

1654

Magdeburg hemispheres by Otto von Guericke[421]

1655

First self-propelled wheelchair by Stephan Farffler[567]

1663

First electrostatic generator by Otto von Guericke[422]

1665

Integral symbol by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz[301]

1673–1676

Leibniz formula for π by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz[300]

16xx

Calculus[298] + Leibniz's notation[299] by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

   

1700~

Clarinet by Johann Christoph Denner in Nuremberg[402][403]

1700<

17th century: Easter Bunny[519]

1776

Illuminati by Adam Weishaupt[521]

1795

Least squares by Carl Friedrich Gauss[302]

   

1800

Late 18th century: German idealism by Immanuel Kant[501]

1801

Discovery of ultraviolet by Johann Wilhelm Ritter[425]

1803–1827

First isolation of morphine by Friedrich Sertürner in Paderborn; first as a pain medication; commercial in 1827 in Darmstadt by Merck.[319]

1810~

Gaussian elimination by Carl Friedrich Gauss[303]

1810~

Skat card game in Altenburg[557]

1810

Oktoberfest, the world's largest Volksfest,[522] in Munich

1812–1858

Grimms' Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm[232]

1813

Gauss's law by Carl Friedrich Gauss[426]

1814

Discovery of Fraunhofer lines by Joseph von Fraunhofer[427]

1814–1816

Metronome by Johann Nepomuk Mälzel and Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel[405]

1817

The first bicycle (dandy horse, or Laufmaschine in German) by Baron Karl von Drais[568][569]

1817

Tachometer by Diedrich Uhlhorn[570][571]

1820

Galvanometer by Johann Schweigger in Halle[431]

1827

Gauss map[305] and Gaussian curvature[306] by Carl Friedrich Gauss

1827

Ohm's law by Georg Ohm[432]

1830

or earlier: Accordion in Nuremberg[409]

1830s

Kindergarten concept by Friedrich Fröbel[233]

1832

First synthesis of chloral hydrate + hypnotic drug,[320] by Justus von Liebig Giessen;[321] Oscar Liebreich hypnotic + sedative into medicine in 1869.

1834

First practical rotary electric motor by Moritz von Jacobi[572]

1835

Tuba by Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and Johann Gottfried Moritz in Berlin[410]

1837-1950

Interlingua by Alexander Gode[240]

1838

First electric boat by Moritz von Jacobi[573]

1839

Advent wreath by Johann Hinrich Wichern[523]

1845

Kirchhoff's circuit laws by Gustav Kirchhoff[434]

1850

Formulation of the first and second law of thermodynamics by Rudolf Clausius[435][436]

1850~

Advent calendar by German Lutherans;[524] the modern version was created by Gerhard Lang (1881–1974) from Munich[525]

1850s

Microscopic pathology by Rudolf Virchow[325]

1850–51

Ophthalmoscope by Hermann von Helmholtz[326][327]

1897–1899

Aspirin by Felix Hoffmann or Arthur Eichengrün at Bayer in Elberfeld[343]

1852

First complete blood count by Karl von Vierordt[328]

1859

Riemann hypothesis by Bernhard Riemann[309]

1861

First telephone transmitter(!) by Johann Philipp Reis;[441][442] he also coined the term "telephone"[442]

1865

Concept of entropy by Rudolf Clausius[444]

1864–1875

Centrifuge by brothers Alexander + Antonin Prandtl from Munich[443]

1870–1895

Modern refrigerator and modern refrigeration by Carl von Linde.[2][278][279][280]

1874

Cantor's first uncountability prooand set theory by Georg Cantor[310]

1876

Otto engine by Nicolaus Otto[574]

1877

Microphone by Emile Berliner[413][414]

1879

Empiric-experimental Psychology by Wilhelm Wundt in Leipzig[505][506]

1879–1881

First electric locomotive[575] and electric tramway (Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway) by Siemens & Halske[576][577]

1881

First modern caesarean section performed by Ferdinand Adolf Kehrer (introduction of the transverse incision technique)[333]

1880s

The German Empire (1871–1918)  - first modern welfare state / Otto von Bismarck,[507]

1882

Adhesive bandage (Guttaperchapflastermulle) by Paul Carl Beiersdorf[334]

1882

Discovery of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacteria which causes tuberculosis, by Robert Koch[335]

1882

Trolleybus (Electromote) by Werner von Siemens[578]

