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- Heinrich von Kleist was born on the 18th of October, 1777 in Frankfurt/Oder (Germany) as the son of a priest. His father died when Heinrich was 11 so he had to earn some money early. He managed to go to the High School until 15, but was forced then to join the Prussian army in their war in the west. He climbed up the ranks until he was lieutenant, but quit then in 1799 and studied philosophy, physics, mathematics and political sciences in the town where he was born. After stays at Weimar (where Kleist met Wieland, Goethe and Schiller, other famous writers of his time), he finally entered the Prussian state as a secretary. His writings were no success at all, political life was not satisfying, and his girlfriend was ill, going to die- after all, he decided to go with her. They both met their death together, using a gun on the 21st of November, 1811 (Kleist was, as you can see, only 34). It is rather difficult to describe Kleist's role in German literature. He wrote immortal pieces of literature, such as "Prinz Friedrich von Homburg". But especially this stage play, for which he is best known, was often used as a nationalist piece of propaganda. Kleist does not belong to any literary epoch at all, but stays between the Romantik, the Klassik and the upcoming Realismus. Often underrated, Kleist was a walker between the lines. Seen in this context, his death is nothing but consequent.
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E.T.A. Hoffmann was born on the 24th of January 1776 in Königsberg (now Russia) as the son of a lawyer. After his father's death he has a very bad childhood ending when he went to university to study law between 1792-95. He managed to get into the bureaucratic services of the state Prussia, but was not considered too well. Stations in Bamberg, Poland and elsewhere followed until he succeeded in getting good jobs in Berlin, lastly as a judge after 1814. Hoffmann died on the 25the of June 1822. Hoffmanns interests were widespread. He wrote music, painted pictures and, of course, wrote excellent examples of German literature. His scurrile style of writing, together with a critical tone in many of his works, earned him not too much renommee during lifetime. Today his music and paintings are nearly forgotten, but his writings stand as fantastic examples of German late "Romantik", for example the "Kater Murr" or the "Sandmann". Often connected to the dark side of the soul or the human being, Hoffmann wrote "normal" literature too, but his fame is basicly grounded on the "dark" literature.- Hegel first attended the German and Latin schools in Stuttgart. Afterwards he was a student at the local "Gymnasium illustre" until he graduated in 1788. His special academic achievements earned him a scholarship that enabled him to study philology, mathematics, philosophy between 1788 and 1793 and, after his master's degree in 1790, to study theology at the Tübingen monastery. During this time he met the later poet Friedrich Hölderlin and the later philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Schelling and maintained a friendly relationship with them. During his time, Hegel was particularly interested in antiquity and the French Revolution. After his studies in the monastery, Hegel worked as a private tutor in Bern and Frankfurt/M for a while. busy. An inheritance gave him the financial security to devote himself to his philosophy.
In 1801 his work "Difference between the Fichtean and Schelling systems" was published. The following year the title "Faith and Knowledge" was published. The connection to Schelling enabled him to complete his habilitation at the University of Jena. In 1805 Hegel became an associate professor of philosophy. At this time, the poets Novalis, Ludwig Tieck and the brothers Friedrich and August Wilhelm Schlegel made Jena the center of German Romanticism. In addition, Friedrich Schiller taught history at Jena University, as did the idealists Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Schelling, philosophy. In 1806, Napoleon defeated the troops of Prussia, Russia and Saxony near Jena and Auerstedt. The Prussian Empire collapsed and Hegel left Jena. In the same year he completed work on his first central work, "Phenomenology of Spirit". It was published in 1807 in Bamberg and Würzburg. In the same year he briefly worked as editor of the "Bamberger Zeitung".
The following year he became rector of the Ägidyengymnasium in Nuremberg, which he directed until 1815. During this time, the first two volumes of his second important work, "Science of Logic," were published. The third volume was published in 1816. In this work Hegel outlines the development of the absolute. After his time in Nuremberg, Hegel went to Heidelberg, where he held a chair in philosophy. There he produced the "Encyclopedia of Philosophical Sciences" in 1817, which sets out the outline of his philosophical system. The encyclopedia work systematically summarizes Hegel's approaches in his other writings into an overall view that also contains his natural philosophical ideas. His system influenced Marxism and Neo-Hegelianism as well as modern philosophical systems. In 1818 he left Heidelberg and moved to Berlin. There he became Fichte's successor at the Philosophical Faculty of the University. In 1821 his work on "Legal Philosophy" appeared. In it he explains his idea of practical philosophy, in which law, morality and morality mean the will of the mind.
Hegel regularly gave the lecture "On the Philosophy of World History" from 1822 to 1830. It gave him not only the reputation of a Prussian state philosopher, but also of the top German philosopher par excellence. In particular, his lectures on aesthetics, philosophy of religion and history, in which he presented his doctrine of "absolute spirit", had an enormously broad impact. His other teaching subjects also included philosophy of law, art and the history of philosophy.
Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Hegel died of cholera in Berlin on November 14, 1831. - Writer
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Adelbert von Chamisso was born on 30 January 1781 in France. She was a writer, known for Walpurgis Night (1935), Le théâtre de la jeunesse (1960) and Your Favorite Story (1953). She died on 21 August 1838 in Berlin, Germany.- Friedrich de La Motte was born on 12 February 1777 in Brandenburg an der Havel, Brandenburg, Prussia, Holy Roman Empire [now Germany]. He was a writer, known for Nixenzauber (1918), Undine (1916) and Undine (1912). He died on 23 January 1843 in Berlin, Prussia [now Germany].
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Fanny Mendelssohn was born on 14 November 1805 in Hamburg, Germany. Fanny was a composer, known for Chasing Sleep (2000) and Symfonia haraktiron (1999). Fanny died on 14 May 1847 in Berlin, Germany.- Music Department
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Otto Nicolai was born on 9 June 1810 in Königsberg, East Prussia, Prussia [now Kaliningrad, Russia]. He was a writer, known for Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (1965), The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010) and Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (1918). He died on 11 May 1849 in Berlin, Prussia [now Germany].- Composer
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Albert Lortzing was born on 23 October 1801 in Berlin, Prussia, Holy Roman Empire [now Germany]. He was a composer and writer, known for Zar und Zimmermann (1956), Zar und Zimmermann (1970) and Zar und Zimmermann: Singschule (1908). He was married to Rosina Regina Ahles. He died on 21 January 1851 in Berlin, Prussia [now Germany].- August Kopisch was born on 26 May 1799 in Breslau, Silesia, Prussia, Holy Roman Empire [now Wroclaw, Dolnoslaskie, Poland]. August was a writer, known for Die Heinzelmännchen (1956), Heroische Männer (1963) and Die Heinzelmännchen von Köln (1960). August died on 6 February 1853 in Berlin, Germany.
- Ludwig Tieck was born on 31 May 1773 in Berlin, Prussia, Holy Roman Empire [now Germany]. He was a writer, known for Des Lebens Überfluss (1950), Leonor (1975) and Spannende Geschichten (1978). He died on 28 April 1853 in Berlin, Prussia [now Germany].
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Mikhail Glinka, the author of the first Russian Opera who suffered from abuse in his early childhood and barely survived the Napoleon's invasion of 1812, had lived most of his adult life outside of Russia and fused Spanish, Italian, French, and other influences in his own music.
He was born Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka on June 1, 1804 into a wealthy noble family, in Novospasskoe, Smolensk region, Russia. His early childhood development was disturbed by his emotionally unstable grandmother, who was manipulating his parents, until she died, when Glinka was 6 years old. In 1812 the invasion of Napoleon's Armies shook Russia, but the Glinka family and their estate survived. His loving mother hired help to mitigate the traumatizing memories.
Music was the best therapy for Glinka. He had a professional German teacher of music and a French instructor in languages living with the family and giving him lessons everyday. Glinka enjoyed the performances of a hired orchestra in their home. He wrote that orchestral music was a "special and happy impression". At age 12 he went to the Boarding School for Nobility in St. Petersburg. He took piano, violin, and voice lessons from the Italian, German, and Austrian celebrities of that time. His first love with a singer inspired him on writing his first compositions: Waltz for piano and Variations on the theme of Mozart for piano.
Glinka wrote most of his music while in Western Europe, where he lived and wandered for 23 years, absorbing the culture of the most artistically advanced European nations. He studied composition with Siegfrid Dehn in Berlin for 3 years and lived in Rome for 4 years. There he met Hector Berlioz and Giacomo Meyerbeer and the three composers remained good friends for many years. Glinka received critical acclaim from Hector Berlioz, who published an article about him in Paris. Such a publicity was well received and Glinka later promoted Hector Berlioz to the Russian Royalty and aristocracy, and helped him to sign and to accomplish a lucrative concert tour in Russia.
Glinka was inspired by the operas of Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, and Christoph Willibald Gluck. In 1845 he moved to Spain for 3 years and seriously studied Spanish culture, falling in love with flamenco. "Spain could cure the wounds of my heart", wrote Glinka to his mother. There he wrote two symphonic "Spanish Ouvertures". His music was performed in European capitals and was praised by Hector Berlioz. Such composers as Felix Mendelssohn and Giacomo Meyerbeer came to meet Glinka after his concerts. His personal favorites were Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, and Frédéric Chopin.
"A Life for the Tsar" (the feat of Ivan Susanin), became the first Russian opera, based on eclectic mix of music from Russian, Ukrainian, and Polish folk-tunes and other European influences. Premiered in 1836 in the presence of the Tsar, the opera became a model for some Russian composers. From 1837-1839 Glinka was the Emperor's Kapellmeister of the Imperial Choral Capella in St. Petersburg. In 1840 he again left Russia for Europe. He worked for six years writing his second opera "Ruslan and Ludmila", based on the eponymous poem of Alexander Pushkin. His other compositions include the orchestral "Kamarinskaya", quartets, piano pieces, choral and church works, and over 80 romantic songs.
