biography in germany

• Biographies
• CountrySidebars

Navigation menu

Search learning & how-to's.

Max Mueller's 200 th Birth Anniversary

Max Mueller Bicentennial

Biographical portal was extended by personalities of bavarian and european history of music.

The European Biographical Portal enables access to more than 200,000 scholarly biographies of persons from all social backgrounds and covers most of the periods from German, Austrian, Swiss, Slovenian, and South-East European history.

The portal now also includes about 29,000 contributions from the " Bayerisches Musiker-Lexikon Online " ( BMLO Bavarian Dictionary on Musicians Online), which is supervised by the Institute of Musicology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München , Prof. Dr. Hartmut Schick , LMU Center for Digital Humanities , Dr. Gerhard Schön , and Musikinstrumentenmuseum at Universität Leipzig , Prof. Dr. Josef Focht . 

Biographical Portal: http://www.biographie-portal.eu

Music in Switzerland in the past and present: The Dictionary of Music in Switzerland for the 21st century

The event has two parts: a scientific conference (23-24 November 2023) and a workshop (25 November 2023). The entire event is an initiative of the Dictionary of Music in Switzerland (DMS) , a board of trustees of the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (SAGW) .

University of Bern

Please send an email to Caiti Hauck : [email protected]

Conference program (PDF, 269KB)

Conference booklet (PDF, 519KB)

La Gazette Musicale 22 avril 2023

GND-Explorer a new tool for presenting and searching the Integrated German authority file | Gemeinsame Normdatei (GND)

Ágoston Zénó Bernád , Christine Gruber and Maximilian Kaiser (Edd.)

Aspekte, Bausteine, Normen und Standards für eine europäische Biographik. 

Unter Mitarbeit von Matthias Schloegl und Katalin Lejtovicz

BD-2017 Biographical Data in a Digital World 2017

Linz, austria, november 6-7, 2017 ., antske fokkens ,  serge ter braake , ronald sluijter, paul arthur, eveline wandl-vogt.

Begrüßung und Einführung von Prof. Dr. Susanne S. Renner ( Lehrstuhl für Systematische Botanik und Mykologie der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Direktorin des Botanischen Gartens München-Nymphenburg und der Botanischen Staatssammlung München )

Grußwort von Generalkonsul José Mauro da Fonseca Costa Couto (Generalkonsulat von Brasilien in München)

Vortrag von  Dr. Markus Wesche (ehem. Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften , Deutsche Geschichtsquellen ):

Alle Bücher im Gepäck? Martius' Vorbereitungen der Brasilienreise

Filmpremiere für München: Dokumentarfilm 

Das Siebengestirn

von Angelika Weber M.A. (Omnis Terra Media GmbH)

Vortrag von Prof. Dr. Jürke Grau (Vorsitzender der Gesellschaft der Freunde des Botanischen Gartens München e.V. )

Vom Amazonas zurück an die Isar - Martius in München  Beginn: 19:00 Uhr Ort: Großer Hörsaal im Erdgeschoss des Botanischen Instituts, Menzinger Straße 67, 80638 München

Deutsche Biographie records over one million visitors for the first time in 2016

In 2010, the Deutsche Biographie has been made available to the German-speaking world as a historical-biographical information system, enabling scholars to conduct scientific research. Offering certified facts, the data system contains at its core approximately 49,000 articles as published in the encyclopaedias " Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie " ( ADB; General German Biography ) and " Neue Deutsche Biographie " ( NDB; New German Biography ; volumes 1 to 25 , A to Tecklenborg ). The current state of expansion, financed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft ( DFG; German Research Foundation ) from 2014 till 2016, provides valid information on more than 730,000 individuals.

By using authority data (Normdaten), it is now possible to access numerous more sources such as encyclopaedias, scientific sources, literature, objects/ oeuvres, and portraits directly on the Internet. Already available in the past, the numerous visual representations of sources have been massively extended. The project's organizers thus react to the current rapid increase of network analysis. In addition, the geographical functions necessary when doing map work have also been expanded (subjects such as places of birth or death, geographic data relating to individuals' activities, and burial sites can be selected and combined freely).

The project's high attractiveness is illustrated by continuously rising user numbers, with "unique visitors" having exceeded the mark of 1 million for the first time during a year in September 2016.

The current state of the project allows for further development of the Deutsche Biographie, eventually turning it into a scientific lab. The final goal is to provide future scholars with data samples from the Deutsche Biographie, enabling them to pursue their projects on an individual as well as collaborative basis. The scientific lab is currently subject of a new application for third party funds.

Deutsche Biographie:

https://www.deutsche-biographie.de

Cooperation with

Deutsche Nationalbibliothek (German National Library)

Bundesarchiv (Federal Archives)

Germanisches Nationalmuseum

Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach

Deutsches Museum München

Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv Deutsches Dokumentationszentrum für Kunstgeschichte - Bildarchiv Foto Marburg .

Deutsches Filminstitut     -   ( filmportal.de )   Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz   -   ( Kalliope ) Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften (Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities)   -   ( Jahresberichte für deutsche Geschichte ) - ( Alexander von Humboldt auf Reisen ) Sächsische Landesbibliothek - Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden (Saxon State and University Library Dresden)   -   ( Deutsche Fotothek ) - ( Digitale Sammlungen, Digital Collections ) Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg ( Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Baden-Württemberg LEO-BW, Regional Information System for Baden-Wuerttemberg ) - ( Archivportal-D ) Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz    -  ( Regesta Imperii ) - ( Forschungsstelle für Personalschriften) - ( Controversia et Confessio ) Zentrum für Historische Friedensforschung an der Universität Bonn    -   ( Acta Pacis Westphalicae digital )  Akademie der bildenden Künste München    -   ( Matrikelbücher )

Landesbibliothekszentrum Rheinland-Pfalz / Rheinische Landesbibliothek    -   ( Rheinland-Pfälzische Personendatenbank / Rhineland-Palatinate Persons Database )

Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe / LWL-Institut für westfälische Regionalgeschichte   -   ( Westfälische Geschichte / History of Westphalia )

Institut für Sächsische Geschichte und Volkskunde    -   ( Sächsische Biografie / Saxonian Biography )

Deutsche Biographie

Conference to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of volume one of the Australian Dictionary of Biography   True Biographies of Nations? Exploring the Cultural Journeys of Dictionaries of National Biography National Centre of Biography Australian National University College of Arts & Social Sciences Canberra, 30 June - 2 July 2016 Program

Bavarian State Library

The munich digitization center, friedrich  rückert, paul julius baron de reuter.

National Biographies Jinan, CISH, 23.-29. August 2015

Europa baut auf Biographien Wien, ÖAW, 6.-8. Oktober 2015

Wikimedia - Dynamic links to external resources

Europa baut auf Biographien Aspekte, Bausteine, Normen und Standards für eine europäische Biographik Conference at Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften ( Institut für Neuzeit- und Zeitgeschichtsforschung / Forschungsbereich Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon , Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities , Institut für Stadt- und Regionalforschung ) with Österreichische Nationalbibliothek , Bayerische Staatsbibliothek , Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz and Neue Deutsche Biographie . Österreichische Nationalbibliothek ( Hofburg , Oratorium), Wien 1 6. - 8. Oktober 2015

Johanna Rachinger | Generaldirektorin der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek Brigitte Mazohl | Präsidentin der phil.-hist. Klasse der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissen­schaften

Michael Gehler | Direktor des Instituts für Neuzeit- und Zeitgeschichtsforschung: Europa, Europäisierung, Europäistik, europäische Integration und die Folgen für die Biographie­forschung

Paul Arthur | Sydney: Integrating biographical data in large-scale research resources: Current and future directions Piek Vossen | Amsterdam: Modelling provenance and perspectives in biographical data

Block 1: Biographie gestern und heute Chair: Ernst Bruckmüller | Wien

Hans-Christof Kraus | Passau/München: Die Anfänge der lexikalisch-biographischen For­schung bei Herbert Schöffler Nora Mengel | München: ' In meinem Werk ist Oesterreich' - zum Werkverständnis des Biographen Constant von Wurzbach

Marc v. Knorring | Passau: Biographie und Vergangenheitsdeutung. Deutsche Wissenschaft­ler und Künstler nach 1918 und ihr Blick auf die Vorkriegszeit Lars Jendral | Koblenz: Die Rheinland-Pfälzische Personendatenbank: biographische Informa­tionen einer Regionalbibliographie Marcus Weidner | Münster: Regionale Biographien im Zeitalter des Internet

  Block 2: Bausteine zu einer europäischen Biographik Chair: Michael Gehler | Hildesheim

Marcello Verga | Florenz: From National Biographical Dictionaries to a Biographical Dictionary of Europeans: Topics for Discussion Frank Metasch | Dresden: Lokal – regional – national – europäisch: Wie verknüpft die euro­päische Biographik die Lebensebenen der Europäer? Stefan Majewski | Wien: Massendigitalisierung als Basis geistes- und kulturwissenschaftlicher Forschung

Ulrich Lantermann | Wettingen: Wikipedia – eine Ergänzung der Biographien-Landschaft Hubert Bergmann | Wien: Ein sprachübergreifendes biographisches Lexikon als anthropony­mische Herausforderung Thierry Declerck | Saarbrücken: Semantische Repräsentation von biographischen Datensätzen und deren Verlinkung im Rahmen des Linked (Open) Data Frameworks

Block 3: Normen und Standards für eine europäische Biographik Chair: Malte Rehbein | Passau

