September 21, 1522 The first publication of Martin Luther's translation of the New Testament. September 21, 1792 Birth of Johann Peter Eckermann in Winsen, Germany. Eckermann was Goethe's secretary in Weimar. He published Goethe's posthumous works and participated in the publication of the first complete edition of his works. He wrote … [Read more...]

September 20, 1863 Death of Jakob Grimm in Berlin, Germany. Along with his brother Wilhelm he is known most for the Grimms' fairy tales, published as Kinder- und Hausmärchen. (1812-1822). But the brothers did a huge amount of work which is equally important but less known. Between 1816-18 they published Deutsche Sagen, a collection of German … [Read more...]

September 19, 1610 Death of Friedrich IV in Heidelberg, Germany. Friedrich, an ardent Protestant, was the elector of Rhineland-Pfalz. He actively opposed the Roman church and Habsburg leadership in the Holy Roman Empire. September 19, 1812 Mayer Rothschild died on this date in Frankfurt am Main, the city where he had been born in 1744 and … [Read more...]

September 18, 1630 Death of Melchior Klesl in Vienna, Austria. A Protestant in early life, Klesl converted to Roman Catholicism through the influence of the Jesuits. He became a priest and rose in the church to the office of Bishop of Vienna and finally cardinal. He was close to the Holy Roman Emperor and for a time was in essential control of … [Read more...]

September 17, 530 The first pope of Germanic origin was elected. Boniface II was Gothic. (The Goths were an East Germanic people. The Germans of today descend from the West Germanic grouping.) Boniface II was appointed by his predecessor, Felix IV, rather than being elected. In protest against the process by which Boniface became pope and in … [Read more...]

September 16, 1736 Death of Daniel Fahrenheit in The Hague, Netherlands (born in Danzig, Germany (now in Poland). Fahrenheit was a Polish-German-Dutch physicist, engineer, and glass blower who is best known for inventing the alcohol thermometer (1709) and the mercury thermometer (1714), and for developing a temperature scale now named after him. … [Read more...]

September 15, 1757 Birth of Karl Philipp Moritz in Hameln, Germany. A novelist, Moritz is remembered primarily for Andreas Hartknopf and Anton Reiser which give insight into the period in which he lived. September 15, 1834 Birth of the historian, Heinrich von Treitschke, in Dresden, Germany. Treitschke was a professor of history and … [Read more...]

September 14, 1313 Death of St. Notburga von Rattenberg (ca. 1265 – 1313) (Rattenberg is near Innsbruck, Austria) St. Notburga is the patroness of servants and peasants. During her lifetime she is said to have been a servant to a wealthy and noble family and used her position to contribute to the needs of the poor in the area. She has been … [Read more...]

September 13, 1819 Birth of Clara Schumann in Leipzig, Germany. Schumann was a composer and the outstanding pianist of her century. Born Clara Wieck, she married the composer Robert Schumann in 1840 and took his name. The couple had 8 children. Clara and Robert were close friends with Johannes Brahms. September 13, 1872 Death of Ludwig … [Read more...]