List of German inventions and discoveries

Anatomy

• 17th century: First description of duct of Wirsung by Johann Georg Wirsung.
• 1720: Discovery of the ampulla of Vater by Abraham Vater.
• 1745: First description of crypts of Lieberkühn by Johann Nathanael Lieberkühn.
• 19th century: First description of Auerbach's plexus by Leopold Auerbach.
• 19th century: First description of Meissner's plexus by Georg Meissner.
• 19th century: Discovery of Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system by Theodor Schwann.
• 1836: Discovery and study of pepsin by Theodor Schwann.
• 1840: First medical report on poliomyelitis, and the first to recognize the illness as a clinical entity, by Jakob Heine.
• 1852: First description of tactile corpuscle by Georg Meissner and Rudolf Wagner.
• 1868: Discovery of Langerhans cell by Paul Langerhans.
• 1869: Discovery of islets of Langerhans by Paul Langerhans.
• 1875: First description of Merkel cell by Friedrich Sigmund Merkel.
• 1906: Discovery of the Alzheimer's disease by Alois Alzheimer.
• 1909: First description of Brodmann's areas by Korbinian Brodmann.
• 1977: Plastination by Gunther von Hagens.

  Animals

• 1907: Modern zoo by Carl Hagenbeck in Hamburg.
• 1916: Guide dog; the world's first training school, established by Dr. Gerhard Stalling in Oldenburg.

  Archaeology

• 1825: Rhamphorhynchus by Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring.
• 1834: Plateosaurus by Johann Friedrich Engelhardt near Nuremberg, described in 1837 by Hermann von Meyer.
• 1856: Neanderthal 1 near Düsseldorf.
• 1856–1857: First description of the Neanderthal by Johann Carl Fuhlrott and Hermann Schaaffhausen.
• 1860: Teratosaurus by Sixt Friedrich Jakob von Kapff near Stuttgart, described in 1861 by Hermann von Meyer.
• 1861: Archaeopteryx by Hermann von Meyer near Solnhofen.
• 1868–1879: Troy by Heinrich Schliemann.
• c. 1900: Gordium by Alfred and Gustav Körte.
• 1906–1913: Hattusa by Hugo Winckler.
• 1908: Homo heidelbergensis by Daniel Hartmann and Otto Schoetensack near Heidelberg.
• 1912: The Nefertiti Bust by Ludwig Borchardt.
• 1915: Description of Spinosaurus, the largest known theropod, by Ernst Stromer.
• 1925: Stomatosuchus by Ernst Stromer.
• 1931: Description of Carcharodontosaurus by Ernst Stromer.
• 1932: Aegyptosaurus by Ernst Stromer.
• 1934: Bahariasaurus by Ernst Stromer.
• 1991: Ötzi by Helmut and Erika Simon from Nuremberg.

  Arts

• 15th century: Drypoint by the Housebook Master, a south German artist.
• 1525: Ray tracing by Albrecht Dürer.
• 1642: Mezzotint by Ludwig von Siegen.
• 1708: Meissen porcelain, the first European hard-paste porcelain, by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus in Meissen.
• 1810: Theory of Colours by Johann Wolfgang Goethe.
• Early 1900s: The modernist movement Expressionism.
• 1919: Bauhaus by Walter Gropius.

  Astronomy

• 1609–1619: Kepler's laws of planetary motion by Johannes Kepler.
• 1781: Discovery of Uranus, with two of its major moons, by German-born William Herschel.
• 1846: Discovery of Neptune by Johann Galle.
• 1902: Discovery of the stratosphere by Richard Assmann.
• 1909: Discovery of cosmic ray by Theodor Wulf.
• 1916: Schwarzschild metric and Schwarzschild radius by Karl Schwarzschild.

