The German contribution in science and technology is a milestone in the history of humanity. Einstein comes on the top of the list, although he fled to the USA as he was Jewish and he was living that horrible time when the third Reich rose to power and the Nazi government was spreading its antisemitic programs. Although he is the most famous, he was not the only one.
Here I tried to collect some of the German inventions in case you would like to know a little about the contribution of this great country to our life.
Bakelite, a plastic polymer invented in 1907 by Hendrik Baekeland, who worked in USA.
The Globe, was first invented by Martin Behaim, a German Mapmaker in 1490-1492 and was called the the Nuerenberg terrestrial Globe.
Bunsen Burner, the small burner in the laboratories was invented by Robert Wilhelm Bunsen in 1855.
Contact Lenses, invented and made in 1887 by the German physiologist Adolf Eugen Fick first for animals and then were tried on humans.
Kinder Garten, invented by Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel who opened the first kindergarten in 1837. Uptill now the the word KG is still used.
Geiger Counter, a counter used to detect and measure Radio activity was invented by the German nuclear physicist Hans Wilhelm Geiger in 1908-1912.
The printer, invented by the German Craftsman Johannes Gutenberg in 1450.
Blue Jeans, invented by the German Levi Strauss who worked in USA.
The Motorcycle, the gas-powered motorcycle was invented by the German inventor Gottlieb Daimler in 1885.
X-Ray, discovered by Wilhelm Konrad von Roentgen in 1895.
The Telescope, the German Lens maker Hans Lippershey demonstrated the first refracting telescope made of two lenses in 1608.
The Thermometer, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit used mercury with a chemical solution that kept the mercury from sticking to the tube of the thermometer in 1714, the Fahrenhite degree scale is still used in some countries as a measure of Temperature.
Alzheimer disease, discovered by Dr. Alois Alzheimer in 1906.
The Pregnancy test, invented by Selmar Aschheim and Bernhard Zondek in 1928.
Grammophone, Microphone, invented by Emil Berliner in 1887.
MP3, MPEG, invented by Karlheinz Brandenburg in 1995.
Cathode Ray Tube, the first apparatus to display moving object and the first screen, was invented by Karl Ferdinand Braun who won the Nobel Prize in 1909.
V2 and Redstone Rockets, one of the most important war tools in WWII were invented by Wernher von Braun in 1940.
The first Athletic Shoe, was invented in 1929 by Adolf Dassler, now called Adidas (Adi for Adolf and Das fo Dassler)
The Diesel Engine, invented by Rudolf Diesel in 1885.
Salvarasan, first and most effective Syphilis treatment was invented by Paul Ehrlich who won the Nobel Prize in 1908. (Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a certain type of powerful bacteria)
Flourescent Lamp, invented by Heinrich Geissler in 1850.
Neon lamp, invent by Edmund Germer in 1900.
Electromagnetic waves, were discovered and utilized by Heinrich Herz in 1880, uptill now the Radio waves are measured with Herz and Megaherz.
Aspirin, invented by Felix Hoffman in 1899.
Anthrax Bacteria, a deadly bacteria that infects Animals and humans was discovered by Robert Koch who won the Nobel prize in 1905.
Spread spectrum waves (Radar), discovered by the famous actor Hedy Lamar in 1942.
Refrigerator, Karl von Linde invented the first refrigerator using Ammonia in 1876.
DDT, a very powerful insecticide was invented by Paul Muehler in 1939.
Decafeination of coffe, was invented by Ludwig Roselius in 1906.
The Electron Microscope, invented by Ernst Ruska who won the Nobel Prize in 1986.
The Dynamo, using motion to generate Electricity was invented by Werner von Siemens in 1867.
The flying Balloon, was invented by Ferdinand von Zeppelin in 1900, still called the Zeppelin aircraft.
The Bicycle, Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbrun invented a model with two wheels of the same size, and the rider sits between the two wheels.
The Automobile, invented by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler in 1885.
The first Programmable Computer, invented by Konrad Zuse in 1945 and used in WWII.
That was some of the German contribution to science and technology.