1883

Health insurance (Krankenversicherung) [508]

1884

Discovery of the pathogenic bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae which causes diphtheria, by Edwin Klebs + Friedrich Löffler[336]

1884

Discovery of the vibrio cholerae bacteria which causes cholera, by Robert Koch[338]

1884

Accident insurance (Unfallvers.) [508]

1885

First Automobile (Benz Patent-Motorwagen) by Karl Benz in Mannheim[579][580]

1885

First motorcycle (Daimler Reitwagen) by Gottlieb Daimler + Wilhelm Maybach.[581] 

1885

The called motorcycle of Hildebrand & Wolfmüller from 1894 (created by Heinrich + Wilhelm HildebrandAlois Wolfmüller)

1885

First modern internal combustion engine by Gottlieb Daimler + Wilhelm Maybach[583]

1886

Hole punch and ring binder by Friedrich Soennecken in Bonn[283]

1886

Discovery of anode rays by Eugen Goldstein[450]

1886

First automobile on four wheels, by Gottlieb Daimler[584]

1886

Motorboat by Lürssen, in commission of Gottlieb Daimler + Wilhelm Maybach, in Bremen[585]

1887

Gramophone record by Emile Berliner[414][415]

1887

First parabolic antenna by Heinrich Hertz[452]

1887

Discoveries of electromagnetic radiationphotoelectric effect and radio waves by Heinrich Hertz[451]

1888

First successful afocal scleral glass contact lenses by Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick[341]

1888

Driver's license by Karl Benz[586]

1888

The world's first filling station was the city pharmacy in Wiesloch[587]

1888

Flocken Elektrowagen, regarded by some as the first real electric car,[588] by Andreas Flocken in Coburg.

1889

Pension insurance (Gesetzliche Rentenvers.) [508].

1890

Diphtheria antitoxin by Emil von Behring[342]

1890

Plastilin by Franz Kolb[558]

1891

Taximeter by Friedrich Wilhelm Gustav Bruhn[590]

1893

Diesel engine, diesel fuel and biodiesel by Rudolf Diesel in Augsburg[591]

1893

Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat, the first aeroplane to be serially produced,[592][593] by Otto Lilienthal

1893

Zeppelin, the first rigid airship,[594] by Ferdinand von Zeppelin[595]

1895

Discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Röntgen[455]

1896

First truck (Daimler Motor-Lastwagen) by Gottlieb Daimler[597]

1897

Scientific-Humanitarian Committeefirst LGBT rights organization in history,[509][510] founded by Magnus Hirschfeld in Berlin

   

1900

Planck constant and Planck's law by Max Planck[458]

1900<

Marxism by Karl Marx + Friedrich Engels[502]

1900

Hilbert space by David Hilbert[316]

1900–1930

Quantum mechanics by Max Planck and Werner Heisenberg[459]

1901

Adhesive tape by company Beiersdorf AG[285]

1901

Modern bodybuilding by Eugen Sandow[530]

1901

Mercedes 35 hp, regarded by some as the first real modern automobile,[600] + drum brake.[601]by Gottlieb Daimler + Wilhelm Maybach.

1902

Teddy bear (55 PB) by Richard Steiff[560]

1904

First radar system (Telemobiloscope) by Christian Hülsmeyer [462]

1905

Mass–energy equivalence (E = mc2)[463] + special relativity[464] by Albert Einstein

1906–1912

Third law of thermodynamics (Nernst's theorem) by Walther Nernst[466]

1907

(Modern) Laundry detergent (Persil) by Henkel[286]

1907–08

Mensch ärgere Dich nicht board game by Josef Friedrich Schmidt[561]

1907–1910

First synthesis of arsphenamine, the first antibiotic,[347] by Paul Ehrlich + Alfred Bertheim.[348] 1910 by Hoechst under Salvarsan.[349]

1908

Paper coffee filter by Melitta Bentz[287]

1909

First intrauterine device (IUD): by Richard Richter (of Waldenburg, then part of Germany; in 1909).

