Modern mirrors, electric elevators and Kindergarten are among the 19th century German inventions popular today. During and after the industrial revolutions, science, engineering and education made amazing progress. Here are three fabulous inventions and discoveries by German engineers, scientists, scholars and entrepreneurs.
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1. Modern Mirrors - Justus von Liebig, 1835
Early people used natural still water as a reflective surface. First manufactured mirrors were created from obsidian, or volcanic glass; copper, and polished stone. Copper is sacred to the goddess Venus. This metal also composed the mirror of the original Heidelberg Bridge Monkey. Earliest known mirrors are obsidian, dating to 6000 BC in Turkey.
At first glass mirrors were hand-blown and rolled into flat sheets or discs. The first use of glass for mirrors appears 1 BC. Artisans used lead or gold leaf as backing.
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The Saint-Gobain factory, founded by royal initiative in France, was an important manufacturer. Bohemian and German glass were cheaper and also popular. A reflective surface behind the glass created the mirror.
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Mirror making reached new heights in Italy, where craftsmen explored various techniques to create a reflective surface behind the glass. Elements such as silver, mercury or tin were common. Mercury toxins were burned off using a fire-gilding technique. Venetian glassmakers also popularized the use of leaded glass, or crystal, due to better transparency.
German scientist Justus von Liebig created a wet deposition process in 1835, in which a thin layer of metallic silver is left on glass through chemical reduction of silver nitrate. The process, known as silvering, was easily adapted for mass manufacturing, leading to lower prices and widespread household use.
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Von Liebig is responsible for countless discoveries and inventions. Another of his famous inventions is breast milk substitute for babies who could not suckle, and the basis for the famous Oxo brand, which was established after his death. He's also credited as the inventor of Marmite due to his work with yeasts.
2. Electric Elevator - Werner von Siemens, 1880
Electric engineer Werner von Siemens has a vast number of credits for his inventions. He's aka the founding father of electrical engineering in Germany.
His name is used as the SI unit of electrical conductance, the siemens. In May 1881, his company introduced the world's first electric tram service in Berlin. Siemens is also known as father of the trolleybus, which rolled out in April 1882.
Before electricity, elevators operated by manpower or steam. In 80 AD the Roman Colosseum had about twenty-five elevators for lifting animals, each able to carry 600 lb or 2 lions. It took eight men to power the lifts.
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Modern elevators began in the same place steam trains did - in the coal mines. The elevators were run by steam power and used to move goods in bulk as the industrial revolution called for more wood, more coal, more supplies and more power. Installed in factories, they could move products like never before.
The first electric elevator was built by Werner von Siemens in 1880 in Germany. Another inventor, Austrian Anton Freissler, moved on to develop von Siemens' ideas and established a successful elevator company. Others jumped on the moving platform, and the elevator as we know it today was born.
3. Kindergarten - Friedrich Wilhelm August Fröbel, 1840
The Kindergarten, or Children's Garden, came into being in the late 18th century and developed world-wide in the 19th century. In 1779 in Strasbourg, Johann Oberlin opened a center for the care and education of pre-school children whose parents were working.
In 1780 the idea was catching on in Bavaria. At the turn of the century royalty entered the picture, as Princess Pauline zur Lippe created a preschool in Detmold.
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In 1837 Friedrich Fröbel, the son of a pastor, founded a Play and Activity institute at Bad Blankenurg and coined the word Kindergarten in 1840. Activities included singing, dancing gardening and self-directed play.
Fröbel studied early childhood education and created a line of educational toys for young children, as well as a songbook for children growing up. He was among the first to recognize the importance of activity in childhood learning.
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Due alleged association with radical feminist movements, Kindergarten was banned by conservatives in Germany between 1851 and 1914. By then the concept had surpassed national borders and was established world-wide. Kindergarten enjoyed more success in America than Germany at the time.