Japan gained a large sphere of interest in northern China through its victories in the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War, thus joining the ranks of the European imperialist powers scrambling to establish control over China. Japan used its 1914 declaration of war against Germany as grounds for invading German holdings in China. Then, ignoring the Chinese request to withdraw, Japan secretly presented the Chinese president with an ultimatum. What were some of the demands? More…Discuss
Drug traffickers in Germany are having a very, very bad week. They managed to lose about 8.2 million dollars (6 million euros) worth of cocaine as a result of what appears to have been a “logistical error.” The drugs were smuggled into the country from Colombia in a shipment of bananas, but somehow the smugglers failed to retrieve their stash before the fruit was delivered to supermarkets. When employees at five Berlin shops went to unpack the banana cartons, they got an unexpected surprise in the form of 309 lb (140 kg) of cocaine. The drugs are now in the hands of the authorities.More…Discuss
The presence of ancient ruins on the Glauberg plateau in Hesse, Germany, had long been attributed to the Romans, until the 1906 discovery of a torc—a metal necklace—which pointed to a Celtic influence. The Glauberg is one of a network of fortified sites found in parts of Germany. In 1988, a historian flying overhead discovered tumuli—mounds of earth protecting tombs—that were revealed to contain warriors’ remains and weapons. Perhaps the most significant discovery, though, was a statue of whom? More…Discuss
Eck, a German Catholic theologian, was initially friendly with Martin Luther but did not hesitate to condemn Luther’s 95 Theses—which criticized papal policy—as heretical. Known for his dialectic skill, he publicly confronted Luther in 1519, and then went to Rome and returned with a papal bull condemning Luther. From then on, he was a leader in the struggle against the reforming party in Germany. How did the students of Leipzig, the site of Eck’s confrontation with Luther, react to the bull? More…Discuss
A cache of 1,500 works of art looted by the Nazis has been found in the apartment of a Munich, Germany, recluse being investigated for tax evasion. The man in question is the son of an art dealer who worked hand in hand with the Nazis during World War II. Valued at about one billion euros ($1.35 billion), this may well be one of the largest recoveries of Nazi-looted art, yet it represents only a small fraction of what was taken. Authorities discovered the trove in 2011, but news of the find is only emerging now. More…Discuss
Germany has become the first European country to legally recognize a third sex—indeterminate. Parents there may now leave the gender box blank on their children’s birth certificates, a move aimed to meet the needs of those babies born with both male and female or ambiguous sex characteristics or genetics. Until now, parents of intersexchildren had to make rapid decisions not just about which gender to put down on the birth certificates but also whether to take surgical steps to match the infants‘ physical appearances to the selected gender. Experts now believe that this sort of sex assignment early in life can have negative psychological consequences down the line. More…
The World War II alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan was fully realized in September 1940, with the signing of the Tripartite Pact. The agreement called for the Axis Powers to come to each other’s aid if attacked by a nation not already involved in the European War or the Sino-Japanese Conflict and to assist one another in their efforts to “establish and maintain a new order of things”—Germany and Italy in Europe and Japan in Greater East Asia. How did the treaty get the nickname “Roberto”? More…Discuss
A German artillery officer during World War I, Dornberger was captured and spent two years in a French prisoner-of-war camp. After his release, he studied engineering, and, beginning in 1932, directed construction of the V-2 rocket, the forerunner of all post-war spacecraft. Along with other German scientists, Dornberger was brought to the US as part of Operation Paperclip and worked as an advisor on guided missiles for the US Air Force. He became a key consultant on what major American venture? More…Discuss
In 1939, Nazi forces staged an attack on a Germanradio station. They shot a well-known Polish sympathizer and planted his body at the scene, reporting the attack as the work of Polish saboteurs. The attack was part of a Nazi propaganda campaign called Operation Himmler, which involved a series of staged incidents intended to create the appearance of Polish aggression against Germany and provide a basis for the invasion of Poland. What did the Nazis broadcast from the radio station? More…Discuss
From ProPublica-_-Why NSA Snooping Is Bigger Deal in Germany (click to access the website)
EXCERPTS FROM THE REPORT:
Now there is a James-Bond vibe to pre-election season: Newspapers publishextensive guides on how to encrypt emails. People question whether they should still use U.S.-based social networks. The German government seems to be under more pressure over the revelations than the American one.
“What makes Germans so sensitive about their data? Many have pointed to Germany’s history: Both the Nazi secret police Gestapo and the East GermanStasi spied extensively on citizens, encouraging snitching among neighbors and acquiring private communication.
But that’s not the whole story. Politics and the media in Germany today are dominated by (male) citizens raised in the democratic West who have no personal recollection of either of the Stasi or Gestapo.
Germany lacks the long tradition of strong individual freedoms the state has guaranteed in the U.S. for more than 200 years. Precisely because of that, these values, imported from the Western allies after 1945, are not taken for granted.”