All my love from Germany, Land der Ideen :)
Mittwoch, 14. März 2007
Montag, 12. März 2007
week end fun in Muenster
A lot of fun you can have in Muenster in the weekend. As a typcal European city and relatively small one, the city's normal day starts at 7:00 am, people are in the street going to work, by car, on foot or on bike, the shops are opening, the Cafes, restaurants, Baekerei (Baker shops) and Fleicheries (Butchers) They also have here what they call Steh Cafe, coffee shop whereyou eat or drink standing (stehen is the German verb for standing)
The week end is really nice here, if the weather is good (the German definition of good weather is sunny and warm) people are in the streets walking, shopping or sitting in open air cafes and restaurants. The lake here is a very interesting calm place for walking and meditation. It is actually an artificial lake that was dug many years ago to protect the city and now it is surrounded by huge green areas for walking, bicycle riding and jogging. The remains of the old wall also is a vast greenerie that can serve for the main purpose and called the Promenade. In all these gardens you only breath fresh clean air scented with the characteristic smell of clean fresh grass, you only listen to sweet singing of birds and you only see beauty that you cannot take your eyes of. It's very common to get encountered by small rabbits playing and eating or beautiful squirrels running quickly, they are really so sweet.
Downtown each saturday there is an open market, called Prinzipalmarkt just in front of the Cathedral. There you can buy anything and everything, beautiful flowers, plants, fresh fruits and vegetables from all over the world, all kinds of meat, chicken and fish, varieties of bread and bakeries, hand made clothes and scarfs, souvenirs, accessories and all other things you can imagine.
Having been the Capital of the Prussian Province Westphalen, and still being the cultural center of the modern Nordrhein Westphalia Province, Muenster has a lot of museums and art galleries. The Landes Museum with art works from all over Germany, Stadt Museum for art works from Muenster, Pablo Picasso museum, Muehlenhoff Museum for old farm houses and hand work equioments, Geological Museum, Botanical Garden, Wilhelmes Schloss (Old palace of King Wilhelm) Porcelain Museum, Bible Museum, West Prussian provincial Museum, Museum of Laquer Art as well as many art galleries and exhibitions scattered all over Muenster, either in halls or open air. Modern, classical, Christian and gothic art, all found in one city.
I guess Muenster suits me very well, I love greenery and peaceful meditating evironment with nature and calmness, I'm into art works and I love museums and art galleries, I love shopping and I love bicycle riding, so all these things are in Muenster, apart from the early disappearnce of all kinds of life, Muenster could have been really the perfect place.
My weekends in Muenster are really full of fun.
All my Love from Muenster
The week end is really nice here, if the weather is good (the German definition of good weather is sunny and warm) people are in the streets walking, shopping or sitting in open air cafes and restaurants. The lake here is a very interesting calm place for walking and meditation. It is actually an artificial lake that was dug many years ago to protect the city and now it is surrounded by huge green areas for walking, bicycle riding and jogging. The remains of the old wall also is a vast greenerie that can serve for the main purpose and called the Promenade. In all these gardens you only breath fresh clean air scented with the characteristic smell of clean fresh grass, you only listen to sweet singing of birds and you only see beauty that you cannot take your eyes of. It's very common to get encountered by small rabbits playing and eating or beautiful squirrels running quickly, they are really so sweet.
Downtown each saturday there is an open market, called Prinzipalmarkt just in front of the Cathedral. There you can buy anything and everything, beautiful flowers, plants, fresh fruits and vegetables from all over the world, all kinds of meat, chicken and fish, varieties of bread and bakeries, hand made clothes and scarfs, souvenirs, accessories and all other things you can imagine.
Having been the Capital of the Prussian Province Westphalen, and still being the cultural center of the modern Nordrhein Westphalia Province, Muenster has a lot of museums and art galleries. The Landes Museum with art works from all over Germany, Stadt Museum for art works from Muenster, Pablo Picasso museum, Muehlenhoff Museum for old farm houses and hand work equioments, Geological Museum, Botanical Garden, Wilhelmes Schloss (Old palace of King Wilhelm) Porcelain Museum, Bible Museum, West Prussian provincial Museum, Museum of Laquer Art as well as many art galleries and exhibitions scattered all over Muenster, either in halls or open air. Modern, classical, Christian and gothic art, all found in one city.
I guess Muenster suits me very well, I love greenery and peaceful meditating evironment with nature and calmness, I'm into art works and I love museums and art galleries, I love shopping and I love bicycle riding, so all these things are in Muenster, apart from the early disappearnce of all kinds of life, Muenster could have been really the perfect place.
My weekends in Muenster are really full of fun.
All my Love from Muenster
Dienstag, 6. März 2007
Anne Frank Tagebuch
Finally I managed to get a copy of The Diaries of Anne Frank in German and I started reading it in its original language too :)
Considered an Anti-Nazi document that every school pupil has to read here in Germany, he book is the diary of Anne Frank, (1929-1945) a thirteen years old girl who comes from a Jewish German family in Frankfurt and then with all the horrors that the jews were facing after the third Reich lead by Adolf Hitler gained the power in 1933, they escaped to Holland in the same year and lived quite nicely in Amsterdam but not for too long as the Nazi forces were soon envading Holland.