1908–1911

Creation of dihydrocodeine[350]

1909

The world's first passenger airlineDELAG in Frankfurt (1909).[6079]

1912

The world's first diesel locomotive by Gesellschaft für Thermo-Lokomotiven Diesel-Klose-Sulzer GmbH / Munich[609] + Borsig / Berlin[610]

1912

The company also employed the first flight attendantHeinrich Kubis (1912).[608]

1912

Theory of Continental drift and the postulation of the existence of Pangaea by Alfred Wegener[271]

1912–1916

Invention of the modern condom by Poland-born Julius Fromm in Berlin[353]

1913

Echo sounding by Alexander Behm[467][468]

1915

Noether's theorem by Emmy Noether[470]

1915<

Modern parachute (the first collapsible parachute) by Katharina Paulus[553][554]

1915

The world's first all-metal aircraft (Junkers J 1) by Junkers & Co[611]

1916

The German Empire became the first country in the world to implement daylight saving time (DST)[511]

1920s

(Modern) hand-held metal detector by Gerhard Fischer[475]

1920s

Autogenic training by Johannes Heinrich Schultz[555]

1924

First human electroencephalography (EEG) recording by Hans Berger + the electroencephalogram + discovered alpha waves.[362]

1924–25

Bose–Einstein statisticsBose–Einstein condensate and Boson by Albert Einstein[479]

1927

Uncertainty principle by Werner Heisenberg[481]

1927

Free electron model by Arnold Sommerfeld[480]

1927

Uncertainty principle by Werner Heisenberg[481]

1928

Geiger–Müller counter by Hans Geiger and Walther Müller[482]

1928

First rocket-powered aircraft (Lippisch Ente) by Alexander Lippisch[613]

1929

First machine-produced tea bag (1929)  - by Adolf Rambold and Teekanne[289]

1929

Cardiac catheterization by Werner Forssmann[363]

1929

First intrauterine device (IUD): first ring (Gräfenberg's ring, 1929) used by a significant number of women by Ernst Gräfenberg.[351]

1930s

Critical theory by the Frankfurt School[512]

1930s

(Modern) Tape recorder by BASF (then part of the chemical giant IG Farben) + AEG in cooperation with the state radio RRG[251][252]

1931

Electron microscope by Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll[483]

1933

Discovery of the Meissner effect by Walther Meissner + Robert Ochsenfeld[484]

1934

Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow (TV Station Paul Nipkow) in Berlin, first public television station in the world[253][254]

1936

The first operational and practical helicopter (Focke-Wulf Fw 61), by Focke-Achgelis[615]

1935

Richter magnitude scaleby Beno Gutenberg (together with Charles Francis Richter)[273]

1937

Scanning electron microscope (SEM) by Manfred von Ardenne[486]

1938

Discovery of nuclear fission by Otto Hahn and Fritz Straßmann[487][488]

1944

First operational cruise missile (V-1 flying bomb) by Robert Lusser at Fieseler[398]

1948

Paralympic Games by German-born Ludwig Guttmann[539][540]

1949

The modern Tea bag (1949) by Adolf Rambold + Teekanne[289][290]

1949

Integrated circuit by Werner Jacobi (Siemens AG)[255][256]

1949

Development of the nuclear shell model by Maria Goeppert-Mayer + J. Hans D. Jensen[489]

1951

Airbag by Walter Linderer[618]

1953

Echocardiography by Carl Hellmuth Hertz (with Swedish physician Inge Edler)[369]

1961

Combined oral contraceptive pill by Schering AG[370][371]

1969

Articaine (Ultracain), a dental local anesthetic  - by pharmacologist Roman Muschaweck + chemist Robert Rippel (former Hoechst AG)[372][373]

1972

First home video console (Magnavox Odyssey) by German-born Ralph H. Baer[563][564]

1974

Playmobil by Hans Beck[565]

1980s

Atomic force microscope and the scanning tunneling microscope by Gerd Binnig[496][497]

1980

Quantum Hall effect by Klaus von Klitzing[495]

1984

Short Message Service (SMS) concept by Friedhelm Hillebrand[260]

1990

First radio-controlled wristwatch (MEGA 1) by Junghans[262]

1990~

Late 1980s and early 1990s: MP3 compression algorithm (fundamental for MP3 players) by i.a. Karlheinz Brandenburg (Fraunhofer Society)[261]

1991

SIM card by Giesecke & Devrient in Munich[263][264]

1995

The Settlers of Catan by Klaus Teuber[566]

   

2005

YouTube, co-founded by Jawed Karim[265]

2020

mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2) based on research by Uğur Şahin + Özlem Türeci[376][377]

 

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