Thomas Busch | München: Anforderungen an Normdatenbestände im Kontext der Europäisie­rung biographischer Angebote im Internet Marten Düring | Sanem: „Historische Netzwerkanalyse“ als Methodik Christine Gruber – Eveline Wandl-Vogt | Wien: „APIS“  – Digitale biographische Blütenlese

Bernhard Ebneth, Matthias Reinert | München: Potentiale der Deutschen Biographie ( www.deutsche-biographie.de ) als historisch-biographisches Informationssystem André Blessing – Jonas Kuhn | Stuttgart: Die Exploration größerer biographischer Textsammlungen mit computerlinguistischen Methoden Elian Carsenat | Paris: Exploring the onomastics of the Austrian Biographical Dictionary (ÖBL)

Marco Jorio | Bern: Transnationale und transkulturelle Biographien in den deutschsprachigen Nationalbiographien (ÖBL, NDB, HLS, HLFL) Robert Luft | München: Nationale und regionale Biographien in Europa oder europäische Per­sönlichkeiten? Zu Auswahlkriterien und Darstellungen nationaler, transnationaler und regio­naler Lexika

Frank Lothar Kroll | Chemnitz: Europäische Herrscherbiographie – Wege zu einer neuen Dy­nastiegeschichte in komparatistischer Perspektive Franz Adlgasser | Wien: Der österreichische Reichsrat als mitteleuropäisches Kaleidoskop

Block 4: Fortsetzung Chair: Hans-Christof Kraus | Passau/München

Volkhard Huth | Bensheim/Darmstadt – Dario Kampkaspar | Wolfenbüttel Biographische Erkenntnischancen und Netzwerkstrukturen Daniela Angetter | Wien: Wege des sozialen Aufstiegs – Eliten im 19. Jahrhundert Irene Nawrocka | Wien: Österreichische ExilantInnen in Schweden Helmut Pfanner | Lochau: Biographik der Emigration und des Exils im 20. Jahrhundert

c/o Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften

Alfons-Goppel-Str. 11 ( Residenz )

D - 80539 München

Tel.: ++49-89-23031-1152

Fax: ++49-89-23031-1282

Comité International des Sciences Historiques (CISH) International Commitee of Historical Sciences (ICHS) CISH’s XXIInd CONGRESS XXIIème Congrès du CISH JINAN (23-29 August /23-29 août 2015)

Thème spécialisé 7  /  Specialised theme 7 National Biographies Organizer: Marcello VERGA ( Università degli Studi di Firenze ) With the support of the Italian National Committee Discussant: Stefan BERGER ( Ruhr-Universität Bochum ) Jaime Olmedo RAMOS (Director Técnico of the Diccionario Biográfico Español in the Real Academia de la Historia ): ¿Qué cosa no es un diccionario biográfico? Errores y desenfoques en su recepción Mikel URQUIJO GOITIA and Joseba AGIRREAZKUENAGA ZIGORRAGA ( Universidad del País Vasco ): Why and how national biography in the XXI Century? Marco JORIO (Chief director of the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland ): From National Biography to Transnational Biography Portal Fulvio CONTI ( Università degli Studi di Firenze ) : Un popolo di poeti, di artisti, di eroi…”. Men and women in the Italian Dictionary of Biography   Marja JALAVA ( University of Helsinki ):  Reparation of Historical Injustices or Forced Integration? – The Role of Minorities in the National Biography of Finland Vol. II C. W. (Mineke) BOSCH ( University of Groningen ): Writing the national biographical dictionaries: a gender perspective cf. Biographie-Portal / Biographical Portal   -  Neue Deutsche Biographie

Información histórico-biográfica en línea, Creado y administrado por Bernhard Ebneth Diccionarios nacionales e internacionales en medios electrónicos

Historisch-biographische Informationsmittel, Erstellt und bearbeitet von Bernhard Ebneth Nationale und internationale biographische Lexika in elektronischen Medien

Mapping historical networks: Building the new Austrian Prosopographical/Biographical Information System (APIS)

Instituto Cervantes Munich , Alfons-Goppel-Str. 7

Matej Ďurčo ( Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities - OEAW ) Christine Gruber ( Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon - INZ - OEAW )

2015, July 16 th

APIS is a joint project of Vorgestellt wird das Projekt von:

Kurzbeschreibung: Es sollen spezifische Abfragemöglichkeiten und Analysewerkzeuge entwickelt, Suchergebnisse visualisierbar und Personennetzwerke, Bewegungsprofile usw. abbildbar werden. Zentrale Forschungsfragen, die das Institut für Stadt- und Regionalforschung einbringt, betreffen die geographische Rekonstruktion der Wanderungsmuster, die demographische Analyse der Elitenwanderer und die Perspektivenwechsel von einer Mikro- auf eine Makroebene. Das Österreichische Biographische Lexikon wird damit zu einem digitalen Werkzeug der historischen Elitenforschung ausgebaut.

Marcello Verga, The National Biography Dictionaries. The International Success (and the critical issues) of a model of writing national History (XIX-XXI century) , Proposal for XXII nd CISH Congress, in Jinan, China 23 to 29 August 2015 Marcello Verga , The Dictionary Is Dead, Long Live the Dictionary! Biographical Collections in National Contexts, in:   Setting the Standards. Institutions, Networks and Communities of National Historiography , ed. by Ilaria Porciani and Jo Tollebeek , Writing the NationWriting Series. National Histographies and the Making of Nation States in the 19th and 20th Century Europe , Basingstoke 2012 , po. 89-104 ISBN 978-0-230-5000051 Marcello Verga , l Dizionario è morto. Viva i dizionari! Note per uan storia dei dizionari biografici nazionali in Europa, in: Storica, vol. 40, 2008, pp. 7-32 ISSN 1973-2236

Call for papers

" Deutsche Biographie ", the historical and biographical information system for the German-speaking world, is online now with extended features. It includes digital full texts of more than 48,000 historical and biographical articles of the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB, 1875-1912) and the Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB, since 1953). It includes various information from other biographical dictionaries as well as different online resources such as works and portraits. " Deutsche Biographie " is r ealized in cooperation with Bayerische Staatsbibliothek and supported by Deutsche Nationalbibliothek , Bundesarchiv , Germanisches Nationalmuseum , Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach , Deutsches Museum München , Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv , and Deutsches Dokumentationszentrum für Kunstgeschichte - Bildarchiv Foto Marburg .

Joachim Whaley, Germany and the Holy Roman Empire, vol. I, Oxford 2012, p. XIV:

"The Internet has made a wealth of biographical information accessible. The standard German ( Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie and Neue Deutsche Biographie ), Austrian ( Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon ), and Swiss ( Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz ) biographical dictionaries are searchable via the ' biography portal ' at http://www.biographie-portal.eu/about (accessed 4 May 2011)."

"The "Biographie-Portal" or “Biographical Portal” is a cooperative project of the Bavarian State Library, the Historical Committee at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and the Foundation Historical Dictionary of Switzerland. As such, it would qualify as a Pan-European project, but the focus is decidedly on German-language biographical resources and it is, therefore, listed here. In sum, the "Biographie-Portal" provides a common search interface to the following well-known resources:

• Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB) [Universal German Biography]
• Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB) [New German Biography]
• Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815-1950 (ÖBL) [Austrian Dictionary of Biography 1815–1950]
• Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz (HLS) [Historical Dictionary of Switzerland]

In addition to this unified portal to biographical resources, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek has completed capturing the full text of the Allgemeinen Deutschen Biographie (ADB) / Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Biographic entries on over 46,000 personalities are now searchable in full text through the site.

Comment by International League of Antiquarian Booksellers ( ILAB)

Matthias Reinert : Application of TEI to a biographical dictionary ( www.deutsche-biographie.de ) Matthias Reinert / Thomas Riechert: Mapping metadata of TEI-encoded biographies to CIDOC-CRM

Deutsche Biographie becomes part of the LOD cloud

Workshop: Berlin - Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities 27.–29. September 2010

Flyer   /   Deutsche Biographie: Abstract   /  Poster

From Reference Work to Information System

Vom Nachschlagewerk zum Informationssystem

Wissenschaftliche Qualitätssicherung und Funktionalitätserweiterung

Welcome to the web-site of the Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB / New German Biography)

The full text of all articles in the first 23 volumes , covering names from "Aachen" to "Schwarz" are also freely available on-line.

The NDB is a biographical dictionary published in German language by the Historical Committee at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities and printed by Duncker & Humblot in Berlin. The NDB is the successor to the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). The currently most recent volume is the 24 th , covering names from "Schwarz" to "Stader" was published in february 2010. Since 1953 more than 21,000 biographies of families and deceased persons who have had a significant impact on developments in scholarship, arts, technology, medicine, economics, politics or social life have been published. Only persons and families with a close relation to the German language area are recorded. Each individual article is signed by its author.

All NDB articles usually contain biographical, genealogical and bibliographical information such as date and place of birth, date and place of death, parents, marriages, divorces, number of children, alternate and birth names, academic degrees, a curriculum vitae in whole sentences, a valuation of the subject's political, economic, social, scientific, technical or artistic achievements, sources and a bibliography. An index cataloguing all articles is freely available on-line.  

References:

Sarah WENZEL , Europe in Bits & Bytes , in: Western European Studies Section (WESS) , Newsletter , ed. by Western European Studies Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) , a divison of the American Library Association (ALA) , Spring 2002, Vol. 25, no. 2 , German Resources .

Sebastian HIERL, Europe in Bits & Bytes , in: Western European Studies Section (WESS) , Newsletter , ed. by Western European Studies Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) , a divison of the American Library Association (ALA) , Spring 2003, Vol. 26, no. 2 , German Resources .