In July 1942 the family had to hide in a secret place behind a book shelf in the office of her father. The secret place or as called the Achterhuis was a small place at the rear of the building that was entered from a landing above the father's office. The door to the Achterhuis was covered by a bookcase to ensure it remained undiscovered. Anne wrote her diary for two years while hiding, she received this diary book as a gift for her thirteenth Birthday, she started by describing herself, her family and friends, her school life, boys she flirted with and the places she liked to visit in her neighborhood. Her life was that of a typical schoolgirl at that time, she also refered to the changes that her life as a Jew had to go through like wearing the yellow David star in public, not being allowed to go to normal school but shoud attend Jewish school, not being allowed to use public transportation and that they should buy things only from Jewish sellers and go to Jewish Hairdressers and dentists...etc.
The diary ends abruptly in August 1944 as the family was discovered and sent to the concentration camp. Anne died of Typhus in March 1945. Years later the diary was discovered by the father who survived and in 1947, the diary was published in Holland and Germany and then in the rest of Europe. The book was published in the USA in 1952 and soon it was translated to many languages and was one of the books that got a worldwide recognition as well as being one of the documents that show the barbarity of the Nazis at that horrible time. In 1959 a successful movie was made based on the book and a play that was written about it and the film won three Academy Awards and was nominated for another Five.
From 1970 till 1993, several trials have been done to deny the accuracy, genuinity and correctness of the diary and some reached the point of claiming that Anne Frank has never been present, knowing that it was mainly an instrument for Anti Nazi and Jewish sympathy. Finally in 1998, the Amsterdam District Court forbade any further denial of the authenticity of the diary.
Now the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam is opened to the public and is considered one of the main sights in Amstrerdam, illustrating one of the darkest parts in the history of Europe.
The book is prohibited in Egypt and the Middle East and I have no idea if there is an Arabic translation for it but I bought the book and I started to read it in German, knowing that it has been written by a thirteen years old girl, I hope it will be simple enough as my German is not that good to read literature.
Considered an Anti-Nazi document that every school pupil has to read here in Germany, he book is the diary of Anne Frank, (1929-1945) a thirteen years old girl who comes from a Jewish German family in Frankfurt and then with all the horrors that the jews were facing after the third Reich lead by Adolf Hitler gained the power in 1933, they escaped to Holland in the same year and lived quite nicely in Amsterdam but not for too long as the Nazi forces were soon envading Holland.
In July 1942 the family had to hide in a secret place behind a book shelf in the office of her father. The secret place or as called the Achterhuis was a small place at the rear of the building that was entered from a landing above the father's office. The door to the Achterhuis was covered by a bookcase to ensure it remained undiscovered. Anne wrote her diary for two years while hiding, she received this diary book as a gift for her thirteenth Birthday, she started by describing herself, her family and friends, her school life, boys she flirted with and the places she liked to visit in her neighborhood. Her life was that of a typical schoolgirl at that time, she also refered to the changes that her life as a Jew had to go through like wearing the yellow David star in public, not being allowed to go to normal school but shoud attend Jewish school, not being allowed to use public transportation and that they should buy things only from Jewish sellers and go to Jewish Hairdressers and dentists...etc.
The diary ends abruptly in August 1944 as the family was discovered and sent to the concentration camp. Anne died of Typhus in March 1945. Years later the diary was discovered by the father who survived and in 1947, the diary was published in Holland and Germany and then in the rest of Europe. The book was published in the USA in 1952 and soon it was translated to many languages and was one of the books that got a worldwide recognition as well as being one of the documents that show the barbarity of the Nazis at that horrible time. In 1959 a successful movie was made based on the book and a play that was written about it and the film won three Academy Awards and was nominated for another Five.
From 1970 till 1993, several trials have been done to deny the accuracy, genuinity and correctness of the diary and some reached the point of claiming that Anne Frank has never been present, knowing that it was mainly an instrument for Anti Nazi and Jewish sympathy. Finally in 1998, the Amsterdam District Court forbade any further denial of the authenticity of the diary.
Now the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam is opened to the public and is considered one of the main sights in Amstrerdam, illustrating one of the darkest parts in the history of Europe.
The book is prohibited in Egypt and the Middle East and I have no idea if there is an Arabic translation for it but I bought the book and I started to read it in German, knowing that it has been written by a thirteen years old girl, I hope it will be simple enough as my German is not that good to read literature.
