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Facts About Germany German History German Recipes |
February
2 in German History February 2, 962 Otto I is crowned as Augustus (Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire) in Rome by Pope John XII. The empire as founded by Karl der Große (Charlemagne) had been divided after his death. Otto now refounded the empire which would remain intact until 1806. February 2, 1700 Birth of Johann Christoph Gottsched in
Judithenkirch, Germany (now in Russia). Gottsched was a
writer and literary critic. He was a professor of poetry at
the University of Leipzig from 1730 and a professor of logic
and metaphysics from 1734. Among his theoretical works on
literature, his Versuch einer kritischen Dichtkunst vor
die Deutschen (1730) was the most influential. Gottsched
worked closely with Caroline Neuber and her theater in
establishing the Leipzig school of acting. February 2, 1711 Birth of Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz in Vienna, Austria. Kaunitz was a minister of Austria and a powerful influence on the Empress, Maria Theresa. A long time foe of Prussia, he was able to shift European alliances and, for a time, virtually isolate Prussia. February 2, 1809 Birth of George Engelmann in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Engelmann earned his MD at the University of Würzburg. In 1833 he immigrated to the United States where he became a physician in St. Louis, Missouri. In his botanical researches he discovered that the North American grape was immune to the plant lice, phylloxera. Subsequently grafts from American grapes were used in Germany to ward off the "Reblaus" which was having devastating effects on German grapes (and thus wine production). Engelmann died in St. Louis on February 4, 1884. February 2, 1827 Birth of Oswald Achenbach in Düsseldorf, Germany. Achenbach was a landscape painter of the Düsseldorf School. February 2, 1841 Birth of Francois-Alphonse Forel in Morges, Switzerland. Forel was a professor of physiology and anatomy at the University of Lausanne. He grew interested in and began to study lakes, eventually founding the science of limnology (lake study). His two books on the topic became standards, Le Leman and Handbuch der Seenkunde. February 2, 1855 Birth of Friedrich Bechtel in Durlach, Germany. Bechtel was a professor of classics at the University of Halle. He was a leading scholar in the areas of Greek dialectology and Homeric criticism. February 2, 1866 Birth of Helmut von Gerlach in Mönchmotschelnitz, Germany (now in Poland). Gerlach founded the Nationalsozialer Verein in 1896 and wrote for the organization's paper, Die Zeit. In 1901 he became the editor of the Berlin weekly Die Welt am Montag. During World War I he was a leading pacifist. During the period of the Weimar Republic he remained active as a pacifist and was a leader in the Neues Vaterland organization and the Deutsche Liga für Menschenrechte. When Hitler came to power he fled to Austria and then to France. In France he was active as an anti-Nazi until his death in 1935. February 2, 1873 Birth of Konstantin Neurath in Klein-Glattbach, Germany. Neurath had been German foreign minister during the presidencies of Papen and Schleicher. He continued as foreign minister under Hitler until 1938 when he was replaced by von Ribbentrop. In 1939 he was placed in charge of Bohemia and Moravia. He was tried for war crimes at Nürnberg after the war and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was released from Spandau prison in 1954 after eight years of his term. February 2, 1875 Birth of Annette Kolb in Munich, Germany. The writer, Annette Kolb (pseudonym of Anne Mathilde Kolb), emigrated to France in 1933 and later to the United States. Among her works are Die Schaukel, Das Exemplar, and Briefe einer Deutsch-Französin. She was awarded the Literature Prize of the City of Munich on her 75th birthday. February 2, 1875 Birth of Fritz Kreisler in Vienna, Austria. He developed as one of the world's greatest violinists. He chose the United states as his primary residence beginning in 1915. In addition to performance he also composed for the violin. February 2, 1926 The President of France from 1974-1981, Valery Giscard d'Estaing was born in Koblenz, Germany. February 2, 1943 General Paulus and 300,000 German soldiers surrender at Stalingrad and are taken prisoner. February 2, 1945 Hanging of Karl Friedrich Goerdeler in Berlin, Germany. Goerdeler was a leader in the German resistance during WWII. He was deeply involved in the assassination attempt on Hitler. He would likely have taken control of the government had the attempt succeeded. Back to Today in German History Calendar |
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