Sebastian HIERL, Europe in Bits & Bytes , in: Western European Studies Section (WESS) , Newsletter , ed. by Western European Studies Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) , a divison of the American Library Association (ALA) , Spring 2010, Vol. 33, no. 2 , German Resources .   

Neue Deutsche Biographie - What's new, Version Juny 2021: http://www.ndb.badw.de/index_e.htm

(1) Aims of the NDB

(2) Secondary Literature

(3) Notes of Guidance for Authors

(4) Available Volumes

(5) Subject Areas

(7) Indexes

(8) Authors

(9) Further Biographical Dictionaries

(10) Example of Biographical Articel

(11) Selected List of Biographical Collected Editions 1992 - 1997

(12) Further Links

(13) Further Digital Biographical Information

Return to NDB

Return to Historical Commission

Return to Academy  

Site created:  2002 , December 24 th Site last updated:  2024 , January 25 th

Copyright © 1998-2024  Dr.  Bernhard Ebneth, Neue Deutsche Biographie, Historische Kommission bei der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften

The   Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB) gives concise, thoroughly prepared biographies of deceased persons who have had a significant impact on developments in politics, economics, social life, scholarship, technology or the arts. Since many decades the NDB, with its original articles by notable authors, has been regarded as the authoritative biographical dictionary for all regions in which German is spoken and German culture is prevalent.

The NDB covers the period from the early middle ages down to the present and is arranged alphabetically. Since 1953 twentyseven volumes were published, containing more than 23'000 biographies of individuals and families covering the alphabet from Aachen to Wettiner . The articles include detailed information on genealogy, selective lists of works by the subjects themselves and of secondary literature, and references to portraits. There are also full indexes . The entire work is to be completed by the year 2023 in a further volume with among 700 articles. Volume 27 , reaching as far as "Wettiner", was published in February 2020.

The first German national biography, the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB) , appeared in 56 volumes from 1875 to 1912 (reprint 1967 to 1971, also online ). This was published by the Historical Commission at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities . It is widely used even today. The NDB follows the tradition of the ADB , but is an independent work with original contributions based on the latest research. In comparison with the ADB the selection of articles is more rigorous, the presentation more concise, and the articles more clearly structured with a genealogical introduction and separate lists of works and secondary sources. Articles on families make it possible to give, within a broader context, at least a brief sketch of people not dealt with in articles of their own. The indexes of the NDB list also all entries in the ADB. The approach taken by the NDB has set standards of scholarship for biographical dictionaries both in Germany and abroad.

From 1945 on the idea of a new National Biography was vigorously pursued by the historians Walter Goetz and Otto Graf zu Stolberg-Wernigerode . They obtained the support of the Historical Committee at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. In 1949 the publishers Duncker & Humblot took over the printing and marketing of the NDB. Whereas the ADB had been edited by Rochus von Liliencron almost singlehanded, the NDB was provided with an editorial board with full-time employees and a permanent office in Munich. The first Director Graf Stolberg held the position from 1950 to 1968. He has been followed by Walter Bussmann (1968-69), Fritz Wagner (1969-87), Karl Otmar Freiherr von Aretin (1987-98), Hans Günter Hockerts (1998-2012), Maximilian Lanzinner (2013) and  Hans-Christof Kraus (since January 2014).

The editorial board of the NDB presently consists of the five scholars each of whom is responsible for a particular subject area . The board selects the people to be included in the work, appoints appropriate authors, and edits the articles for printing.

The aims of the NDB have remained unchanged from the beginning. It is meant to give a broad historical and biographical coverage of all regions characterised by German language and culture. With an average article length of three quarters of a page the NDB can provide important biographical information on the covered persons while also discussing their historical significance. Selective lists of works and secondary literature indicate further reading. The genealogical data help to define the place of individual lives in the general history of society.

The editing of articles starts from a main database NDBIO, which is continually being extended and at present comprises about 160'000 names. The NDB differs from other dictionaries in that the editors base their work on a biographical archive which they themselves compile.

More information on the form of NDB articles and the ideas underlying them can be found in notes of guidance for authors . These will be supplied on request by the editorial board.  

(3) Notes of Guidance for Authors.

Authors are kindly requested to bear the following points in mind:

In general: the manuscripts should be submitted with the text on one side of the paper, double wide spacing between lines, and a broad margin. Please avoid the use of abbreviations, as these will be introduced according to a standard list when the article is edited. Surnames should be accompanied by first names, as far as these are known; this applies equally to the names of authors, editors and artists in the lists of publications and portraits. This is particularly important where the surname is a common one, for example Fischer, Meier, Müller, Schmidt, Schulze or Schneider.

We would be grateful if authors to send the text via e-mail. Lines should consist of 65 characters including spaces. Words should not be divided, and a line should be left blank between paragraphs.

Please note in particular: as articles are printed continuously, the editorial board is obliged to keep to fixed deadlines. Having accepted to write an article, you are therefore asked, to complete and return the reply card as soon as possible and to submit your contribution by the agreed date. Please give your account number and the name and code number of your bank; this speeds up the payment of honoraria. lf no reply is received, or if deadlines are exceeded or reminders left unanswered, the editorial board may commission another author.

The author is responsible for individual articles, the publisher for the work as a whole. The editorial board reserves the right to standardise articles, as is the norm in reference works, and to shorten them if the text is longer than agreed. Significant alterations or additions are made in consultation with the author. Where disputes arise and no agreement can be reached, there is no obligation to print the article.

Before diskettes are sent to printing, the author receives a computer print-out of his or her article. This should be checked and returned to the editorial board within a maximum of three weeks. lf no corrections are received within this time, the article is deemed to have been accepted in its edited form.

Each author receives at least three copies of the article when the volume has been published.

On the structure of articles:

1. Full name (please indicate by bold type or underlining the name by which the subject was commonly known), occupation, date and place of birth, date and place of death, tomb, religious denomination.

2. Information on the family.

3. Career, achievements, critical evaluation.

4. List of works.

5. List of sources and secondary literature.

6. References to portraits.

7. Full name of the author.

1) Please give all variant spellings of surnames. Where appropriate, you should also give pseudonyms, pen names, stage names, and names taken in religious orders. When describing the subject's occupation please use terms which are relevant to his or her inclusion in the NDB, for example 'zoologist' rather than 'keeper of the natural history collection'.

2) In the section information on the family please give the names, dates of birth and death and occupations of the subject's parents, grandparents, spouse, spouse's parents, and children, as far as these are obtainable without too much difficulty. lt is also desirable to mention relatives who are of general interest and to give further references as appropriate. lf such details are not readily available, please inform the editorial staff early so that they can make their own enquiries. We are particularly grateful for information about living relatives, in view of the legal protection of personal data.

3) In describing the subject's career please mention those people who had a lasting influence on him or her. You may evaluate the subject's personality and achievements either in the course of the biographical narrative or at the end, though the latter will be the general rule. In every case the text should explain the subject's importance in his or her field and in its later development, and also how the subject was regarded by contemporaries and posterity. You should also mention any significant achievements or major activities outside the subject's normal occupation, as well as memberships, honours, titles and decorations. The editorial board asks that articles should be written in a concise, lucid and generally accessible manner. Please avoid telegraphic style.

4) You may decide to include a critical evaluation of all or some of the subject's main works in the body of the article. Other significant titles can be mentioned in the list of works. You should always refer to published lists of works, even incomplete ones. Please give details of first and last editions and translations into foreign languages.

5) Please include a critical selection of secondary literature and extended obituaries. Available bibliographies should always be mentioned. Where applicable, a reference to the Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie with volume number heads the list. Printed sources come next. These are followed by other publications - arranged in chronological order, except that works by the same author are not separaten. Biographical and bibliographical reference works and encyclopedias are listed at the end. When citing articles from periodicals or collections you should give the author's name, the exact title of the article, volume number, year and page numbers. lf you have made direct use of archives, please indicate which ones.

6) As far as possible you should list important portraits of the subject, giving the artist's name, the year in which the portrait was made, and its present location. Portraits include oil paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures, funerary and other monuments, medals, photographs etc. Where portraits appear in the publications listed under (4) or (5), this should be indicated by adding (P) to the references in those lists.  

Translation by John Blundell (Thesaurus linguae Latinae)

Edited by: Bernhard Ebneth, Neue Deutsche Biographie, Historical Commission at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities

(1) Aims of the NDB

(2) Secondary Literature

(3) Notes of Guidance for Authors

(4) Available Volumes

(5) Subject Areas

(7) Indexes

(8) Authors

(9) Further Biographical Dictionaries

(10) Example of Biographical Articel

(11) Selected List of Biographical Collected Editions 1992 - 1997

(12) Further Links

(13) Further Digital Biographical Information

Return to Homepage

Return to Historical Commission

Return to Academy

Copyright (C) 1997-2020 Historische Kommission bei der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Neue Deutsche Biographie, Alfons-Goppel-Str. 11, D - 80539 München.  

• History Classics
• Your Profile
• Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window)
• Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window)
• This Day In History
• History Podcasts
• History Vault

Otto von Bismarck

By: History.com Editors

Updated: June 7, 2019 | Original: December 16, 2009

Germany became a modern, unified nation under the leadership of the “Iron Chancellor” Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898), who between 1862 and 1890 effectively ruled first Prussia and then all of Germany. A master strategist, Bismarck initiated decisive wars with Denmark, Austria and France to unite 39 independent German states under Prussian leadership. Although an arch-conservative, Bismarck introduced progressive reforms—including universal male suffrage and the establishment of the first welfare state—in order to achieve his goals. He manipulated European rivalries to make Germany a world power, but in doing so laid the groundwork for both World Wars.