Montag, 26. Februar 2007
On the history of Münster
Münster is a beautiful small town in the west of Germany very close to Holland in the part of Germany called Nordrhein-Wesphalia whose capital is Düsseldorf. Münster is called the Bicycle Capital of Germany as bicycles here are the most common means of transportation.
The city has a rich history that started in 793 when the missionary Christian Priest Liudger founded a monastery and so the city was called Münster after this event. in 1200 the city was surrounded by a big wall and six churches where built at different points of this wall (Now the remains of this wall is a green open place for walking and bicycle riding and called Promenade)
In 1534, the Anabaptists originated in Münster, these are a group of Bishops who appeared during the Protestant reformation They believed that baptism of infants is not valid and has to be done again as babies cannot be responsible to remain faithful to a certain religion. They also promoted free thinking and where quite open minded so they gained power for a short period of time which ended in 1535 when the city was recaptured by the catholics and the Anabaptists were tortured to death, their corpses were exhibited in cages (the cages can still be seen hanging on the Tower of St. Lamberti's church downtown).
In the period from 1618 to 1648 the thirty years war started in Germany and was mainly a religious war between the Catholics and the Protestants. In 1648 Münster gained much popularity as it was the city that held the peace treaty which ended the thirty years war. Till now the hall where the peace treaty was signed is one of the sights that tourists are advised to visit (called Rathaus)
In 1780 the University of Münster was established, now a major European centre for excellence in education and research and one of the oldest universities in Europe (this is where I'm currently working) In 1802 Münster was conquered by Prussia (an old and very powerful kingdom that is now north and middle Germany and reaches up to Russia in the east). In 1806 the city fell under the Napoleonic rule and was taken again by Prussia and then in 1816 it became the capital of the prussian provence of Westphalia. Afterwards the city continued to grow with the establishment of buildings, water supplies, gas, electricity, railway and tramway.
During the second world war (1939-1945), Münster was a military headquarter, being on the holland-Belgium frontier. Although the Bishop of Münster was one of the strongest critics of the Nazi Government, the city remained to serve as a military center untill its complete destruction in the end of the war by the allied air forces. In 1950 the city was rebuilt with its pre-war architecture well preserved and designed and uptill now the buildings and the churches have this wonderful breath taking architecture. In 2004 Münster won the LivCom-Award as the most livable city in the world.
Münster is a city of clean air, simple life, beauty of nature and people and one of the most important cities of Germany.
All my Love from Münster
The city has a rich history that started in 793 when the missionary Christian Priest Liudger founded a monastery and so the city was called Münster after this event. in 1200 the city was surrounded by a big wall and six churches where built at different points of this wall (Now the remains of this wall is a green open place for walking and bicycle riding and called Promenade)
In 1534, the Anabaptists originated in Münster, these are a group of Bishops who appeared during the Protestant reformation They believed that baptism of infants is not valid and has to be done again as babies cannot be responsible to remain faithful to a certain religion. They also promoted free thinking and where quite open minded so they gained power for a short period of time which ended in 1535 when the city was recaptured by the catholics and the Anabaptists were tortured to death, their corpses were exhibited in cages (the cages can still be seen hanging on the Tower of St. Lamberti's church downtown).
In the period from 1618 to 1648 the thirty years war started in Germany and was mainly a religious war between the Catholics and the Protestants. In 1648 Münster gained much popularity as it was the city that held the peace treaty which ended the thirty years war. Till now the hall where the peace treaty was signed is one of the sights that tourists are advised to visit (called Rathaus)
In 1780 the University of Münster was established, now a major European centre for excellence in education and research and one of the oldest universities in Europe (this is where I'm currently working) In 1802 Münster was conquered by Prussia (an old and very powerful kingdom that is now north and middle Germany and reaches up to Russia in the east). In 1806 the city fell under the Napoleonic rule and was taken again by Prussia and then in 1816 it became the capital of the prussian provence of Westphalia. Afterwards the city continued to grow with the establishment of buildings, water supplies, gas, electricity, railway and tramway.
During the second world war (1939-1945), Münster was a military headquarter, being on the holland-Belgium frontier. Although the Bishop of Münster was one of the strongest critics of the Nazi Government, the city remained to serve as a military center untill its complete destruction in the end of the war by the allied air forces. In 1950 the city was rebuilt with its pre-war architecture well preserved and designed and uptill now the buildings and the churches have this wonderful breath taking architecture. In 2004 Münster won the LivCom-Award as the most livable city in the world.
Münster is a city of clean air, simple life, beauty of nature and people and one of the most important cities of Germany.
All my Love from Münster
Abonnieren
Posts (Atom)