During the 1850s Mikhail Glinka was at the peak of his popularity outside of Russia. From 1852-1855 he lived in Paris and Berlin and also performed his music in other European capitals. In December of 1856 Glinka had a gala-concert of his music performed in Berlin. It was a great success, and excited Glinka gave an all-night party for his friends and guests. He was exhausted after a long party and caught a cold that led to his death on February 15, 1857, in Berlin. Mikhail Glinka was buried in Berlin, but a few months later his body was taken to St. Petersburg and was laid to rest in Necropolis of the Masters of Arts at St. Aleksandr Nevsky Monastery in St. Petersburg, Russia.- Bettina von Arnim was born on 4 April 1785 in Frankfurt am Main, Holy Roman Empire [now Hesse, Germany]. She was a writer, known for Hölderlin-Comics (1994) and Gritta of the Rats' Castle (1985). She was married to Achim von Arnim. She died on 20 January 1859 in Berlin, Prussia [now Germany].
- Alexander von Humboldt spent the first years of his life in Tegel Palace in Berlin, the von Humboldt family estate. Together with his brother Wilhelm, he was taught by a private teacher during his childhood. Between 1787 and 1792, Alexander von Humboldt studied first at the universities of Frankfurt/Oder and Göttingen, later at the Hamburg Commercial Academy and at the Mining Academy in Freiberg. During this time Humboldt went on several study trips. From 1792 to 1796 he worked as an assessor in the Prussian mining service, he traveled extensively and was sent on diplomatic missions. He was particularly interested in scientific research into geography and the distribution of plants. In 1796 he left the Prussian service. After completing his studies, von Humboldt undertook several trips to conduct scientific research. In 1797 he met Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich von Schiller.
During a stay in Paris, Humboldt met the doctor and botanist Aime Bonpland, who would later become his companion on several trips. From 1799 to 1804, Humboldt and Bonpland traveled to the Spanish provinces of South America: Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico and back to Europe via the USA. In 75 days they covered 2,000 km on the Orinoco, explored the Amazon and proved that there is a connection between the Orinoco and the Amazon. In Ecuador, Alexander von Humboldt almost climbed to the summit of the Chimborazo volcano, which is 5,800 meters above sea level. Von Humboldt held a mountaineering altitude record for some time. During his trip he cataloged over 60,000 plants. He also investigated various scientific aspects: he recorded population statistics, examined political and social conditions, and was interested in geology, zoology, meteorology and linguistic research.
Alexander von Humboldt hardly missed any research area during his travels; his thirst for knowledge seemed inexhaustible. Von Humboldt continued to conduct scientific field research in the areas of physics, chemistry, geology, mineralogy, volcanology (overcoming Neptunism), botany (he founded plant geography), zoology, climatology (isotherms), oceanography and astronomy, but also on questions of economic geography, ethnology and demography. After his return, von Humboldt began working on his work "Voyage aux regions equinoxales du Nouveau Continent" in 1805 (until 1834). In 1805, von Humboldt received his doctorate from the University of Frankfurt/Oder, and a short time later he moved to Paris, where he lived mainly until 1827. Back in Berlin, he gave lectures on physical descriptions of the earth at the university there and also gave 16 public lectures at the Singakademie.
Now a respected scientist and scholar, von Humboldt began a nine-month journey to Russia and Siberia in 1829. After this trip he returned to Berlin, where he worked as a scientist until his death. He always wanted to make his scientific findings understandable to the people. "With knowledge comes thought, and with thought comes seriousness and strength." Today, over 1,000 plants, animals, mountains, rivers and products bear von Humboldt's name. - Writer
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Wilhelm Grimm (1786-1859) was a German author and pioneering anthropologist. He was the younger brother of philologist Jacob Grimm.
Wilhelm was born in the town of Hanau, in the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, Holy Roman Empire. His parents were Philipp Wilhelm Grimm and his wife Dorothea Zimmer, respectively a jurist and a housewife. Wilhelm's maternal grandfather was a city councilman in Kassel. Wilhem was one of 9 children born to the couple, but 3 of his siblings died in infancy.
In 1791, the Grimm family moved to the town of Steinau an der Straße, where Philipp Grimm had been appointed as the new Amtmann (district magistrate). They settled in a large house, surrounded by fields. Wilhelm initially did not attend school, but was educated at home by private tutors. He was given a strict, religious education as a Lutheran.
In 1796, Philipp Grimm died in office, due to pneumonia. The Grimm family fell into poverty, and had to relinquish its house and servants. Jacob Grimm (only 11-year-old at the time) legally became the new head of household, and had to undertake some adult responsibilities. The Grimm family was, for the time being, financially dependent on Wilhelm's maternal grandfather and on Wilhelm's maternal aunt, who was serving as a lady-in-waiting at the court of William I, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (1743-1821, reigned 1785-1821).
In 1798, the same maternal aunt arranged for both Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm to attend the Friedrichsgymnasium Kassel, a gymnasium (equivalent to preparatory high school) in Kassel. By this time, Wilhelm's maternal grandfather had died, and their aunt was their only protector.
