9 great German inventions 

9 great German inventions 

Image: Pixabay

Germany is indeed a country known for many things, it is a country of many beautiful things, from food- currywurst to cars, to shoes, to beautiful churches and buildings. It is a county of great history, a country which has fallen and picked itself up and one among the many things that Germany boasts about, are the inventions, in different spheres. Many things were invented in Germany, not just the German cars, Germans living in their homeland or the diaspora have contributed a ton to the many things we see today around the world. One which you might not be aware of is the hole puncher, used in offices to make holes in paper mostly for filing! Yes, the simple office tool is a German invention. Here are some more which you will find interesting!

1. Christmas tree

Image: Pixabay

Christmas is a very big deal in very many parts of the world. It’s a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, and billions celebrate the day in pomp and color, Santa Claus comes- or rather his origin is in Finland, but one of the major parts of Christmas, the Christmas Tree, was a German idea, which has grown roots around the globe. While today’s Christmas tree has evolved with shiny decorations adorning them, the initial trees during the German Renaissance used sweets, fruits, and candles as decorations.

2. Accordion

Image: Pixabay

The springy musical instrument, worn at the front and across the shoulders, and with very nice music to it, was invented in 1822, in Berlin by Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann. He is also known to have invented the harmonica, apart from the accordion. 

3. Adidas and Puma

Image: Aphrodite Clothing

Adidas was an invention of a German. The name is derived from one of the founders’ names, Adolf (Adi) Dassler (Das), from Herzogenaurach. An interesting fact here is that his brother Rudolf, who helped him build the company up, formed a rival company, the famous Puma! Interesting. The two split up in 1948, amid controversy, during World War II, with Rudolf now coming up with a rival company, some even saying that the feud divided the town! The two companies are some of the best shoemakers in the world, and long after the two died, the companies put their feud aside and engaged in a friendly football match in 2009!

4. Diesel engine

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Everyone who knows anything about cars will be familiar with the diesel engine. It is an amazing invention, invented by Rudolf Diesel in the 1890s. This invention brought change during the Industrial Revolution and revolutionized how industries ran- from burning coal for energy, many benefitted like the train, ship, and motor industries which were now able to run more efficiently, and make savings. Diesel was a brilliant engineer who started by designing and developing an internal combustion engine, and he continued experimenting using materials like Ammonia. He started thinking about the diesel engine in 1890 when he worked for the Linde Company in Berlin, and he started working on it, eventually getting the patent in 1992, and he even published ‘The Theory and Construction of a Rational Heat Motor’ in 1893. With a lot of effort, he made great stride, and eventually, in 1897, he got a patent for the four-stroke 25-horsepower diesel engine. He got much success and wealth for his invention even though he did not enjoy much since he disappeared mysteriously on a ship traveling along the English Channel in 1913.

5. The contact lens

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The contact lens is usually an alternative to spectacles or glasses, used by people who have eye problems. Just like every aspect of healthcare and medicine, the eye-sector has come a long way! The first design for the contact lens was by Rene Descartes, which saw a lens placed directly on the eye, but it was just not perfect, because, the person would not have been able to blink. That was back in 1638. Then years later in 1801, a British inventor did another design where the wearer would put water on the contact lens and placed on the eye, but it did not work. In 1888, however, Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick, a German Ophthalmologist got a breakthrough when he created a glass that did not rest on the cornea, but on the parts of the eye which were not very sensitive. The brown glass lens took a long time and effort to perfect, but Fick tried it on rabbits, himself, and even volunteers before releasing it for use!

6. Printing Press

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Johannes Gutenberg is the person who revolutionized data storage and duplication by designing the printing press, which has allowed billions of people in the world to access information, printed on paper. The process started in 1456, and the idea was to get something that would get a metal alloy to melt and cool in a way to leave an impression on paper, vellum, and other materials. In an interesting turn of events, Gutenberg was sued by his financier when he could not repay the loan he was given to improve the printing press, and the financier, Johann Fust took his press and printed the first-ever printed works. Gutenberg was however able to get some pension out of it from his town bishop.

7. MP3

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The MPEG Audio Layer III famously known as the MP3 player was invented by Fraunhofer Institute in 1989, which was patented in 1989, and integrated into MPEG-1 in 1992. MPEG stands for Motion Picture Expert Group is set by the Industry Standard Organization (ISO) as a group of standards for Audio and Video.

8. Fanta

Image: logopedia.com

I don’t know about you, but this is one amazing drink. Fanta’s mother company is Coca-Cola, and one would think it is American all through. One thing though, is during world war II, America blocked the transport of Coca-Cola into America and in a bid to quench the customers’ thirst, the Germany Head of Coca-Cola Max Keith found a way to make a soft drink out of readily and locally available materials- whey and pomace, and that is how Fanta came into being!

9. Coffee filter

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Coffee lovers would love to know that the much-loved coffee filter, probably the best since the discovery of the coffee bean itself, was discovered by a German housewife who wanted to just make her coffee less bitter, and so, she made a paper that could filter lose ground coffee. Melitta Benz, once she realized that it did work, made better coffee filters, and patented the idea under Melitta Group MG, in 1908!