The first Oktoberfest was held as a horse race celebrating the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Saxony-Hildburghausen. In the years that followed, the race was combined with the state agricultural fair, and food and drink were offered. Since that time the 16-day festival has become, above all else, a celebration of German beer, drawing more than five million attendees annually. How many millions of liters of beer did Oktoberfest attendees consume in 2007? More…Discuss
Wenceslaus III was king of Bohemia and of Hungary. Unable to assert his authority in Hungary, even with the help of his father, Wenceslaus II, he relinquished his claim to Duke Otto of Bavaria in 1305. He attempted to assert his hereditary claim to the Polish crown but was assassinated while marching to Poland. After an interregnum, John of Luxemburg, who married Wenceslaus’s sister, was elected king of Bohemia. Wenceslaus III was the last member of what dynasty? More…Discuss
Ottobeuren Abbey has one of the richest music programs in Bavaria, with concerts every Saturday. Most concerts feature one or more of the Abbey’s famous organs. The old organ, the masterpiece of French organbuilder Karl Joseph Riepp (1710–75), is actually a double organ; it is one of the most treasured historic organs in Europe. It was the main instrument for 200 years, until 1957 when a third organ was added by G. F. Steinmeyer & Co, renovated and augmented in 2002 by Johannes Klais, making 100 stops available on five manuals (or keyboards). (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottobeuren_Abbey)
He conducted a wide range of music (sacred music from Heinrich Schütz to Max Reger, as well as the symphonic and concerto repertoire of the Classical and Romantic period, including Bruckner symphonies) but is best remembered today for his interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach‘s and Händel‘s music. Karl Richter avoided the fluctuations in tempo that were then characteristic of the prevailing Romantic manner of conducting Bach, but did not incorporate period instruments and performing techniques into his performances, innovations in Baroque performance practice which had not yet fully blossomed during Richter’s career.
As well as a conductor, Karl Richter is also remembered as an excellent organist. His performances of Bach’s organ pieces are known for their imposing registrations and favorable pace.
While staying in a hotel in Munich in 1981, Karl Richter died from a heart attack. He was buried in the Enzenbühl cemetery in Zurich 8 days later.
Adolph was an accomplished pianist who taught piano and practiced many hours during the day, much to the neglect of his wife, Clara, and their two children. Adolph’s family was of Swedish origin. One of his ancestors served as a court composer in Russia until he fell out of favor and exiled to Germany. Soon afterwards, the family emigrated to England. Holst’s mother, Clara, was a piano student of Adolph when first they met. Clara’s great – great grandmother was from Spain, where she had been an actress. She was soon married to an Irishman and moved to Ireland. Clara was sweet, gentle and unassuming but she was not very strong. She died soon after the birth of her second child, when Gustav was only eight. (Continue reading at: http://www.gustavholst.info/biography/index.php?chapter=1)
After staging Polish attacks on German forces to create the appearance of Polish aggression, Germany invaded Poland, beginning WWII. Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later, and all the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, with the exception of Ireland, rapidly followed suit. The German blitzkrieg crushed the Polish defenses. Within a month all of Poland was occupied by German forces as well as the forces of what state with whom Germany had just signed a non-aggression pact? More…Discuss
Written immediately after World War I, the Weimar Constitution was the document that governed the short-lived Weimar Republic of Germany. It declared the nation a federal republic governed by a president and parliament and was a strong attempt to establish a liberal democracy in Germany. However, it was adopted during a time of civil conflict and failed with the ascent of the Nazi Party in 1933. How did Hitler manage to subvert the Weimar Constitution after he came to power? More…Discuss
Reuter, founder of the Reuters news agency, was a pioneer of telegraphy and news reporting. In 1849, he started a post service to bridge the gap in a telegraph line between Germany and Belgium. He soon moved to England and opened a telegraph office serving banks, brokerages, and businesses. He steadily extended his commercial news service, acquiring his first subscribing newspaper client in 1858. Undersea cables enabled him to expand the service. What animal was used to deliver messages in 1849? More…Discuss
Germany was the site of one of the first outbreaks of dancing mania, a phenomenon seen primarily in mainland Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries. During such outbreaks, groups of up to thousands of people would dance uncontrollably, screaming, shouting, and claiming to have visions until they collapsed from exhaustion. Initially considered a curse sent by a saint, usually St. John the Baptist, it was called “St. John’s Dance.” To what do researchers now attribute the strange behavior? More…Discuss
The Illuminati were members of a rationalistic society founded in Germany by Adam Weishaupt. Having close affinities with the Freemasons and seemingly organized on a Masonic plan, the group was briefly very popular among Germanrationalists but had limited influence. The Roman Catholic Church, which Weishaupt left in his youth and rejoined before his death, condemned the Illuminati. In 1785, the Bavarian government dissolved the organization. What conspiracy theories involve the Illuminati? More…Discuss
In 1840, Queen Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and the two had nine children, whose marriages, and those of their grandchildren, in turn, allied the British royal house with those of Russia, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Romania, and others. Their sixth child, Princess Louise, is regarded by biographers as the couple’s most beautiful daughter. In 1871, Louise married the Marquess of Lorne and became the Duchess of Argyll. Why was the marriage controversial? More…Discuss
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