We can be proud of these 20 Germans!
These 20 outstanding German scientists and their inventions are known only to very few people
20 Germans who significantly changed the world…
In certain discussion groups you always hear the same names of great German scientists and inventors: Einstein, Porsche, Reis, Göbel, Siemens, Braun, Daimler, Zuse and Hahn.
However, there are several thousand more great German achievers in science and technology!
Have you ever heard of them or their contribution to progress?
Ernst Abbe – modern optics
(*23.01.1840 in Eisenach, †14.01.1905 in Jena)
What he accomplished:
- Development of numerous microscopes
- Introduction of the diopter number
- Adaptation of eyeglass lenses to eye defects
- Social reforms such as the eight-hour day, establishment of the Carl Zeiss Foundation and profit sharing
- Leading the Carl Zeiss repair shop to world fame
Emil Abderhalden
(*09.03.1877 in Oberuzwil(St. Gallen), †05.08.1950 in Zurich).
What he accomplished:
- Creation of the basis for modern dietetics
- Discovery of defense enzymes for early detection of pregnancy
- His son Rudolf (1910-1950) laid the foundations of modern enzyme physiology.
Othenio Abel
(*20.06.1875 in Vienna, †04.07.1946 in Pichl am See)
What he accomplished:
- Authored the “Grundzüge der Paläobiologie der Verbeltiere” (Outlines of Vertebrate Paleobiology), thus creating a new science of the structure and life of prehistoric creatures.
- Authored the “Textbook of Paleozoology”.
- Taught at the University of Vienna from 1907 to 1935
- Was professor in Göttingen from 1935
Max Abraham
(*26.03.1875 Danzig, †16.11.1922 Munich)
What he accomplished:
- Created the prerequisites for the special theory of relativity
- Calculated the mass of an electron changing with velocity
- Calculated the antenna radiation of transmitters
- Wrote standard works of theoretical physics
- Taught at the University of Milan from 1909, where he was expelled by German enemies in 1915
- Was a German officer
- From 1919 professor at the TH Stuttgart
Franz Carl Achard
(*28.04.1753 Berlin, †20.04.1921 Kunern)
What he accomplished:
- Developed the industrial processing method of beetroot to obtain sugar
- Founded the first sugar factory in Kunern, Silesia, in 1801 with the support of the Prussian king.
- As well as in 1812 a training institute for this new technology
- It quickly became independent of British cane sugar from American colonies
Jacob Ackeret
(*17.03.1898 Zurich, †26.03.1981 Gossau)
What he accomplished:
- Aerodynamicist built the first supersonic duct
- Constructed the automatic controllable pitch propeller
- Constructed the aerodynamic turbine
Leopold Adametz
(*11.11.1861 Brno, †27.01.1941 Vienna)
What he accomplished:
- Founder of modern animal breeding theory
- Published his most important work: “General Animal Breeding” in 1926
Johann Christoph Adelung
(*08.08.1732 Spantekow, †10.09.1806 Dresden)
What he accomplished:
- The librarian paved the way for modern linguistic research
- Contributed to the development of a standardized German language
- Published the first basic work “Wörterbuch der Hochdeutschen Mundart” (Dictionary of High German Dialect)
Alfred Adler
(*07.02.1870 Vienna, †28.05.1937 Aberdeen)
What he accomplished:
- The Jewish neurologist founded individual psychology
- Taught in New York from 1929
- Was a critic of Sigmund Freud
Adolf Friedrich Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
(*10.10.1873 Schwerin, †05.08.1969 Eutin)
What he accomplished:
- The famous explorer explored vast unexplored areas of Africa between 1905 and 1911, covering a good 6000 kilometers on foot.
- From 1912 to 1914, he was the last German governor of Togo.
- In the 1930s he carried out further expeditions in Central Africa, but also South America.
- He was a racing driver, horseman and helped organize the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.
George Agricola
(*24.03.1494 Glauchau, †21.11.1555 Chemnitz)
What he accomplished:
- He was founder of metallurgy, mining science, mineralogical research, petrography, geology, crystallography.
- Author of the important mining work “On Mining”.
- Was mayor of Chemnitz
Eduard Ahrens
(*03.04.1803 Reval, †19.02.1863 Ebenda).
What he accomplished:
- The German-born created around 1940 the Estonian orthography, which is still valid today.
- Estonia was part of the German Empire for almost 500 years.
Ernst Albers-Schönberg
(*21.01.1865 Hamburg, †04.06.1921 Ebenda)
What he accomplished:
- He was the first specialist in radiology.
- Educated widely about the dangers and hazards of X-ray radiation.
- He was the first to describe marble bone disease.
Eugen Albert
(*26.05.1856, †22.1929 Chemnitz)
What he accomplished:
- The art printer and physicist the dracopy, isochromatic bromide silver collodion emulsion and the Albert galvano.
- One of the most successful inventors of photomechanical reproduction processes.
Wilhelm August Julius Albert
(*24.01.1787 Hannover, †04.07.1846 Clausthal)
What he accomplished:
- He invented the wire rope in 1834 as a left-hand braided Langs lay rope.
- This wire rope has since been used worldwide as a haul rope.
Friedrich August von Alberti
(*04..09.1795 Stuttgart, †12.09.1878)
What he accomplished:
- He was a very important geologist of the 19th century.
- He was especially successful in the exploration of the oldest section of the Mesozoic formation group to which he gave the name “Triassic”.
Albertus Magnus
(*xx.xx.11xx Lauingen, †15.11.1280 Cologne)
What he accomplished:
- Albert the Great, natural scientist, classified plants.
- Very important occidental scholar of the First German Empire.
- He was declared patron of natural scientists in 1941.
- Albertus Magnus was first beatified by the Catholic Church in 1622, then canonized in 1931.
Kurt Adler
(*10.07.1902 Königshütte, †20.06.1958 Cologne)
What he accomplished:
- A Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, he discovered diene synthesis, which is used to produce alkaloids, insecticides and fragrances.
- He was head of research at IG Farben in Leverkusen until 1940.
- Later he was a professor at the University of Cologne.
- He made important discoveries in synthetic rubber research.
Johann Althusius
(*xx.xx. 1557 Diedenshausen, †12.08.1638 Chemnitz)
What he accomplished:
- The legal scholar and politician created foundations for the modern European understanding of democracy.
- In numerous writings, he called for the people’s right to resist tyrants, limited powers of the authorities, popular sovereignty and municipal self-government.
Alois Alzheimer
(*14.06.1864 Marktbreit, †19.12.1915 Breslau)
What he achieved:
- Many findings of mental diseases can be traced back to this neurologist.
- Created foundations for neuropathology and brain anatomy.
- Alzheimer’s disease, which leads to senile dementia, was named after him.