Otto von Bismarck: Early Years

Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck was born April 1, 1815, at his family’s estate in the Prussian heartland west of Berlin. His father was a fifth-generation Junker (a Prussian landowning noble), and his mother came from a family of successful academics and government ministers. Throughout his life Bismarck would emphasize his rural Junker roots, underplaying his considerable intellect and cosmopolitan outlook.

Did you know? Although German leader Otto von Bismarck wore a general's uniform in public for much of his later life (and successfully prosecuted three wars as chancellor), his only prior military service was a brief, unwilling stint in a reserve unit.

Bismarck was educated in Berlin and after university took a series of minor diplomatic posts before retiring, at age 24, to run his family’s estate at Kneiphof. In 1847 he married and was sent to Berlin as a delegate to the new Prussian parliament, where he emerged as a reactionary voice against the liberal, anti-autocratic Revolutions of 1848.

From 1851 to 1862 Bismarck served a series of ambassadorships—at the German Confederation in Frankfurt, in St. Petersburg and in Paris—that gave him valuable insight into the vulnerabilities of Europe’s great powers.

Otto von Bismarck: The Iron Chancellor

William I became Prussia’s king in 1861 and a year later appointed Bismarck as his chief minister. Though technically deferring to William, in reality Bismarck was in charge, manipulating the king with his intellect and the occasional tantrum while using royal decrees to circumvent the power of elected officials.

In 1864 Bismarck began the series of wars that would establish Prussian power in Europe. He attacked Denmark to gain the German-speaking territories of Schleswig-Holstein and two years later provoked Emperor Franz-Josef I into starting the Austro-Prussian War (1866), which ended in a swift defeat for the aging Austrian empire. At the time, Bismarck wisely declined to levy a war indemnity against the Austrians.

Bismarck was less circumspect in his conduct of the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71). Seeing the opportunity to unify Germany’s loose confederations against an outside enemy, Bismarck stirred political tensions between France and Prussia, famously editing a telegram from William I to make both countries feel insulted by the other. The French declared war, but the Prussians and their German allies won handily. Prussia levied an indemnity, annexed the French border provinces of Alsace and Lorraine and crowned William emperor of a unified Germany (the Second Reich) in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles—a tremendous insult to the French.

Otto von Bismarck: Kulturkampf, Welfare State, Empire

With Germany unified, William I and Bismarck turned to entrenching their domestic power. For much of the 1870s Bismarck pursued a Kulturkampf (cultural struggle) against Catholics, who made up 36 percent of Germany’s population, by placing parochial schools under state control and expelling the Jesuits. In 1878 Bismarck relented, allying with the Catholics against the growing socialist threat.

In the 1880s Bismarck set aside his conservative impulses to counter the socialists by creating Europe’s first modern welfare state, establishing national healthcare (1883), accident insurance (1884) and old age pensions (1889). Bismarck also hosted the 1885 Berlin Conference that ended the “Scramble for Africa,” dividing the continent between the European powers and establishing German colonies in Cameroon, Togoland and East and Southwest Africa.

Otto von Bismarck: Final Years and Legacy

William I died in 1888 and was succeeded by his son Frederick III and then his grandson William II, both of whom Bismarck found difficult to control. In 1890 the new king forced Bismarck out. William II was left in control of a flourishing unified state but was ill-equipped to maintain Bismarck’s carefully manipulated balance of international rivalries. Respected and honored by the time of his death eight years later, Bismarck quickly became a quasi-mythic figure invoked by political leaders calling for strong German leadership—or for war.

Sign up for Inside History

Get HISTORY’s most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Networks. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details : Privacy Notice | Terms of Use | Contact Us

Biography of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German Writer and Statesman

 Print Collector / Getty Images

• Authors & Texts
• Top Picks Lists
• Study Guides
• Best Sellers
• Plays & Drama
• Shakespeare
• Short Stories
• Children's Books
• Master of Studies, University of Oxford
• Bachelor of Arts, Brown University

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (August 28, 1749 – March 22, 1832) was a German novelist, playwright, poet, and statesman who has been described as Germany’s William Shakespeare. Having achieved both literary and commercial success in his lifetime, Goethe remains one of the most influential figures in modern era literature.

Fast Facts: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

• Known For: Figurehead of Sturm und Drang and Weimar Classicism literary movements
• Born: August 28, 1749 in Frankfurt, Germany
• Parents: Johann Kaspar Goethe, Katharina Elisabeth née Textor
• Died: March 22, 1832 in Weimar, Germany
• Education: Leipzig University, University of Strasbourg 
• Selected Published Works: Faust I (1808), Faust II (1832), Sorrows of Young Werther (1774), Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (1796), Wilhelm Meister’s Journey Years (1821)
• Spouse: Christiane Vulpius
• Children: Julius August Walther (four others died young)
• Notable Quote: “Fortunately, people can comprehend only a certain degree of misfortune; anything beyond that either destroys them or leaves them indifferent."

Early Life and Education (1749-1771)

• Annette ( Annette , 1770)
• New Poems ( Neue Lieder , 1770)
• Sessenheim Poems ( Sesenheimer Lieder , 1770-71)

Goethe was born into a wealthy bourgeois family in Frankfurt, Germany. His father, Johann Kaspar Goethe, was a man of leisure who had inherited money from his own father, and his mother, Katharina Elisabeth, was the daughter of the most senior official in Frankfurt. The couple had seven children, although only Goethe and his sister Cornelia lived to adulthood. 

Goethe’s education was dictated by his father and saw him learning Latin, Greek, French, and Italian by the age of 8. His father had very specific hopes for his son’s education, which included his studying law and finding a wife in his travels, before settling down to a quietly prosperous life. Accordingly, Goethe started at university in Leipzig in 1765 to study law. There he fell in love with Anne Katharine Schönkopf, the daughter of an innkeeper, and dedicated a volume of joyful poems to her called Annette. Ultimately, however, she married another man. Goethe’s first mature play, The Partners in Crime ( Die Mitschuldigen , 1787), is a comedy depicting a woman’s regrets after she married the wrong man. Upset by her refusal of him and having fallen ill with tuberculosis, Goethe returned home to convalesce.

In 1770 he moved to Strasbourg to finish his law degree. It was there that he met philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder, the leader of the Sturm und Drang (“Storm and Stress”) intellectual movement. The two became close friends. Herder permanently impacted Goethe’s literary development, kindling an interest in Shakespeare and introducing him to a developing philosophy that language and literature are in fact expressions of a highly specific national culture. Herder’s philosophy stood in contrast to Hume’s assertion “that mankind are so much the same in all times and places that history informs us of nothing new or strange.” This idea inspired Goethe to travel the Rhine Valley collecting folk songs from local women in an effort to more fully grasp German culture in its “purest” form. In the small village of Sessenheim, he met and fell deeply in love with Friederike Brion, whom he would leave just ten months later, fearful of the commitment of marriage. The theme of the woman abandoned appears often in Goethe’s literary works, most notably in the end of Faust I, leading scholars to believe that this choice weighed heavily on him.

Sturm und Drang (1771-1776)

• Götz von Berlichingen ( Götz von Berlichingen , 1773)
• The Sorrows of Young Werther ( Die Leiden des Jungen Werthers , 1774)
• Clavigo ( Clavigo , 1774)
• Stella ( Stella , 1775-6)
• Gods, Heroes, and Wieland ( Götter, Helden und Wieland, 1774)

These were some of Goethe’s most productive years, seeing a high production of poetry as well as several play fragments. However, Goethe began this period intent on law: he was promoted to Licentitatus Juris and set up a small law practice in Frankfurt. His career as a lawyer was notably less successful than his other ventures, and in 1772, Goethe traveled to Darmstadt to join the supreme court of the Holy Roman Empire to gain more legal experience. On the way he heard a story about a famous 16th century dashing highwayman-baron who achieved fame during the German Peasants’ War , and within weeks Goethe had written the play Götz von Berlichingen. The play ultimately sets the foundations for the archetype of the Romantic hero. 

In Darmstadt he fell in love with the already-engaged Charlotte Buff, called Lotte. After spending a tortured summer with her and her fiancé, Goethe heard about a young lawyer who shot himself, for reasons rumored to be love of a married woman. These two events probably inspired Goethe to write The Sorrows of Young Werther (Die Leiden des jungen Werthers, 1774), a novel whose release almost immediately catapulted Goethe into literary stardom. Told in the form of letters written by Werther, the intimate depiction of the main character’s mental collapse, told in the first person, captured imaginations across Europe. The novel is a hallmark of the Sturm und Drang era, which honored emotion above reason and societal mores. Although Goethe was somewhat dismissive of the Romantic generation that came directly after him, and the Romantics were themselves often critical of Goethe, Werther caught their attention and is thought to be the spark that ignited the passion for Romanticism, which swept across Europe at the turn of the century. Indeed, Werther was so inspiring that it sadly remains notorious for having set off a wave of suicides across Germany.

De to his reputation, in 1774 when he was 26, Goethe was invited to the court of the 18-year-old duke of Weimar, Karl August. Goethe impressed the young duke and Karl August invited him to join the court. Although he was engaged to be married to a young woman in Frankfurt, Goethe, probably feeling characteristically stifled, left his hometown and moved to Weimar, where he would remain for the rest of his life. 