  Biology, genetics and memory

• 1759: Description of mesonephros by Caspar Friedrich Wolff.
• 1790s: Recapitulation theory by Johann Friedrich Meckel and Carl Friedrich Kielmeyer.
• Late 1790s/early 1800s: Humboldtian science by Alexander von Humboldt.
• 1834: Humboldt penguin by Franz Meyen, after its initial discovery by Alexander von Humboldt.
• 1835: Cell division by Hugo von Mohl.
• 1835: Discovery and description of mitosis by Hugo von Mohl.
• 1839: Cell theory by Theodor Schwann and Matthias Jakob Schleiden.
• 1845: Odic force by Carl Reichenbach.
• 1851: Discovery of alternation of generations as a general principle in plant life by Wilhelm Hofmeister.
• 1876: Discovery and description of meiosis by Oscar Hertwig.
• 1880s: Bacteriology by Robert Koch.
• Late 19th century: Isolated the non-protein component of "nuclein", determining the chemical composition of nucleic acids, and later isolated its five primary nucleobases by Albrecht Kossel.
• 1885: Forgetting curve and learning curve by Hermann Ebbinghaus.
• 1888: Description and naming of the centrosome by Theodor Boveri.
• 1890: Description of mitochondrion by Richard Altmann.
• 1892: Weismann barrier and germ plasm by August Weismann.
• 1908: Hardy–Weinberg principle by Wilhelm Weinberg.
• 1928: First reliable pregnancy test by Selmar Aschheim and Bernhard Zondek.
• 1932: Urea cycle by Kurt Henseleit and Hans Adolf Krebs.
• 1937: Citric acid cycle by Hans Adolf Krebs.
• 1974: First genetically modified animal by Rudolf Jaenisch.

