May 16, 1788 Birth of Friedrich Rückert in Schweinfurt, Germany. Rückert was a poet who taught oriental languages and literature at the universities of Erlangen and Berlin. He is remembered largely for his lyric poems. Collections of poetry by Rückert include, Deutsche Gedichte (1814), Kindertotenlieder (1834), and Liebesfrühling (1844). Gustav … [Read more...]

May 15, 719 St. Boniface receives the pope's permission to undertake a mission to christianize the area now known as Germany. Winfried (675-754) (church name Bonifatius or Boniface) was probably born in England in about 672 (though some think Ireland). He became a Benedictine monk and at age 30 was ordained a priest. He felt a calling to … [Read more...]

May 14, 1316 Birth of Karl IV (King Wenceslas) in Prague, Bohemia. Karl raised Bohemia to a central power and after his rise to the rank of German King, Bohemia controlled that position for centuries. Karl was the son of the powerful John of Luxemburg. In 1343 Karl's father gave him the regency of Bohemia. In 1343 through Karl's efforts Bohemia … [Read more...]

May 13, 1717 Birth of Maria Theresa in Vienna, Austria. Maria was the daughter of the Holy Roman emperor, Karl VI. Since Karl had no sons, he sought to bring his daughter to the rule of the Habsburg empire through a new regulation, Die Pragmatische Sanktion, which changed the custom of excluding women from the succession. Thus Maria became … [Read more...]

May 12, 1237 The crusading order "The Sword Brothers" is incorporated into the order, "The Teutonic Knights" by decree of Pope Gregory. Both orders had been involved in the crusade against the pagan Prussians. It was due to defeats and weakening of the Sword Brothers that they were merged with the Teutonic Knights. May 12, 1670 Birth … [Read more...]

May 11, 1686 Death of Otto von Guericke (1602-1686), a German scientist, inventor, and politician, in Hamburg, Germany. Von Guericke invented an air pump in 1650. That is not very remarkable, but what he did with it is. He pumped out vacuums. He was the first to learn that light travels through a vacuum, but sound does not. He was also the … [Read more...]

May 10, 1760 Death of Christoph Graupner in Darmstadt, Germany, Germany. Graupner was one of the most highly regarded composers of his day. The position of cantor at the Church of St. Thomas in Leipzig was offered to him before it was offered to Bach. It was only after Graupner had declined the position that it was offered to Johann Sebastian … [Read more...]

May 9 European Union Day (Common day of celebration by the members chosen as the first day of peace at the end of WWII). May 9, 1688 Death of Friedrich Wilhelm in Potsdam, Germany. Friedrich Wilhelm was the elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire. A member of the Hohenzollern family, he rebuilt the family holdings after the … [Read more...]