A sky-rocket way from a stage performer to a sophisticated comedy director. Ernst Lubitsch (January 28, 1892 – November 30, 1947) was "a man of pure cinema", as Alfred Hitchcock said. He was an actor, a director, a producer. And a writer! All these jobs he did extraordinarily successfully. Who else could boast of 75 wonderful films that … [Read more...]
Levi Strauss
The Origin of Levi's Denim Blue Jeans The great father of blue jeans, Levi Strauss (February 26, 1829 – September 26, 1902) was a German-born American entrepreneur, Jewish by birth. Loeb Strauss (he liked the name "Levi Strauss") was born in Buttenheim in Franconia, Bavaria in 1829. The 18-year-old German immigrant left for New York City … [Read more...]
Kaethe Kollwitz – the Artist of Grief
Käthe Kollwitz is considered to be the brightest German artist of the 20th century I do not want to die . . . until I have faithfully made the most of my talent and cultivated the seed that was placed in me until the last small twig has grown. -- Kaethe Kollwitz Kollwitz was gifted with an extraordinary talent for drawing. Though she chose to … [Read more...]
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, A Citizen Of the World
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), German poet, playwright, novelist, and natural philosopher is best known for his two-part poetic drama Faust, (1808-1832) which he started around the age of twenty three and didn't finish till shortly before his death sixty years later. He is considered one of the greatest contributors of the German Romantic … [Read more...]
Bismarck and his Empire
In 1867 the North German Confederation was established. It was an unbelievable political success at that time. On the other hand, Bismarck's wish to see Germany united would not have been totally satisfied without the southern states attached to it. Thus Bismarck set about trying to add the southern states to the Confederation. The beginning … [Read more...]
Otto von Bismarck – The Iron Chancellor of Germany
Under the "Iron Chancellor", Otto von Bismarck, Germany grew from a loose confederation of weak states to a unified powerful empire. His smart and dashing way of making politics (winning three wars in eight years!) led to the extension of German borders and the rapid growth of German industry. Bismarck was born on April 1, 1815, in the … [Read more...]
He Was the First, or Happy Birthday, Computer!
He Was the First, or Happy Birthday, Computer! Konrad Zuse is considered to be the inventor of the first computer in the world. Z3 -- the first fully functional program-controlled electromechanical digital computer in the world -- was completed by Konrad Zuse in 1941. Konrad Zuse was born on June 22, 1910, in Berlin. He went to the high … [Read more...]
Hermann Hesse
German literature is rich in talented people with extraordinary views and lifestyle. One of them, to our opinion, is worth of special attention - Hermann Hesse. He was born into a family of Pietist missionaries in the German state of Wüttenberg on July 2, 1877. The boy was expected to continue his family way, but Hesse disappointed his parents: he … [Read more...]
Gerhard Richter
Gerhard Richter - the Famous German Artist Gerhard Richter was born in Dresden in 1932 to a middle class family. He left school after tenth grade and apprenticed as an advertising and stage-set painter, before studying at the Dresden Art Academy. Gerhard Richter taught as a visiting professor in Hamburg and in 1971 became tenured professor at … [Read more...]
Erich Maria Remarque
Remarque is one of the most popular and most widely-read authors of German literature in the 20th century. His works have been translated in more than 50 languages. Erich Maria Remarque was born on June 22, 1898 in Osnabrueck, Germany, where the Erich Maria Remarque Gesellschaft was afterwards founded. He was born as Erich Paul Remark, or, as some … [Read more...]