Why a book about German-Americans, you may wonder? German-Americans are still the largest ethnic group in the United States, yet they are often almost invisible. So invisible and assimilated in fact, that many people are entirely unaware of the extent of their contributions and influence. When we step on a plane for business or pleasure, few of us will think of Germany’s “Flying Man” Otto Lilienthal whose glider experiments paved the way for other pioneers like the famous Wright Brothers – whose maternal grandfather was a German immigrant – and first-generation American Wilhelm Eduard B ..read more

The Gilded Age was a time of opulence in America. While the middle class was slowly but surely growing, huge money tycoons such as the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and Morgans were expanding their fortune at a rate never seen before. The “new money” families were here to stay and weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. In a relatively short time, these families would become some of the wealthiest families in America and the world. Many German-Americans were key figures during this age of opulence and pomp. Hermann Oelrichs, a Baltimore native and U.S. agent of the Norddeutscher Lloyd shipping compa ..read more

When discussing the time period of The Gilded Age, it is almost impossible not to bring up the Astor Family. A prime example of old money, the Astors descended from a German immigrant by the name of John Jacob Astor I, who made his fortune during the late 18th century through trading. He was born in Waldorf, Germany on July 17, 1763, and first left Germany in his late teens for London, working with his older brother George in the business of making instruments. He arrived in the United States several years later, where he gained his fortune through fur trading. While the Embargo Act and the Wa ..read more

Fans of HBO’s newest and much anticipated series “The Gilded Age” directed by “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes will know this time period of approximately 40 years in American history, from 1870 to about 1910, for its lavish clothing, displays of opulence, and the many newly wealthy families who ruthlessly strove for their place in society. It was the time of the Astors and the Vanderbilts whose wealth and influence set the tone for high society. It was also an era of rapid economic growth with a seemingly insatiable demand for labor, the expansion of industrialization and mass product ..read more

The smell of pine or fir trees is a quintessential part of the American Christmas experience, but that wasn’t always the case. The modern Christmas tree as we know it has its roots in 16th century Germany. Initially, evergreen trees decorated with edible treats such as gingerbread, apples, dried fruits and nuts were put up in town and village squares, but it only took a few decades for people to bring them into their houses. It’s not known who added candles, but the idea of lights seems a natural progression. In the 1740s, German settlers brought community trees to the new world, and Pennsylva ..read more

Every March, we shine the spotlight on significant German-American women, whose names and accomplishments are not as well-known as they should be, but there is no need to limit ourselves to just one month. Today, we feature Amalie Emmy Noether (1882 – 1935), who discovered Noether’s Theorem in 1915. Used in theoretical physics and the calculus of variations, the theorem states that each differentiable symmetry of a physical system’s action has a corresponding conservation law.  Noether’s Theorem Noether was born in Erlangen, which was part of the Kingdom ..read more

Since the official launch of our new national online directory for all things German-American, we have been asked more than once why we feature a photo of a bridge. The bridge in question is the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, which spans the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. It first opened on May 24, 1883, and was once the longest suspension bridge in the world. John A. Roebling This technical masterpiece was designed by German-born civil engineer Johann August Röbling, who later changed his name to John A. Roebling. Born in 1806 in Mühlhausen, he studied architect ..read more