The two brothers Grimm became roommates in their school years, and formed a particularly close relationship which would endure into their adult lives. They relied entirely on each other in most matters. They were both hard-working students, but considered as inferior by several classmates who came from aristocratic families. The two brothers differed in temperament, with Jacob being the more intellectual and introspective, and Wilhelm being slower to grasp new ideas, but acting jovial and out-going. Wilhelm suffered from various illnesses, but his talent for music and storytelling made him more popular with their peers.
In 1803, Jacob Grimm graduated the Gymnasium at the top of his class. In 1804, Wilhelm Grimm also graduated at the top of his class. Both brothers next started college life in the University of Marburg. They became roommates again while they were both college students, and would continue living together for most of their adult lives. They shared their books and other property items.
At the University, the Grimm brothers were subject to class discrimination, disqualified from admission in certain courses in favor of aristocratic students, and denied tuition aid. However, they kept excelling in their studies. While initially interested in legal studies, both brothers were impressed with the teachings of professor Friedrich Carl von Savigny (1779-1861). Savigny was an innovative historian, and awakened in the brothers a new passion for history, philology, and medieval literature. Savigny introduced the brothers to some of his own friends,who were leading romantic writers and intellectuals of the time.
Due to increasing financial problems, Jacob Grimm (who was legally responsible for the financial care of all his siblings), quit school in 1805, and started seeking employment in various German courts. By 1808, Jacob became a librarian in Kassel. Wilhelm at the time suffered from heart and respiratory ailments, and Jacob paid for his medical treatments. Jacob then managed to arrange for Wilhem to be hired as a fellow librarian in Kassel, allowing the brothers to work together. Their salaries were rather small, but they had a steady income and plenty of time for research.
An old acquaintance, the novelist Clemens Brentano (1778-1842) asked the brothers to help him in collecting traditional stories. Brentano was working on a new collection of folk tales, but did not have enough time to search for more tales. For the following few years, the brothers Grimm interviewed storytellers from various social backgrounds and collected 53 individual tales. But when they send their report to Brentano, he had lost interest in the project. Unwilling to waste years of effort, the brothers Grimm prepared to publish the tales under their own name. They worked on revising the various oral tales for a literate audience. In 1812, the first version of Grimms' Fairy Tales was published, containing 86 stories. Wilhelm, the storyteller of the duo, was responsible for many of the revisions to the stories. Over the following decades, the brothers kept revising and expanding their work. By 1857, the 7th edition of the collection, it included 211 individual tales.
Following the success of their first published work, the brothers started producing philological books and studies on various European mythologies, primarily Irish and Norse mythology. They became literary celebrities and earned honorary doctorates from various universities.
In 1825, Wilhelm Grimm married his long-time friend Henriette Dorothea "Dortchen" Wild. Her family had been among those interviewed for Grimms' Fairy Tales, and they had kept in touch for over a decade. Jacob Grimm never married and continued co-cohabiting with his brother and new sister-in-law. Wilhelm and Henriette had four children together: Jacob (April-December 1826), Herman Friedrich (1828 -1901), Rudolf Georg (1830 -1889), and Barbara Auguste Luise Pauline Marie (1832 - 1919).
In 1830, both Jacob and Wilhelm were candidates for the position of head librarian at Kassel, but were overlooked despite their fame. They resigned their positions soon after, and took new jobs as professors at the University of Göttingen, in the Kingdom of Hanover. They pioneered the course of German studies.
In 1837, the Grimms were fired from the University, as part of the so-called "Göttingen Seven". The new king of Hanover, Ernest Augustus (1771-1851, reigned 1837-1851), announced plans to abolish or heavily rewrite Hanover's constitution. Seven college professors opposed the abolition of the constitution and protested. They were all fired and deported from Hanover.
Wilhelm and his brother returned to Kassel, but were now unemployed. They relied on financial support from friends and admirers, while working on a new dictionary. In 1840, their former mentor Savigny convinced new king Frederick William IV of Prussia (1795-1861, reigned 1840-1861) to employ the Brothers Grimm. They gained positions at the University of Berlin, and stipends from the German Academy of Sciences at Berlin. They continued jointly working on their dictionary, but each brother started producing individual works, since their intellectual interests had become much different.
During the Revolutions of 1848, the Brothers Grimm were elected to the civil parliament in Mainz, but they resumed their teaching positions in Berlin at the end of the Revolution. Jacob chose retirement in the late 1840s, but Wilhem continued teaching until 1852. They devoted the rest of their lives to working on their incomplete dictionary.