Weimar (1775-1788)

• The Siblings ( Die Geschwister , 1787, written in 1776)
• Iphigenie in Tauris ( Iphigenie auf Tauris , 1787)
• The Partners in Crime ( Die Mitschuldigen , 1787)

Karl August supplied Goethe with a cottage just outside of the city gates, and not long thereafter made Goethe one of his three counselors, a position that kept Goethe busy. He applied himself with limitless energy and curiosity to court life, quickly rising the ranks. In 1776, he met Charlotte von Stein, an older woman already married; even still, they formed a deeply intimate bond, though never a physical one, that lasted for 10 years. During his time in the court of Weimar, Goethe put his political opinions to the test. He was responsible for the War Commission of Saxe-Weimar, the Mines and Highways commissions, dabbled in the local theatre, and, for a few years, became the chancellor of the duchy’s Exchequer, which made him briefly more or less prime minister of the duchy. Due to this amount of responsibility, it soon became necessary to ennoble Goethe, undertaken by Emperor Joseph II and indicated by the “von” added to his name. 

In 1786-1788, Goethe was given permission by Karl August to travel to Italy, a trip that would prove to have lasting influence on his aesthetic development. Goethe undertook the trip due to his renewed interest in classical Greek and Roman art prompted by the work of Johann Joachim Winckelmann. Despite his anticipation for the grandeur of Rome, Goethe was severely disappointed by the state of its relative dilapidation, and left not long thereafter. Instead, it was in Sicily that Goethe found the spirit he was searching for; his imagination was captured by the island’s Greek atmosphere and he even fancied that Homer could have come from there. During the trip he met artists Angelica Kauffman and Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein, as well as Christiane Vulpius, who would soon become his mistress. Although the journey was not extremely productive literarily for Goethe, the first year of this two-year journey he chronicled in his journal and later revised as an apology against Romanticism, published as the popular Italian Journey (1830) . The second year, spent mostly in Venice, remains a mystery to historians; what is clear, however, is how this trip inspired a deep love of Ancient Greece and Rome that was to have a lasting influence on Goethe, especially in his founding of the genre Weimar Classicism.

French Revolution (1788-94)

• Torquato Tasso (Torquato Tasso , 1790)
• Roman Elegies (Römischer Elegien , 1790)
• “Essay in Elucidation of the Metamorphosis of Plants” (“Versuch, die Metamorphose der Pflanzen zu erklären,” 1790)
• Faust: A Fragment (Faust: Ein Fragment , 1790)
• Venetian Epigrams (Venetianische Epigramme , 1790)
• The Grand Kofta (Der Gross-Cophta , 1792)
• The Citizen-General (Der Bürgergeneral , 1793)
• The Xenia (Die Xenien , 1795, with Schiller)
• Reineke Fuchs ( Reineke Fuchs , 1794)
• Optical Essays ( Beiträge zur Optik , 1791–92)

Upon Goethe’s return from Italy, Karl August allowed him to be relieved of all administrative duties and instead focus solely on his poetry. The first two years of this period saw Goethe close to finishing a complete collection of his works, including a revision of Werther , 16 plays (including a fragment of Faust), and a volume of poetry. He also produced a short collection of poetry called Venetian Epigrams , containing some poems about his lover, Christiane. The pair had a son and lived together as a family, but were unmarried, a move that was frowned upon by Weimar society at large. The couple was unable to have more than one child survive to adulthood.

The French Revolution was a divisive occasion within the German intellectual sphere. Goethe’s friend Herder, for example, was heartily in support, but Goethe himself was more ambivalent. He remained true to the interests of his noble patrons and friends while still believing in reform. Goethe accompanied Karl August multiple times on campaigns against France, and was shocked by the horrors of war. 

Despite his newfound freedom and time, Goethe found himself creatively frustrated and produced several plays that did not succeed on the stage. Instead he turned to science: he produced a theory about the structure of plants and of optics as an alternative to Newton’s, which he published as Optical Essays and “Essay in the Elucidation of the Metamorphosis of Plants.” However, neither of Goethe’s theories is upheld by modern-day science.

Weimar Classicism and Schiller (1794-1804)

• The Natural Daughter ( Die natürliche Tochter, 1803)
• Conversations of German Emigrés ( Unterhaltungen deutscher Ausgewanderten , 1795)
• The Fairytale , or The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily ( Das Märchen , 1795)
• Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre , 1796)
• Hermann and Dorothea ( Hermann und Dorothea , 1782-4)
• Agitation (Die Aufgeregten (1817)
• The Maid of Oberkirch (Das Mädchen von Oberkirch , 1805)

In 1794, Goethe became friends with Friedrich Schiller, one of the most productive literary partnerships in modern Western history. Though the two had met in 1779 when Schiller was a medical student in Karlsruhe, Goethe had remarked somewhat dismissively that he felt no kinship with the younger man, considering him talented but a bit of an upstart. Schiller reached out to Goethe suggesting that they start a journal together, which was to be called Die Horen (The Horae). The journal received mixed success and, three years in, ceased production.

The two, however, recognized the incredible harmony they found in each other and remained in creative partnership for ten years. With Schiller’s help, Goethe finished his very influential Bildungsroman (coming-of-age story), Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship (Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre, 1796), as well as Hermann and Dorothea (Hermann und Dorothea , 1782-4), one of his most lucrative works, among other shorter masterpieces in verse. This period also saw him taking up work again on perhaps his greatest masterpiece, Faust , though he was not to finish it for several decades. 

This period also saw the expression of Goethe’s love of classicism and his hope to bring the classical spirit to Weimar. In 1798, he started the journal Die Propyläen (“The Propylaea”), which was meant to give a place for the exploration of the ideals of the antique world. It lasted only two years; Goethe’s almost rigid interest in classicism at this time went against the Romantic revolutions being carried out across Europe, and Germany in particular, in art, literature, and philosophy. This also reflected Goethe’s belief that Romanticism was simply a beautiful distraction.

The next few years were difficult for Goethe. By 1803, Weimar’s flourishing period of high culture had passed. Herder died in 1803, and even worse, Schiller’s death in 1805 left Goethe deeply grieving, feeling he had lost half of himself. 

Napoleon (1805-1816)

• Faust I (Faust I, 1808)
• Elective Affinities (Die Wahlverwandtschaften , 1809)
• On the Theory of Colour ( Zur Farbenlehre , 1810)
• Epimenides’ Awakening ( Des Epimenides Erwachen , 1815)

In 1805, Goethe sent his manuscript of color theory to his publisher, and the next year he sent the completed Faust I . However, war with Napoleon delayed its publication for two more years: in 1806, Napoleon routed the Prussian army at the Battle of Jena and took over Weimar. Soldiers even invaded Goethe’s house, with Christiane displaying great bravery organizing the defense of the house and even tussling with the soldiers herself; luckily they spared the author of Werther . Days later, the two finally made official their 18-year relationship in a marriage ceremony, which Goethe had resisted due to his atheism but now chose perhaps to ensure Christiane’s safety. 

The period post-Schiller was distressing for Goethe, but also literarily productive. He started a sequel to Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship , called Wilhelm Meister’s Journeyman Years ( Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre , 1821), and finished the novel Elective Affinities ( Die Wahlverwandtschaften , 1809). In 1808, he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor by Napoleon, and began warming up to his regime. However, Christiane died in 1816, and only one son survived to adulthood of the many children she birthed.

Later Years and Death (1817-1832)

• The Parliament of East and West ( Westöstlicher Divan , 1819)
• Journals and Annals ( Tag- und Jahreshefte , 1830)
• Campaign in France, Siege of Mainz ( Campagne in Frankreich, Belagerung von Mainz , 1822)
• The Wanderings of Wilhelm Meister ( Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre , 1821, extended 1829)
• Ausgabe letzter Hand ( Edition of the Last Hand , 1827)
• Second Sojourn in Rome ( Zweiter Römischer Aufenthalt , 1829)
• Faust II ( Faust II, 1832)
• Italian Journey ( Italienische Reise , 1830)
• From My Life: Poetry and Truth ( Aus meinem Leben: Dichtung und Wahrheit , published in four volumes 1811-1830)
• Novella (Novella , 1828)

By this time Goethe was getting old, and turned to setting his affairs in order. Despite his age, he continued producing many works; if there is one thing to be said about this mysterious and inconsistent figure, it is that he was prolific. He finished his four-volume autobiography ( Dichtung und Wahrheit, 1811-1830), and finished another collected works edition. In 1818, just before he turned 74, he met and fell in love with the 19-year-old Ulrike Levetzow; she and her family declined his marriage proposal, but the event prompted Goethe to compose more poetry. In 1829, Germany celebrated the 80th birthday of its most renowned literary figure.

In 1830, despite withstanding the news of the deaths of Frau von Stein and Karl August a few years prior, Goethe fell seriously ill upon hearing that his son had died. He recovered long enough to finish Faust in August 1831, which he had worked on throughout his life. A few months later, he died of a heart attack in his armchair. Goethe was laid to rest next to Schiller in the “tomb of the princes” (“Fürstengruft”) in Weimar. 

Goethe achieved extraordinary celebrity in his own time and has maintained his status, in both Germany and abroad, as perhaps the most important figure of Germany’s literary heritage, equal perhaps only to the English-speaking world’s William Shakespeare. 

Nevertheless, some common misconceptions remain. It is common to believe that Goethe and Schiller are figureheads of the German Romantic Movement. This is not strictly true: as mentioned above, they had their quarrels, with Goethe (perhaps characteristically) writing off the younger generation’s innovations. The Romantics grappled especially with Goethe’s Bildungsroman (coming-of-age stories) Werther and Wilhelm Meister, at times attempting to reject the work of this giant, but never losing their respect for his genius. For his part, Goethe did promote the careers of many Romantic thinkers and other contemporaries, including Friedrich Schlegel and his brother August Wilhelm Schlegel, among others. 

