Julius Fromm – the forgotten entrepreneur

Julius Fromm was born in 1883 in Poland, his family migrated to Berlin in search of a better life to evade poverty when Fromm was 10 years old. His parents died too early, Fromm had to take care of his siblings at age 15. He sold cigarettes for a living – while studying in teh

Melitta Bentz

On this day in 1873, the inventor of coffee filters was born: Melitta Bentz. As a mother and housewife, she experimented with blotting papers from her son school excercise books to separate coffee from coffee grounds. Back then, this was still a laborious tasks because it was common to filter coffee by using a funnel

Maria Sibylla Merian

#OnThisDay in 1717, German nature scientist and illustrator Maria Sibylla Merian passed away. She is known for her detailed illustrations of plants, animals and insects. Merian war born in 1647 in Frankfurt into a bourgeois and well-off family: her father, Matthäus Merian, was a famous publisher and copper engraver (who died 3 years after his

William and Caroline Herschel

On this day in 1787, William Herschel discovered the moons of the planet Uranus (which he too discovered 6 years earlier). William Herschel was born as Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel in 1738 in Hannover. His father was a military musician and William was about to follow in his father’s footsteps. But to escape the Seven Years’

Jiddish language and Jiddish words in German

“🇩🇪Dufte”, “🇩🇪Schlamassel” or “🇩🇪Schmusen” – there are many words in today’s German language that derive from Jiddish. Jiddish is a language that is spoken by Jews all over the world. It’s the language of Ashkenazic Jews with roots in Central and East Europe. The language developed between the 9th and 12th century in South-West Germany.

1700 years Jewish life in Germany

#OnThisDay in year 321, Emperor Konstantin issued an edict that allowed Jews to become part of the administrative bodies of the city Köln/Cologne.This document is the first documentary mention of Jews living in Germany – and therefore, Germany and its Jewish communities celebrate the 1700 anniversary today – and throughout the whole year. The history

Birth anniversary of Theodor Mommsen

Today is the birth anniversary of Theodor Mommsen (Nov 30, 1817 – Nov 1, 1903), who was a German historian and scholar. He is regarded as one of the greatest classicists of the 19th century. His work on Roman history is still of fundamental importance for contemporary researchers. In 1902, Mommsen received the Nobel Prize

German Unity Day & why Germany was once divided

On October 3rd, Germany celebrates 🇩🇪Tag der Deutschen Einheit, which means 🇬🇧German Unity Day. It marks the day when the formerly divided West-Germany and East-Germany were officially reunited in 1990 after 41 years of separation. The separation of Germany after WW2 is a painful part of German history. A wall and other barriers divided Germany

The German Federal Constitutional Court (🇩🇪Bundesverfassungsgericht)

Yesterday was the 70th birthday of the 🇩🇪Bundesverfassungsgericht (🇬🇧Federal Constitutional Court). It was ceremonially opened on September 28, 1951. The Bundesverfassungsgericht (short: BVerfG) has a similar importance and role like the Supreme Court in the US – but it’s not the same. It’s the highest court in Germany and its main task is to checks

Ludwig Guttmann, the founder of the Paralympics

Today was the inauguration of the Paralympics in Tokyo. So let’s talk about the doctor who invented this sports event: Ludwig Guttmann. Guttmann, born in 1899 in a small town, back then called Tost and part of the German Empire (now Toszek, Poland). He was born into a Jewish family who owned a spirits company. He became a