In 1859, Wilhem died in Berlin, due to an unspecified infection. He was 73-years-old. His brother Jacob survived him, but reportedly became increasingly reclusive following Wilhelm's death.- Writer
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Jacob Grimm was a German folklorist, linguist, and philologist. He and his younger brother Wilhelm Grimm (1786 - 1859) co-operated in collecting, compiling, and revising German folk tales into "Grimms' Fairy Tales" (1812). By its final revised edition in 1857, the collection included 210 unique fairy tales. Grimm also published the historical treatise "Teutonic Mythology" (Deutsche Mythologie, 1835) on Germanic mythology and its impact in modern German folk culture. He spend his last years working on "The German Dictionary" (Deutsches Wörterbuch), the largest and most comprehensive dictionary of High German. It was left unfinished with his death, but was expanded and finished by other scholars. Its first complete edition was published in 1961, nearly a century after Grimm's death.
In 1785, Grimm was born in Hanau, Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel. His father was the lawyer Philipp Grimm (d. 1796). His father died when Grimm was 11-years-old, severely reducing the Grimm family's income and social status. However, Jacob received financial help from a maternal aunt who served as a lady of the chamber to the Landgravine of Hesse.
Grimm was educated at public schools, and enrolled at the University of Marburg in 1802. He was initially only interested in studying law, but he was impressed with the lectures of the historian Friedrich Carl von Savigny (1779 -1861). Savigny awakened in Jacob a love for historical and antiquarian research, and allowed the young man to study Middle High German texts from his personal library.
In 1805, Grimm joined his mentor Savigny in his work at Paris, where he took time to study available medieval texts. In 1806, Grimm found a new job, working in the war office at Kassel. His salary was meager, but provided him with enough free time to pursue his own interests.
In 1808, Grimm was appointed superintendent of the private library of Jerome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia (1784-1860, reigned 1807-1813). He also as an auditor to the state council. His combined salary for these two positions were 4000 francs. Following Jerome's deposition, Grimm served as Secretary of Legation in Hesse-Kassel. He spend a few years trying to claim restitutions of books from Kassel that had been taken by the French Army.
In 1816, Grimm was appointed as the second librarian at the Kassel library, second-in-command for this department. He worked closely with his brother Wilhelm, who was also employed as a librarian at this library. In 1828, the chief librarian died. Both brothers were nominated for promotion, but were disappointed when the vacant seat was occupied by another candidate.
In 1829, the frustrated Jacob accepted an offer to work as both a professor and a librarian at the University of Göttingen. He lectured on legal history, historical grammar, literary history, and diplomatics. He also provided commentaries on Old German poetry and the "Germania" of Tacitus, one of the oldest surviving works on Germanic history and culture.
In 1837, Jacob and Grimm were both included in the Göttingen Seven, academics who protested against the planned abolition of the constitution of the Kingdom of Hanover by the new monarch, Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover (1771-1851, reigned 1837-1851). The academics were all fired by the king, and the Grimm Brothers were exiled. The brothers spend a few years under reduced circumstances in Kassel.
In 1840, Grimm was appointed a professor at the University of Berlin, after accepting an offer of employment Frederick William IV of Prussia (1795-1861, reigned 1840-1861). By the terms of his employment, he was not actually obligated to lecture students. He chose to only lecture on occasion, devoting much of his time to compiling more literary works.
Grimm died in September 1863, while still working in Berlin. He was 78-years-old at the time of his death. He had never married and had no known descendants. His legacy includes a large influence on several fields of scholarship, and frequent adaptations of his fairy tales over the following centuries. He is the originator of "Grimm's law" in linguistics, which is used in the study of the Proto-Indo-European language.- Composer
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Rikard Nordraak was born on 12 June 1842 in Christiania, Norway. He was a composer, known for The Moon Is Down (1943), Rikard Nordraak (1945) and Mot nya tider (1939). He died on 20 March 1866 in Berlin, Germany.- David Kalisch was born on 23 February 1820 in Breslau, Silesia, Germany. He was a writer, known for Hunderttausend Taler (1969), Hunderttausend Taler (1963) and Ein gebildeter Hausknecht (1970). He died on 21 August 1872 in Berlin, Germany.
- Adolf Glasbrenner was born on 27 March 1810 in Berlin, Prussia [now Germany]. He was a writer, known for Altberliner Possenabend: Die Menagerie (1961), Altberliner Possenabend: Der Heiratsantrag (1961) and 'Ne scheene jejend is det hier (1981). He was married to Adele Peroni. He died on 25 September 1876 in Berlin, Germany.
- Heinrich Wilken was born on 27 January 1835. Heinrich was a writer, known for Kyritz - Pyritz (1931). Heinrich died on 21 May 1886 in Berlin, Germany.
- Ernst Werner Siemens' family moved to Lübeck in 1823 for economic reasons. Siemens received private lessons and later attended high school in Lübeck. He stopped attending school early. In 1834 he left Lübeck and moved to Berlin. There he became an officer candidate in the artillery of the Prussian army. Siemens was given the opportunity to study mathematics, chemistry, physics and ballistics for three years at the Berlin Engineering and Artillery School. In 1838 he became a lieutenant. The following year, 1839, his mother died and a year later his father died. He remained in the military until 1849. The final move to Berlin took place in 1842. Werner Siemens worked there in the field of telegraphy and earned his money to support his younger siblings. In 1846, Siemens invented the pointer telegraph.