Goethe lived during a time of intellectual revolution, in which the themes of subjectivity, individualism, and freedom were taking the places they have today in modern thought. His genius can be said, perhaps not to have single-handedly started such a revolution, but to have deeply influenced its course. 

• Boyle Nicholas. Goethe: The Poet and the Age: Volume One. Oxford Paperbacks, 1992.
• Boyle Nicholas. Goethe: The Poet and the Age: Volume Two. Clarendon Press, 2000. 
• Das Goethezeitportal: Biographie Goethes . http://www.goethezeitportal.de/wissen/enzyklopaedie/goethe/goethe-biographie.html.
• Forster, Michael. “Johann Gottfried von Herder.” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy , edited by Edward N. Zalta, Summer 2019, Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2019. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy , https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2019/entries/herder/.
• Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy . https://www.iep.utm.edu/goethe/.
• A Guide to Goethe's "The Sorrows of Young Werther"
• A Reading List of the Best 19th Century Novels
• Biography of Franz Kafka, Czech Novelist
• Biography of Saul Bellow, Canadian-American Author
• Biography of Hermann Hesse, German Poet and Novelist
• Biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Essayist
• Biography of Samuel Johnson, 18th Century Writer and Lexicographer
• Biography of Bram Stoker, Irish Author
• List of Works by James Fenimore Cooper
• Biography of George Eliot, English Novelist
• Biography of Washington Irving, Father of the American Short Story
• Hans Christian Andersen Biography
• Biography of Vladimir Nabokov, Russian-American Novelist
• Ralph Waldo Emerson: American Transcendentalist Writer and Speaker
• Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Writer of the Jazz Age
• Biography of Victor Hugo, French Writer

Biography Online

Albert Einstein Biography

Einstein is also well known as an original free-thinker, speaking on a range of humanitarian and global issues. After contributing to the theoretical development of nuclear physics and encouraging F.D. Roosevelt to start the Manhattan Project, he later spoke out against the use of nuclear weapons.

Born in Germany to Jewish parents, Einstein settled in Switzerland and then, after Hitler’s rise to power, the United States. Einstein was a truly global man and one of the undisputed genius’ of the Twentieth Century.

Early life Albert Einstein

Einstein was born 14 March 1879, in Ulm the German Empire. His parents were working-class (salesman/engineer) and non-observant Jews. Aged 15, the family moved to Milan, Italy, where his father hoped Albert would become a mechanical engineer. However, despite Einstein’s intellect and thirst for knowledge, his early academic reports suggested anything but a glittering career in academia. His teachers found him dim and slow to learn. Part of the problem was that Albert expressed no interest in learning languages and the learning by rote that was popular at the time.

“School failed me, and I failed the school. It bored me. The teachers behaved like Feldwebel (sergeants). I wanted to learn what I wanted to know, but they wanted me to learn for the exam.” Einstein and the Poet (1983)

At the age of 12, Einstein picked up a book on geometry and read it cover to cover. – He would later refer to it as his ‘holy booklet’. He became fascinated by maths and taught himself – becoming acquainted with the great scientific discoveries of the age.

Albert Einstein with wife Elsa

Despite Albert’s independent learning, he languished at school. Eventually, he was asked to leave by the authorities because his indifference was setting a bad example to other students.

He applied for admission to the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. His first attempt was a failure because he failed exams in botany, zoology and languages. However, he passed the next year and in 1900 became a Swiss citizen.

At college, he met a fellow student Mileva Maric, and after a long friendship, they married in 1903; they had two sons before divorcing several years later.

In 1896 Einstein renounced his German citizenship to avoid military conscription. For five years he was stateless, before successfully applying for Swiss citizenship in 1901. After graduating from Zurich college, he attempted to gain a teaching post but none was forthcoming; instead, he gained a job in the Swiss Patent Office.

While working at the Patent Office, Einstein continued his own scientific discoveries and began radical experiments to consider the nature of light and space.

Einstein in 1921

He published his first scientific paper in 1900, and by 1905 had completed his PhD entitled “ A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions . In addition to working on his PhD, Einstein also worked feverishly on other papers. In 1905, he published four pivotal scientific works, which would revolutionise modern physics. 1905 would later be referred to as his ‘ annus mirabilis .’

Einstein’s work started to gain recognition, and he was given a post at the University of Zurich (1909) and, in 1911, was offered the post of full-professor at the Charles-Ferdinand University in Prague (which was then part of Austria-Hungary Empire). He took Austrian-Hungary citizenship to accept the job. In 1914, he returned to Germany and was appointed a director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics. (1914–1932)

Albert Einstein’s Scientific Contributions

Quantum Theory

Einstein suggested that light doesn’t just travel as waves but as electric currents. This photoelectric effect could force metals to release a tiny stream of particles known as ‘quanta’. From this Quantum Theory, other inventors were able to develop devices such as television and movies. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.

Special Theory of Relativity

This theory was written in a simple style with no footnotes or academic references. The core of his theory of relativity is that:

“Movement can only be detected and measured as relative movement; the change of position of one body in respect to another.”

Thus there is no fixed absolute standard of comparison for judging the motion of the earth or plants. It was revolutionary because previously people had thought time and distance are absolutes. But, Einstein proved this not to be true.

He also said that if electrons travelled at close to the speed of light, their weight would increase.

This lead to Einstein’s famous equation:

Where E = energy m = mass and c = speed of light.

General Theory of Relativity 1916

Working from a basis of special relativity. Einstein sought to express all physical laws using equations based on mathematical equations.

He devoted the last period of his life trying to formulate a final unified field theory which included a rational explanation for electromagnetism. However, he was to be frustrated in searching for this final breakthrough theory.

Solar eclipse of 1919

In 1911, Einstein predicted the sun’s gravity would bend the light of another star. He based this on his new general theory of relativity. On 29 May 1919, during a solar eclipse, British astronomer and physicist Sir Arthur Eddington was able to confirm Einstein’s prediction. The news was published in newspapers around the world, and it made Einstein internationally known as a leading physicist. It was also symbolic of international co-operation between British and German scientists after the horrors of the First World War.

In the 1920s, Einstein travelled around the world – including the UK, US, Japan, Palestine and other countries. Einstein gave lectures to packed audiences and became an internationally recognised figure for his work on physics, but also his wider observations on world affairs.

Bohr-Einstein debates

During the 1920s, other scientists started developing the work of Einstein and coming to different conclusions on Quantum Physics. In 1925 and 1926, Einstein took part in debates with Max Born about the nature of relativity and quantum physics. Although the two disagreed on physics, they shared a mutual admiration.

As a German Jew, Einstein was threatened by the rise of the Nazi party. In 1933, when the Nazi’s seized power, they confiscated Einstein’s property, and later started burning his books. Einstein, then in England, took an offer to go to Princeton University in the US. He later wrote that he never had strong opinions about race and nationality but saw himself as a citizen of the world.

“I do not believe in race as such. Race is a fraud. All modern people are the conglomeration of so many ethnic mixtures that no pure race remains.”

Once in the US, Einstein dedicated himself to a strict discipline of academic study. He would spend no time on maintaining his dress and image. He considered these things ‘inessential’ and meant less time for his research. Einstein was notoriously absent-minded. In his youth, he once left his suitcase at a friends house. His friend’s parents told Einstein’s parents: “ That young man will never amount to anything, because he can’t remember anything.”

Although a bit of a loner, and happy in his own company, he had a good sense of humour. On January 3, 1943, Einstein received a letter from a girl who was having difficulties with mathematics in her studies. Einstein consoled her when he wrote in reply to her letter

“Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics. I can assure you that mine are still greater.”

Einstein professed belief in a God “Who reveals himself in the harmony of all being”. But, he followed no established religion. His view of God sought to establish a harmony between science and religion.

“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”

– Einstein, Science and Religion (1941)

Politics of Einstein

Einstein described himself as a Zionist Socialist. He did support the state of Israel but became concerned about the narrow nationalism of the new state. In 1952, he was offered the position as President of Israel, but he declined saying he had:

“neither the natural ability nor the experience to deal with human beings.” … “I am deeply moved by the offer from our State of Israel, and at once saddened and ashamed that I cannot accept it.”

Einstein receiving US citizenship.

Albert Einstein was involved in many civil rights movements such as the American campaign to end lynching. He joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and  considered racism, America’s worst disease. But he also spoke highly of the meritocracy in American society and the value of being able to speak freely.

On the outbreak of war in 1939, Einstein wrote to President Roosevelt about the prospect of Germany developing an atomic bomb. He warned Roosevelt that the Germans were working on a bomb with a devastating potential. Roosevelt headed his advice and started the Manhattan project to develop the US atom bomb. But, after the war ended, Einstein reverted to his pacifist views. Einstein said after the war.

“Had I known that the Germans would not succeed in producing an atomic bomb, I would not have lifted a finger.” (Newsweek, 10 March 1947)

In the post-war McCarthyite era, Einstein was scrutinised closely for potential Communist links. He wrote an article in favour of socialism, “Why Socialism” (1949) He criticised Capitalism and suggested a democratic socialist alternative. He was also a strong critic of the arms race. Einstein remarked:

“I do not know how the third World War will be fought, but I can tell you what they will use in the Fourth—rocks!”

