Germany or the Federal Republic of Germany is a fascinating country with breath-taking natural landscapes, a vast amount of greenery, elegant quaint architecture, delicious cuisines, and desserts, for instance, the Black Forest cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) that will make tourists in Germany remember this great taste of local dessert and wish to come again to this country. Germany has its own attractions that we could not skip and could not compare to other European countries. Besides that, Germany has always been recognized as one of the most innovative countries in the world. This European Union (EU) member country is also famously known as a land of inventors where many talented technologists, engineers, scientists, and even pedagogues were born to bring impactful ideas and give contributions to the German nation and to the different communities around the world through their smartness in a certain area of expertise. On a side note, it is also fun to know about the NFT mints calendar. In this article, we are going to list four (4) German inventions that changed the world and have been used until this day among modern generations.
Book Printing Press
The printing press is a tool for printing the reading materials such as religious books, pamphlets, and newspapers for mass production. The origin country that invented the printing press has been proved to be China and in the 15th century later, the printing press had been revolutionized by the German goldsmith named Johannes Gutenberg. Johannes Gutenberg, who had been politically exiled from Mainz, Germany, began to experiment with printing around 1440 in Strasbourg, located in France. He came back to Mainz several years later and developed a printing machine or a printing press that was ready to use and sell.
Gutenberg’s invention led to the mass production of books, magazines, newspapers, and pamphlets, thus making reading an inexpensive hobby and reading materials more affordable so that many commoners and people from the lower class could enjoy reading and had the access to a good source of knowledge. Due to the perfected printing press that had been done by Johannes Gutenberg, the world witnessed a significant increase in the literacy rate in Europe. Plus, up until now, we can read many printed books and purchase them at an affordable price thanks to Gutenberg’s invention in the previous century!
Contact Lenses
Contact lenses are a convenient option that is often chosen by many people who would like to correct the bad vision in their eyes instead of relying too much on a pair of glasses. The history of scientific investigations about the nature of light and lenses had begun with Leonardo Da Vinci. He found the concept of contact lenses in his 1508 book ‘’Codex of The Eye, Manual D’’ in which he explained the method of manipulating corneal power by submerging the eye in a bowl of water. However, he did not mention any scientific finding or plan that could better the blurry or problematic eye vision which had been experienced by others. To cut a long story short, the wearable contact lenses that modern people use right now are the brainchild of a German ophthalmologist, Adolf Eugen Fick. He started to experiment and invent the first contact lenses in 1887 while he was working in Zurich. He first tested his first contact lenses on rabbits and later on a group of voluntary participants. Lenses that were created by Adolf Eugen Fick were big, heavy, made of heavy brown glass, and 18-21 mm in diameter. Since his invention, contact lenses have been going through numerous processes of improvement and innovation to make contact lenses more light, comfortable for eyes, and sustainable for a few months.
Kindergarten
Friedrich Froebel was a German pedagogue that opened the first kindergarten in 1837 in Blankenburg, Germany. He developed his vision for kindergarten based on the ideas of French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the next Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi. These education reformers introduced the concept of early childhood education which was a bit radical and controversial for members of society. They received more disagreements than acceptance from society as society perceived that play was seen as a waste of time and children should be educated and guided with a strict conservative education rather than enjoying learning sessions through playing. Friedrich Froebel remained undaunted with his ideas and continued to express his ideas that teachers should implement music, and use nature study, stories, and dramatic play to teach children. He also encouraged strategic educational activities in the classrooms such as the use of crafts and manipulative games like small building blocks or puzzles. Besides that, he was also the educator who suggested learning in a group was effective and funny for the children. Besides that, he also proposed that the acquisition of cognitive and social skills among children was possible to be achieved by using their natural curiosity and desire to learn. He also believed that women possessed the best sensitivity and emotional intelligence to work with young children in developing the children’s emotional skills. His ideas had influenced and shaped the early childhood education that the children are experiencing right now.
Toothpaste
In 1907, a pharmacist and a chemist named Dr Ottomar von Mayenburg developed a significant invention that has been used by many generations to ensure teeth and mouth cleanliness – toothpaste. This historic development took place in the Laboratorium Leo, in the attic of the Löwen – Apotheke chemist on Dresden’s Altmarkt where the development of chlorodont toothpaste was filled in a flexible metal tube.
It is a surprise to know that the earliest German’s excellent ideas could turn into one of the greatest inventions that make life easier! We hope that this article is beneficial for you too!