The following year he and the university mechanic J.G. Halske founded the company "Telegraphen-Bauanstalt Siemens & Halske". This company formed the foundation for the later global corporation Siemens. In the revolutionary year of 1848, Siemens received the public contract to equip the Berlin-Frankfurt telegraph line with its pointer telegraph. In 1853 he worked on behalf of the Russian government, for which he renewed the telegraph line in the Tsarist Empire. In 1855 he founded a branch in St. Petersburg. The order situation there developed very positively, so that Siemens was able to successfully survive the domestic economic crisis with these business profits. During this time he invented measuring instruments, relays and other technical achievements. Siemens developed a process for laying deep-sea cables, which he tested in 1857 on behalf of the British government.
The following year, 1858, he founded another branch in London, which was run by his brother Wilhelm Siemens. He also opened a factory in Wollwich to manufacture cables. Between 1862 and 1866, Siemens was a member of the Prussian state parliament for the Progress Party. In this role he opened up the foreign market for products from Germany. In 1866 he discovered the dynamoelectric principle, which turned out to be a significant discovery both technically and economically. Ernst Werner Siemens then built the first dynamo machine and began production in 1879. This marked the beginning of the age of high-voltage technology. In 1868, work began on the approximately 11,000 kilometer long telegraph line between London, Tehran and Calcutta. After around twelve years of construction, the work was completed.
From 1867 onwards, Siemens continued to run the company alone; his partner Halske had left. Siemens' awards include an honorary doctorate, which he received from the University of Berlin in 1860. In 1873 he was admitted to the Prussian Academy of Sciences. In 1888, Emperor Wilhelm I elevated him to the nobility, which is why he now called himself Werner von Siemens. In 1874, von Siemens connected Ireland to America with an Atlantic submarine cable. His suggestions led to the adoption of the first German patent law in 1877. The following year he invented electric street lighting. In 1879, von Siemens developed the world's first electric railway and presented it to the public at the Berlin trade fair in the same year. Two years later he built the world's first electric railway in Berlin, which was put into operation.
In 1880, von Siemens was a co-founder of the "Electrical Engineering Association", today known as VDE - Association of German Electrical Engineers. In 1887 he contributed to the founding of the Physical-Technical Reichsanstalt. Werner von Siemens dedicated his extensive life's work to the scientific foundation of electrical engineering. By 1890, the Siemens Group had 6,000 employees. In addition, he was committed to the technical development of everyday life and to promoting the economy. As an entrepreneur, he also had social responsibility. For example, he founded the "Siemens Pension Fund" to provide for the retirement of his employees. Particularly in the social area, Siemens introduced social policy measures such as the nine-hour day, which were groundbreaking. He wanted to bind his employees to the company. - Otto Lilienthal was born on 23 May 1848 in Anklam, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. He was married to Agnes Fischer. He died on 10 August 1896 in Berlin, Germany.
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Julius Schulhoff was born on 22 August 1825 in Prague, Bohemia, Austrian Empire [now Czech Republic]. Julius died on 13 March 1898 in Berlin, Germany.- Writer
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Theodor Fontane was born on the 30th of December 1819 in Neuruppin (Germany) near Berlin, the son of a drugstore-owner. After learning pharmacy and working in a drugstore he quit his job to become a freelance journalist in Berlin. He was able to finance his living costs with this job, was later promoted to a Dr.phil. at the university of Berlin and died in this city on the 20th of September 1898. Theodor Fontane is one of the best known authors of the literary "poetical realism" in Germany. He wrote stories that should be realistic, true to life, but also poetic. Among his most famous works are "Effi Briest", the ultimate story of a fatal affair, and "Der Stechlin".- Karl Emil Franzos was born on 25 October 1848 in Tschortkiw, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Chortkiv, Ukraine]. He was a writer, known for The President (1919), Judith Trachtenberg (1920) and A Daughter of Her People (1933). He was married to Ottilie Benedikt. He died on 28 January 1904 in Berlin, Germany.
- Emil Rosenow was born on 9 March 1871 in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He was a writer, known for Kater Lampe (1936), Kater Lampe (1961) and Kater Lampe (1967). He was married to Maria Anna Ludwig. He died on 7 February 1904 in Schöneberg, Berlin, Germany.
- Alfred von Waldersee was born on 8 October 1832 in Potsdam, Germany. He died on 5 March 1904 in Berlin, Germany.