Rabindranath Tagore and Einstein

Einstein was feted as a scientist, but he was a polymath with interests in many fields. In particular, he loved music. He wrote that if he had not been a scientist, he would have been a musician. Einstein played the violin to a high standard.

“I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music… I get most joy in life out of music.”

Einstein died in 1955, at his request his brain and vital organs were removed for scientific study.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “ Biography of Albert Einstein ”, Oxford, www.biographyonline.net 23 Feb. 2008. Updated 2nd March 2017.

Albert Einstein – His Life and Universe

Albert Einstein – His Life at Amazon

Related pages

53 Interesting and unusual facts about Albert Einstein.

19 Comments

Albert E is awesome! Thanks for this website!!

• January 11, 2019 3:00 PM

Albert Einstein is the best scientist ever! He shall live forever!

• January 10, 2019 4:11 PM

very inspiring

• December 23, 2018 8:06 PM

Wow it is good

• December 08, 2018 10:14 AM

Thank u Albert for discovering all this and all the wonderful things u did!!!!

• November 15, 2018 7:03 PM
• By Madalyn Silva

Thank you so much, This biography really motivates me a lot. and I Have started to copy of Sir Albert Einstein’s habit.

• November 02, 2018 3:37 PM
• By Ankit Gupta

Sooo inspiring thanks Albert E. You helped me in my report in school I love you Albert E. 🙂 <3

• October 17, 2018 4:39 PM
• By brooklynn

By this inspired has been I !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• October 12, 2018 4:25 PM
• By Richard Clarlk

• History & Society
• Science & Tech
• Biographies
• Animals & Nature
• Geography & Travel
• Arts & Culture
• Games & Quizzes
• On This Day
• One Good Fact
• New Articles
• Lifestyles & Social Issues
• Philosophy & Religion
• Politics, Law & Government
• World History
• Health & Medicine
• Browse Biographies
• Birds, Reptiles & Other Vertebrates
• Bugs, Mollusks & Other Invertebrates
• Environment
• Fossils & Geologic Time
• Entertainment & Pop Culture
• Sports & Recreation
• Visual Arts
• Demystified
• Image Galleries
• Infographics
• Top Questions
• Britannica Kids
• Saving Earth
• Space Next 50
• Student Center
• Introduction & Top Questions

The city site

• The city layout
• Industry and trade
• Transportation
• Education and science
• Cultural life
• The Hohenzollerns
• The republic and Hitler
• Berlin divided
• Berlin united

Where is Berlin located?

Berlin is famous for what cultural institutions, berlin is the capital of what country.

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

• Jewish Virtual Library - Berlin, Germany
• Official Site of Berlin, Germany
• CRW Flags - Flag of Berlin, Germany
• JewishEncyclopedia.com - Berlin, Germany
• Berlin - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
• Berlin - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
• Table Of Contents

Berlin is in Germany. It lies at the heart of the North German Plain in the wide glacial valley of the Spree River, which runs through the center of the city. It is situated about 112 miles (180 km) south of the Baltic Sea, 118 miles (190 km) north of the Czech-German border, 110 miles (177 km) east of the former inner-German border, and 55 miles (89 km) west of Poland.

Why was the Berlin Wall built around West Berlin?

East Germany built the Berlin Wall to close off East Germans’ access to West Berlin and hence West Germany. The wall surrounded West Berlin from 1961 to 1989.

What type of climate does Berlin have?

Berlin's mean annual temperature is about 48 °F (9 °C), and mean temperatures range from 30 °F (−1 °C) in winter to 65 °F (18 °C) in summer. The average precipitation is 22 inches (568 mm). About one-fifth to one-fourth of the total falls as snow.

Berlin is famous for its many museums such as the Dahlem Museums, the Egyptian Museum, the Berlin Cultural Forum with the New National Gallery, and the Museum of Arts and Crafts. Other postwar institutions are the Brücke-Museum, the Berlin Museum, the Museum of Transport and Technology, and the Jewish Museum Berlin.

Berlin is the capital and chief urban center of Germany. Berlin was the capital of Prussia and then, from 1871, of a unified Germany. Though partitioned into East and West Berlin after World War II, the reunification of East and West Germany led to Berlin’s reinstatement as the all-German capital in 1990.

Recent News

Berlin , capital and chief urban centre of Germany . The city lies at the heart of the North German Plain , athwart an east-west commercial and geographic axis that helped make it the capital of the kingdom of Prussia and then, from 1871, of a unified Germany. Berlin’s former glory ended in 1945, but the city survived the destruction of World War II . It was rebuilt and came to show amazing economic and cultural growth.

Germany’s division after the war put Berlin entirely within the territory of the German Democratic Republic (GDR, or East Germany). The city itself echoed the national partition— East Berlin being the capital of East Germany and West Berlin a Land (state) of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, or West Germany). West Berlin’s isolation was later reinforced by the concrete barrier erected in 1961 and known as the Berlin Wall . Its status as an enclave made Berlin a continuous focus of confrontation between the Eastern and Western powers as well as a symbol of Western lifestyle for 45 years. The fall of the East German communist regime—and the accompanying opening of the wall—in late 1989 unexpectedly raised the prospect for Berlin’s reinstatement as the all-German capital. That status was restored in 1990 under the terms of the unification treaty, and subsequently Berlin was designated a state, one of the 16 constituting Germany. These developments heralded the city’s return to its historic position of prominence in European culture and commerce. Area 344 square miles (891 square km). Pop. (2011) 3,292,365; (2021 est.) 3,677,472.

Physical and human geography

The landscape.

Berlin is situated about 112 miles (180 km) south of the Baltic Sea , 118 miles (190 km) north of the Czech-German border, 110 miles (177 km) east of the former inner-German border, and 55 miles (89 km) west of Poland . It lies in the wide glacial valley of the Spree River , which runs through the centre of the city. The mean elevation of Berlin is 115 feet (35 metres) above sea level . The highest point near the centre of Berlin is the peak of the Kreuzberg, a hill that rises 218 feet (66 metres) above sea level.

Measuring approximately 23 miles (37 km) from north to south and 28 miles (45 km) from east to west, Berlin is by far the largest city in Germany. It is built mainly on sandy glacial soil amid an extensive belt of forest-rimmed lakes, formed from the waters of the Dahme River to the southeast and the Havel to the west; indeed, about one-third of the Greater Berlin area is still covered by sandy pine and mixed birch woods, lakes, and beaches. “Devil’s Mountain” ( Teufelsberg), one of several hills constructed from the rubble left by World War II bombing, rises to 380 feet (116 metres) and has been turned into a winter sports area for skiing and sledding.

Berlin lies where the influence of the Atlantic Ocean fades and the climate of the continental plain begins. The city’s mean annual temperature is about 48 °F (9 °C), and mean temperatures range from 30 °F (−1 °C) in winter to 65 °F (18 °C) in summer. The average precipitation is 22 inches (568 mm). About one-fifth to one-fourth of the total falls as snow.

Craftsmanship in Every Detail: A. Lange & Söhne Unveils Datograph Handwerkskunst

2024 is a momentous year for A. Lange & Söhne , with many milestones to look back on. 30 years ago, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Germany’s most prestigious watch manufacture was revived by Walter Lange , the great-grandson of Ferdinand Adolph Lange , who had founded the company in 1845 and had laid the foundation for the industry in the impoverished town of Glashütte on the outskirts of Dresden. Since then, A. Lange & Söhne has established itself at the pinnacle of high horology, renowned for its precision watchmaking, commitment to innovation while respecting tradition, attention to detail, and meticulous craftsmanship.

Five years after presenting its first collection comprising of the Lange 1, the Arkade, the Saxonia and the Tourbillon Pour le Mérite in 1994, which was enthusiastically received, Lange surprised the watchmaking world with the Datograph , one of the first entirely in-house designed and manufactured chronograph calibers in decades. Combining innovative functions including a column-wheel chronograph with a flyback function, a precisely jumping minute counter and the typical Lange outsize date which is approximately three times larger than a common indication and was inspired by the famous 5-Minute Clock of Dresden’s Semperopera, with traditional watchmaking artistry and a very distinctive design, it has since then been a benchmark for the genre and a collectors’ as well as watchmakers’ favorite. These among them including the ingenious Philippe Dufour favorite.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of this chronograph icon, A. Lange & Söhne launched a new edition at this year’s Watches and Wonders : the Datograph Up/Down in white gold with a blue dial, limited to 125 pieces. One of the most talked-about pieces at the exhibition was also the Datograph Perpetual Tourbillon Honeygold “Lumen” , a high horological masterpiece with the three eponymous complications united in the brand’s genuine gold and a luminescent dial that puts its technical prowess in the spotlight even in the dark.

Datograph Handwerkskunst

These exceptional timepieces are now followed by the limited edition Datograph Handwerkskunst , which was presented at this year’s Watches and Wonders Shanghai . “Handwerkskunst” is the German expression for craftsmanship. While every Lange timepiece is characterized by meticulous handicraft and attention to detail, this exclusive series, first introduced in 2011, is literally the bees’ knees in terms of refinement, incorporating rare and challenging techniques such as tremblage, black polishing, and relief engraving. The endless hours that Lange’s master craftspeople invest in the decoration and finishing of each part result in an unparalleled level of dial design and a highly refined appearance.

