Made in Germany

What do the jet engine, the beer and the nylon plug have in common?
All of them were invented in Germany and have formed life on earth as we know it significantly.

Also, did you know that the x-ray technology was invented in Germany by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1895? Or that the airbag is a German invention, which has saved countless lives since and is standard in most new production-cars all around the world.

There are numerous examples for German inventions and discoveries that are changing the world today, just as they did 500 years ago. Germany's unique collaboration of science and business has made it possible that ideas were able to turn into internationally successful products.

Below you will find a selection of 10 German innovations as examples for products that have their origin in Germany.

Aspirin Enlarge image Aspirin (© picture-alliance/dpa)
ASPIRIN
In 1897 Felix Hoffman had synthesised acetylsalicylic acid and discovered that it offered quick pain relief with minimal side effects. ASPIRIN, the abbreviation of his invention, became the best-selling medication on the market.
DYNAMO
By discovering the dynamo-electric principle in 1866, Werner von Siemens created the best prerequisite for making electricity available to everyone. Today electromagnetically driven generators provide a large portion of the world's electricity – in fossil fuel, nuclear, water and wind-driven power plants.
 Dynamo on a bicycle tire Enlarge image Dynamo on a bicycle tire (© picture-alliance / dpa)
Compostable plastic tableware Enlarge image (© picture-alliance / dpa)
ECOFLEX PLASTICS
Many products in today's world come packaged in some sort of plastic and while this is very convenient it poses a potential for harm to the environment. To tackle this issue the BASF Research Team invented Ecoflex plastic, which is an environmentally-friendly plastic that is broken down by bacteria or fungi into water, carbon dioxide and biomass almost as fast as a banana peel.
LIQUID CRYSTALS
In 1888, the botanist Friedrich Reinitzer discovered a liquid crystal by heating cholesterol benzoate. Shortly after, the chemicals company Merck KgaA started producing liquid crystals for research purposes. Today we find liquid crystals as a key component in notebooks, mobile phones or ultraflat TV-screens in our everyday life.		 LCD-televisions at the CeBIT Enlarge image (© picture-alliance/ dpa)
Lotus effect Enlarge image (© picture-alliance / dpa)
LOTUS EFFECT
Aside from its beauty, the sacred lotus has another unique feature: its leaves open up spotlessly clean from muddy lakes and streams. Though Barthlott had discovered the effect in nature in 1975, it wasn't until 1997 that this stunning surface structure was successfully replicated technologically.
PERIODIC SYSTEM
Fire, water, earth and air were the four elements known to humanity 400 years before Christ. By 1864, we knew quite a few more: 63 elements to be exact, for which Julius Lothar Meyer created a system. Today we know 118 elements and the periodic system has contributed a great deal to predicting their atomic mass and chemical behaviour.
 Chemistry Enlarge image Chemistry (© picture-alliance/dpa)
Woman using a copier Enlarge image Woman using a copier (© picture-alliance/ dpa)
SCANNER
In 1951, Rudolf Hell invented the Klischograph, a device to scan images electronically and engrave them on a metal plate, which cut the production time of newspapers substantially. A mere 12 years later, Rudolf Hell invented the Chromograph, the first scanner for colour images.
TELEVISION
Whether it is a game of football or a royal wedding, people around the world are able to participate in it from their homes, live. This  it thanks to the television technology that was invented by Manfred von Ardenne, who made the first successful electronic television transmission on Christmas Eve in 1930.
 Football on TV Enlarge image Friends are watching a game of football (© picture-alliance/dpa)
Albert Einstein Enlarge image Albert Einstein on a stamp (© picture-alliance/ dpa)
THEORY OF RELATIVITY
Albert Einstein questioned the absoluteness of time and space in 1905. Time, he claimed, always depends on the speed of the moving body. Consequently, time measurements are always relative to their system of reference. Humanity's research into the tiniest of things, elementary particles and the largest of things, the universe, would be inconceivable without Einstein's theories.
TOOTHPASTE
The pharmacist Ottomar von Mayenburg invented the first toothpaste in 1907 in his small attic laboratory above the “Löwen-Apoptheke” in Dresden. It consisted of tooth powder, mouthwash, ethereal oils and a little peppermint for good taste. From thereon, his invention enabled people to clean their teeth quick and efficiently.
 Toothpaste on toothbrush Enlarge image Toothpaste on toothbrush (© picture-alliance / dpa)

© Facts about Germany

Made in Germany