- Director
- Cinematographer
Ottomar Anschütz was a German inventor, photographer, and chronophotographer. Between 1864 and 1868, he studied photography under some of the well-known photographers of the time. He received recognition for his photograph of John of Saxony on horseback in 1867, and then took over his father's company in Lissa, mainly working as a portrait photographer and as a decorative painter. In 1881, he made his first instantaneous photographs. In 1882, he developed his portable camera and made a name for himself with sharp photographs of imperial military demonstrations in Breslau the same year, and gained more fame with pictures of flying white storks in 1884 - the first photographs of birds on the wild. In 1885, he made his first chronophotographs of horses. The quality of his pictures was generally regarded to be much higher than that of the chronophotography works of Eadweard Muybridge and Étienne-Jules Marey. In 1886, he developed the Electrotachyscope, an early device that displayed short motion picture loops with 24 glass plate photographs on a 1.5 meter wide rotating wheel that was hand-cranked to the speed of circa 30 frames per second. Each image was illuminated by a sparking spiral Geissler tube and displayed on a small opal glass window in a wall in a darkened room for up to seven spectators. Different versions were developed and shown at many international exhibitions, fairs, conventions and arcades from 1887 until at least 1894, and probably inspired many other pioneers in the history of film technology.- Ernst von Wildenbruch was born on 3 February 1845 in Beirut, Lebanon. He was a writer, known for Das wandernde Licht (1916), Wenn Menschen reif zur Liebe werden (1927) and Das edle Blut (1927). He was married to Maria Karoline Freiin von Weber. He died on 15 January 1909 in Berlin, Germany.
- Friedrich Spielhagen was born on 24 February 1829 in Magdeburg, Kingdom of Prussia [now Germany]. He was a writer, known for Problematische Naturen (1915). He was married to Therese Wittich. He died on 25 February 1911 in Berlin, Germany.
- Georg Heym was born on 30 October 1887 in Hirschberg, Silesia, Germany. He was a writer, known for The Madman (2000). He died on 16 January 1912 in Berlin, Germany.
- Born in a tiny village Haimanalele, next to Ploesti town in Romanian province of Muntenia (Valahia), in a family of actors (both parents and his two uncles - his father's brothers - were actors). He had no formal education, works at some newspapers, then as a clerk. At age of 20 start writing and publishing some short comedy stories and fantasies. In a short period between 1878 and 1884 he wrote his most important plays : A Stormy Night, Mr. Leonida, Carnival Stories, A Lost Letter. In 1988 become the director of the National Theater, and later, after receiving a nice fortune from a rich relative, he moves with all his family to Berlin, Germany, where he died on 10 June 1912.
- Joseph Giampietro was born on 21 June 1866 in Vienna, Austrian Empire [now Austria]. He was an actor, known for Komm du kleines Kohlenmädchen (1907) and Don Juan heiratet (1909). He died on 29 December 1913 in Berlin, Germany.
- Hans Pagay was born on 11 November 1845 in Vienna, Austria. He was an actor, known for Die Herrin der Welt 8. Teil - Die Rache der Maud Fergusson (1920) and Die Herrin der Welt 1. Teil - Die Freundin des gelben Mannes (1919). He died on 21 January 1915 in Berlin, Germany.
- Walter Turszinsky was born on 9 January 1874 in Danzig, Pomerania, Germany [now Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland]. He was a writer and director, known for Der springende Hirsch oder Die Diebe von Günstersburg (1915), The Dawn of Freedom (1914) and Die Firma heiratet (1931). He died on 21 May 1915 in Berlin, Germany.
- After completing school, Rathenau completed practical training in his uncle's machine factory in Lower Silesia from 1855 to 1859. He then studied at the Polytechnic in Hanover and at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. He began his professional life in 1862 at the "August Borsig Locomotive Factory". He then worked for various companies in England. In 1865, together with a school friend, he acquired a machine factory in Berlin to build portable steam engines. In 1866 he married Mathilde Nachmann, daughter of a wealthy Frankfurt banker. The marriage resulted in two sons.
In 1873 the company was converted into a stock corporation that left Rathenau. With new capital he now tried to set up a telephone network in Berlin. However, the plans failed due to the Reichspost's claim to a monopoly. The attempt to promote the expansion of electric street lighting together with Werner von Siemens also failed. At the International Electricity Exhibition in Paris in 1881, he met the American scientist Thomas Alva Edison. In 1882, Emil Rathenau received licenses from Edison to commercially exploit his patents in Germany.
In 1983, the "German Edison Society" was founded under the leadership of Oskar von Miller and Rathenau. In 1887 the American Edison Company broke away from the company, which from then on operated as "AEG Allgemeine Electricity Company". In 1890 Oskar von Miller left the company and Rathenau became general director. Siemens and Deutsche Bank then invested in the company, which became an internationally active group in the following years. AEG produced power plants, railways and electrical machines and devices in various areas. The major cooperation agreement with Siemens ended in 1894, but continued to exist through the expansion of the "Telefunken Gesellschaft für Telegraphie", founded in 1903.
When the crisis in the electrical industry arose at the turn of the century, AEG emerged unscathed through a targeted merger and investment policy. In 1903 his son Walther Rathenau became a member of the AEG board of directors. From 1912 onwards, Emil Rathenau withdrew from active business due to illness, and his son followed him in the position of general director. - Paul Scheerbart was born on 8 January 1863 in Danzig, Pomerania, Germany [now Gdansk, Pomorskie, Poland]. He was an art director, known for Algol: Tragedy of Power (1920). He was married to Anna Scherler. He died on 15 October 1915 in Berlin, Germany.