The black rhodium-plated main dial and the rhodium-plated light gray totalizers feature an elaborate tremblage engraving that creates a three-dimensional texture with subtle reflections of light. In this technique, the engraver uses a specially designed lining burin to create a fine-grained surface. The challenge is not only to achieve a uniform texture on the smallest of surfaces, but also to preserve certain dial elements, such as the arched brand logo, the minute and second graduations, and the tachymeter scale. Together with the subsidiary dials, which are slightly offset downwards in the typical Datograph layout, and the aperture for the outsize date, they remain clearly visible with their sculpted contours of the relief engraving, contrasting sharply with the background. In a first step, the edges of the appliqués and Roman numerals are chamfered and the surfaces are decorated with a straight graining. In a second step, which requires great care, they are placed on the dial and stand out against the refined background. The hands are also meticulously chamfered.

Of course, the craftsmanship is also evident in every detail of the highly complex manufacture caliber L951.8, which can be seen through the exhibition case back. For example, the surfaces of the chronograph levers are black polished, a particularly time-consuming and rare technique that ensures that incident light is reflected in only one direction. From this perspective alone, the surface of the lever appears jet black, but from all other angles, it has a mirror-like shine. Inspired by historic pocket watches, the grained surface of the bridges on the German silver three-quarter plate is the design counterpart to the tremblage engraving on the dial.

The hand engraving on the balance cock, a signature of the manufacture, is the most distinctive design element. Here, we see a filigree vine pattern. Unlike a conventional Lange engraving, in which the pattern is cut into the material, this decoration is relief-engraved. Floral motifs have a long tradition at Lange, as they adorned the first precision pocket watches dating back to the company’s early years in the 19th century. This caliber is therefore a significant example of the manufacture’s technical expertise in chronograph construction as well as its artistic craftsmanship.

“With the Datrograph, our engineers created a manufacture chronograph as early as 25 years ago that unites highly sophisticated functions with a balanced dial design. In the Datograph Handwerkskunst, the artisanal perfection is raised to an even higher level. Be it at a glance at the dial or through the sapphire-crystal caseback – every perspective reveals fascinating details that are testament to the outstanding prowess of our engravers and finishers. Manually executed with the highest degree of precision, the decorations and finishing exhibit aesthetics that no machine in the whole world could possibly achieve.” Anthony de Haas , Director Product Development

The Datograph Handwerkskunst features a yellow-gold case with a diameter of 41mm and a height of 13.1mm. Given the extraordinary amount of artisanal work involved, this masterpiece is limited to only 25 watches worldwide and will be exclusively sold at Lange boutiques. Pricing is available by request.

Datograph Up/Down “Hampton Court Edition”

There is even more exciting news regarding the Datograph: In addition to the Handwerkskunst edition, Lange has created a unique piece that will be auctioned in November by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo in Geneva. The proceeds of the Datograph UP/Down “Hampton Court Edition” will go to the British charity The Prince’s Trust . Born from the partnership with the British Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court , it combines a white gold case, a gray dial with black subdials, and an engraved hinged case. The striking color combination emphasizes the harmonious dial configuration, while the luminescent gold hour and minute hands perfectly match the case material and contrast sharply with the gray background–as does the red chrono seconds hand in the center, which adds a distinctive color accent.

Beneath the engraved, hinged case back, one can admire the 451-part hand-wound L951.6 caliber, lavishly finished and twice assembled in typical Lange fashion. The exhibition case back provides a glimpse of the precisely orchestrated switching sequences, such as the minute-counter mechanism and the column wheel. It also reveals the beauty of the high level of finissage and the virtuoso composition of aesthetic details, combined with the technical complexity of the movement. Other elements include the bridges in untreated German silver, the hand-engraved balance cock with a whiplash precision index adjuster, and four screwed gold chatons.

A new edition of Walter Lange’s biography

In honor of Walter Lange (1924-2017) who would have turned 100 this year, the company also released an updated edition of his biography, “Als die Zeit nach Hause kam, “ first published in 2004. In “When Time Came Home”, Walter Lange, who has received many honors for his services for the watch industry in Saxony, including Honorary Citizenship of the Town of Glashütte in 1995, the Saxon Order of Merit in 1998, and finally the Federal Cross of Merit, 1st Class, in 2015, describes the most important stages of his eventful life: from his sheltered childhood in Glashütte and Dresden to his apprenticeship as a watchmaker in Austria, his traumatic experiences during the war, the expropriation of the family business in the socialist GDR, and his escape to West Germany. He also recalls the exciting new beginnings in Glashütte after 1990, which brought the historic brand back to the forefront of international precision watchmaking.

The new edition has been expanded to include a foreword by Lange CEO Wilhelm Schmid and an extensive fourth chapter in which author Gisbert L. Brunner shares his experiences and encounters with Walter Lange. Gisbert, a respected journalist, industry expert, and watch collector, had known Walter Lange since 1976 and met with him regularly, especially since 1990. The new edition of Walter Lange’s biography includes the memories of Lange’s CEO Wilhelm Schmid, who describes Walter Lange as the “beating heart of our manufacture”, where his spirit can still be felt today. Benjamin Lange , Walter Lange’s son, also speaks about his father. A new cover and an additional picture section illustrating the fourth chapter complete the new edition. The biography is being published by Econ-Verlag . Pricing is marked a €28 or approximately $31 when converted to USD.

To learn more, visit A. Lange & Söhne, here .

The Datograph Handwerkskunst is simply one of the most spectacular pieces to come out of the modern collections. The yellow gold case and the Rhodium plated dial are a forceful combination.

Click here to cancel reply.

Name (required)

Email (will not be published) (required)

You might also be interested in:

Left-Handed: Doxa Unveils SUB 300T Aristera ...

Read the article

Sponsored: Gerald Charles and Ducati Unveil ...

Celebrating Milestone Anniversary, Breitling ...

Testing Speed with the Zenith Defy Extre ...

Laurent Ferrier Unveils Sixth Edition of ...

IWC Honors Patrouille Suisse with Limited ...

Levi Strauss

(1829-1902)

Who Was Levi Strauss?

An early American clothing success story, Levi Strauss was born in Germany in 1829, and came to America in 1847 to work for his brothers' dry goods business. In 1853, Strauss went out West where he soon started his own dry goods and clothing company. His company began making heavy-duty work pants, now known as jeans, in 1870s, and it continues to operate to this day.

Early Years

Originally named Loeb, Levi Strauss was born into a large family on February 26, 1829, in Buttenheim, Bavaria, Germany. His father Hirsh and his mother Rebecca Haas Strauss had two children together, and Hirsh had five children from his first marriage to Mathilde Baumann Strauss who had died in 1822. Living in Bavaria, the Strausses experienced religious discrimination because they were Jewish. There were restrictions on where they could live and special taxes placed on them because of their faith.

When he was around the age of sixteen, Strauss lost his father to tuberculosis. He, his mother, and two sisters made their way to the United States two years later. Upon their arrival, the family reunited Jonas and Louis, Strauss's two older brothers, in New York City. Jonas and Louis had established a dry goods business there and Levi went to work for them.

Success in the West

The California Gold Rush of 1849 led many to travel out west to seek their fortune. Strauss was no exception. In early 1853, he headed out to San Francisco to sell goods to the thriving mining trade. Strauss ran his own wholesale dry goods company as well as acted as his brothers' West Coast agent. Using a series of different locations in the city over the years, he sold clothing, fabric, and other items to small shops in the region.

As his business thrived, Strauss supported numerous religious and social causes. He helped establish the first synagogue, Temple Emanu-El, in the city. Strauss also gave money to several charities, including special funds for orphans.

Birth of Blue Jeans

A customer, Jacob Davis, wrote to Strauss in 1872, asking for his help. Davis, a tailor in Nevada, had bought cloth from Strauss for his own business and developed a special way to make more durable pants. Davis used metal rivets on the pockets and on the front fly seam to help the pants resist wear and tear. Unable to cover the cost himself, Davis asked Strauss to pay the fee so that he could secure a patent for his unique design.

The following year, the patent was granted to Strauss and Davis. Strauss believed that there would be a great demand for these "waist overalls" as he called them, but they are best known today as blue jeans. At first they were made with a heavy canvas and then the company switched to a denim fabric, which was dyed to blue to reportedly hide stains.

According to some reports, Strauss first had the pants made by seamstresses in their homes. He later started his own factory to make the pants in the city. In any case, his tough-and-rugged jeans helped make Strauss a millionaire. He expanded his business interests over the years, buying the Mission and Pacific Woolen Mills in 1875.

Later Years

While he remained active in the company, Strauss began to give more responsibilities to his nephews who worked for him. He continued to be generous to those in need, providing the funds for 28 scholarships at the University of California in 1897.

Strauss died at the age of 73 on September 26, 1902, at his home in San Francisco. After his death, his nephew Jacob Stern took over as company president. The legendary jeans he helped create, known as Levi's or Levis, continued to grow in popularity and have remained a fashion staple over the decades.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Levi Strauss
• Birth Year: 1829
• Birth date: February 26, 1829
• Birth City: Buttenheim, Bavaria
• Birth Country: Germany
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Levi Strauss started an enduring fashion empire, which he launched by making one of the world's most durable and popular clothing items — the blue jeans.
• Business and Industry
• Astrological Sign: Pisces
• Nacionalities
• Death Year: 1902
• Death date: September 26, 1902
• Death State: California
• Death City: San Francisco
• Death Country: United States

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Levi Strauss Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/history-culture/levi-strauss
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: October 27, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

Fashion Designers and Models

Karl Lagerfeld

Alexander McQueen

Brooke Shields

Cindy Crawford Has Loved This Body Oil for Decades

Met Gala Newsmakers: Anna Wintour, Serena Williams

Gloria Vanderbilt

Leigh Bowery