June 17, 1810
Birth of the poet, Ferdinand Freiligrath, in Detmold, Germany. Freiligrath’s political/social engagement was reflected increasingly in his poetry to the extent that his work was banned and he was forced to leave Germany. Freiligrath died in 1876.
June 17, 1885
Death of Edwin Freiherr von Manteufel in Carlsbad, Austria-Hungary (born in Dresden, Germany). Manteufel was a general in the Prussian army. He served as aide-de-camp to Friedrich Wilhelm during the uprisings of 1848. In 1861 he was made chief of the Prussian military cabinet. He served with noted success in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71. From 1871-1873 he commanded the Prussian occupation forces in France. In addition to his military duties, he undertook a number of diplomatic missions.
June 17, 1900
Birth of Hermann Reutter in Stuttgart, Germany. Hermann Reutter was a German composer and pianist. He was born in Stuttgart. The compositions of Hermann Reutter are not well known, though his musical career was one of great excellence and long duration.
June 17, 1953
After a rise in bread prices, demonstrations by striking workers in the streets of East Berlin were crushed by Soviet tanks.
The uprising of 1953 in East Germany started with a strike by East Berlin construction workers on June 16. It turned into a widespread uprising against the German Democratic Republic government the next day. The uprising in Berlin was violently suppressed by tanks of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany and the Volkspolizei. In spite of the intervention of Soviet troops, the wave of strikes and protests was not easily brought under control. Even after June 17, there were demonstrations in more than 500 towns and villages.
June 17
Former national day in West Germany, “Tag der deutschen Einheit”. (The date of the East German riots against the Soviets.)
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