- Alfred Breiderhoff was born on 18 April 1881 in Barmen, Wuppertal, Bergisches Land, Germany. He was an actor, known for Passionels Tagebuch (1916), Der Fund im Neubau - 1. Teil: Der Fingernagel (1915) and Die Rache der Toten (1916). He died on 10 August 1916 in Berlin, Germany.
- Music Department
- Writer
- Composer
Julius Fucík was born on 18 July 1872 in Prague, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. He was a writer and composer, known for Big Fish (2003), Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005) and Downton Abbey (2019). He was married to Christina Hardegg. He died on 25 September 1916 in Berlin, Germany.- Dorrit Weixler was born on 27 March 1892 in Berlin, Germany. She was an actress, known for Das rosa Pantöffelchen (1913), Die das Glück narrt (1913) and Todesrauschen (1914). She died on 30 November 1916 in Berlin, Germany.
- Graf Ferdinand von Zeppelin was born on 8 July 1838 in Konstanz, Baden [now Baden-Württemberg, Germany]. He died on 8 March 1917 in Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany.
- Oskar Blumenthal was born on 13 March 1852 in Berlin, Germany. He was a writer, known for Im Weissen Rössl (1952), The White Horse Inn (1960) and Is Matrimony a Failure? (1922). He was married to Marie Franke. He died on 24 April 1917 in Berlin, Germany.
- Actor
- Director
Mogens Enger was born on 21 January 1894 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was an actor and director, known for Kinder der Liebe, 1. Teil (1919), Der Schuldschein des Pandola (1918) and Das Goldtal (1918). He died on 9 October 1918 in Berlin, Germany.- Rosa Luxemburg was born on 5 March 1870 in Zamosc, Poland, Russian Empire [now Zamosc, Lubelskie, Poland]. She was a writer, known for Valitsen rohkeuden (1977). She was married to Gustav Lübeck. She died on 15 January 1919 in Berlin, Germany.
- Karl Liebknecht was born on 13 August 1871 in Leipzig, Germany. He was married to Sophie Ryss and Julia Paradies. He died on 15 January 1919 in Berlin, Germany.
- Paul Lindau was born on 3 June 1839 in Magdeburg, Kingdom of Prussia [now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany]. He was a writer, known for Il caso Haller (1933), Der Andere (1913) and Die blaue Laterne (1918). He was married to Anna Kalisch and Marie Hedwig Bronkhorst. He died on 31 January 1919 in Berlin, Germany.
- Elfriede Heisler was born on 31 March 1885 in Germany. She was an actress, known for Der Dritte (1912), Fürstenliebe (1912) and Die Tarantella (1912). She died on 21 February 1919 in Berlin, Germany.
- Heinrich Vollrath Schumacher was born on 30 April 1861 in Korbach, Hesse, Germany. He was a writer, known for Lady Hamilton (1921). He died on 28 March 1919 in Berlin, Germany.
- Gustav Schönwald was born on 28 June 1868 in Berlin, Germany. Gustav was a director, known for Die Nacht der Entscheidung (1917), Die Schaffnerin der Linie 6 (1915) and Seine eigene Frau (1915). Gustav died on 25 August 1919 in Lankwitz, Berlin, Germany.
- Gilda Langer was born in Oderfurt (now Privoz). Not much is known about her background, but around 1915 she met screenwriter Carl Mayer in Vienna. It seems he fell in love with her and took her to Berlin, where she was engaged at the Residenz-Theater in 1917.
In the same year she played in the movie "Das Rätsel von Bangalor", next to the young Conrad Veidt. In 1919 she was contracted by Decla film, where Fritz Lang was also under contract. She played in his movies "Halbblut" (1919) and "Der Herr der Liebe" (1919).
Decla bought the script of "Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari", written by her friends Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz, but the female parts in that movie went to Lil Dagover and Carola Toelle. Still Decla had big plans with her and her breakthrough seemed only a matter of time.
In the beginning of 1920 she became engaged with director Paul Czinner, but at the end of January she sadly died of a lung infection. However, not everybody believed it went just like that. Janowitz said that her own sudden engagement had put her under severe mental stress, adding to her unexpected demise and Herbert G. Luft claimed she overdosed on drugs. Certain is that Paul Czinner moved on to marry Elisabeth Bergner in later years.
On 4 Feb 1920 Gilda Langer was buried at the then fashionable cemetery at Stahnsdorf, Berlin. In 1995 her gravestone was rediscovered in an unkempt part of the very large cemetery by movie historian Olaf Brill. The headstone had come down but was still there. Carl Mayer was the one who had erected it there after her death and apart from her name, notes from the theme of lovers from Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde" were engraved upon it.
Thanks to Mr. Brill's careful notes the gravestone could be located again in 2004. After rubbing off a lot of mud it turned out to be still readable. - Victor Blüthgen was born on 4 January 1844 in Zörbig, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. He was a writer, known for Gendarm Möbius (1914). He was married to Clara Eysell and Luise Heinburg. He died on 2 April 1920 in Berlin, Germany.