  Chemistry

• 1625: Glauber's salt by German-born Johann Rudolf Glauber.
• 1669: Discovery of phosphorus by Hennig Brand in Hamburg.
• 1706: Prussian blue by Heinrich Diesbach in Berlin.
• 1724: Temperature scale Fahrenheit by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit.
• 1746: Basic theory of isolating zinc by Andreas Marggraf.
• c. 1770 – c. 1785: Identification of molybdenum, tungsten, barium and chlorine by Carl Wilhelm Scheele.
• 1773 or earlier: discovery of oxygen by Carl Wilhelm Scheele.
• 1789: Discovery of the elements uranium and zirconium by Martin Heinrich Klaproth.
• 1799: Production of sugar from sugar beets, the beginning of the modern sugar industry, by Franz Karl Achard, after foundations were laid by Andreas Marggraf.
• 19th century: Eupione by Carl Reichenbach.
• 1817: Discovery of cadmium by Karl Samuel Leberecht Hermann and Friedrich Stromeyer.
• 1820s: Oechsle scale by Ferdinand Oechsle.
• 1823: Döbereiner's lamp, often hailed as the first lighter, by Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner.
• 1828: Discovery of creosote by Carl Reichenbach.
• 1828, 1893: Isolation of nicotine by Wilhelm Heinrich Posselt and Karl Ludwig Reimann. The structure of nicotine was later discovered by Adolf Pinner and Richard Wolffenstein.
• 1828: Synthesis of urea by Friedrich Wöhler.
• 1830: Creation of paraffin wax by Carl Reichenbach.
• 1832: Discovery of pittacal by Carl Reichenbach.
• 1834: Melamine by Justus von Liebig.
• 1834: Discovery of phenol by Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge.
• 1836 : Discovery of diatomaceous earth by Peter Kasten on the northern slopes of the Haußelberg hill, in the Lüneburg Heath in North Germany.
• 1838: Fuel cell by Christian Friedrich Schönbein.
• 1839: Discovery of ozone by Christian Friedrich Schönbein.
• 1839, 1930: Discovery of polystyrene by Eduard Simon, was made a commercial product by IG Farben in 1930.
• c. 1840: Nitrogen-based fertiliser by Justus von Liebig, important innovations were later made by Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch in the 1900s.
• 1846: Discovery of guncotton by Christian Friedrich Schönbein.
• 1850s: Siemens-Martin process by Carl Wilhelm Siemens.
• c. 1855: Bunsen burner by Robert Bunsen and Peter Desaga.
• 1855: Chromatography by Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge.
• 1857: Siemens cycle by Carl Wilhelm Siemens.
• 1859: Pinacol coupling reaction by Wilhelm Rudolph Fittig.
• 1860–61: Discovery of caesium and rubidium by Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff.
• 1860: Erlenmeyer flask by Emil Erlenmeyer.
• 1863–64: Discovery of indium by Ferdinand Reich and Hieronymous Theodor Richter.
• 1863: First synthesis of trinitrotoluene by Julius Wilbrand.
• 1864: First synthesis of barbiturate by Adolf von Baeyer, first marketed by Bayer under the name "Veronal" in 1903.
• 1865: Synthetic indigo dye by Adolf von Baeyer, first marketed by BASF in 1897.
• c. 1870: Brix unit by Adolf Brix.
• 1872: Synthesis of polyvinyl chloride by Eugen Baumann.
• 1877: Poly by Wilhelm Rudolph Fittig, was made a commercial product by Otto Röhm in 1933.
• 1882: Tollens' reagent by Bernhard Tollens.
• 1883: Claus process by Carl Friedrich Claus.
• 1884: Paal–Knorr synthesis by Carl Paal and Ludwig Knorr.
• 1885–1886: Discovery of germanium by Clemens Winkler.
• 1887: Petri dish by Julius Richard Petri.
• 1888: Büchner flask and Büchner funnel by Ernst Büchner.
• 1895: Hampson–Linde cycle by Carl von Linde.
• 1897: Galalith by Wilhelm Krische.
• 1898: Polycarbonate by Alfred Einhorn, was made an commercial product by Hermann Schnell at Bayer in 1953 in Uerdingen.
• 1898: Synthesis of polyethylene, the most common plastic, by Hans von Pechmann.
• Early 20th century: Schlenk flask by Wilhelm Schlenk.
• 1900s: Haber process by Carl Bosch and Fritz Haber.
• 1902: Ostwald process by Wilhelm Ostwald.
• 1903: First commercially successful decaffeination process by Ludwig Roselius, after foundations were laid by Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge in 1820.
• 1907: Thiele tube by Johannes Thiele.
• 1913: Coal liquefaction by Friedrich Bergius.
• 1913: Identification of protactinium by Oswald Helmuth Göhring.
• 1925: Discovery of rhenium by Otto Berg, Ida Noddack and Walter Noddack.
• 1928: Diels–Alder reaction by Kurt Alder and Otto Diels.
• 1929: Discovery of adenosine triphosphate by Karl Lohmann.
• 1929: Creation of styrene-butadiene by Walter Bock.
• 1935: Karl Fischer titration by Karl Fischer.
• 1937: Creation of polyurethane by Otto Bayer at IG Farben in Leverkusen.
• 1953: Ziegler–Natta catalyst by Karl Ziegler.
• 1954: Wittig reaction by Georg Wittig.
• 1981–1996: Discovery and creation of bohrium by Peter Armbruster and Gottfried Münzenberg at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt.
• 1982: Discovery and creation of meitnerium at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research.
• 1984: Discovery and creation of hassium at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research.
• 1994: Discovery and creation of darmstadtium at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research.
• 1994: Discovery and creation of roentgenium at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research.
• 1996: Discovery and creation of copernicium at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research.

  Clothing, cosmetics and fashion

• 13th century: Functional buttons with buttonholes for fastening or closing clothes.
• 18th century or earlier: Dirndl, Lederhosen and Tracht.
• 1709: Eau de Cologne by Johann Maria Farina in Cologne.
• 1871–1873: Jeans by German-born Levi Strauss.
• 1905: Permanent wave that was suitable for use on people, by German-born Karl Nessler.
• 1911: Nivea, the first modern cream, by Beiersdorf AG.
• 1960s: BB cream by Christine Schrammek.

  Computing

• Late 17th century: Modern binary numeral system by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
• 1918–1923: Enigma machine by Arthur Scherbius.
• 1920s: Hellschreiber by Rudolf Hell.
• 1941: First programmable, fully automatic digital computer by Konrad Zuse.
• 1942–1945: Programming language Plankalkül, the first high-level programming language to be designed for a computer, by Konrad Zuse.
• 1945: The world's first commercial digital computer by Konrad Zuse.
• 1957: Stack by Klaus Samelson and Friedrich L. Bauer of Technical University Munich.
• 1960s: Smart card by Jürgen Dethloff and Helmut Gröttrup.

  Construction, architecture and shops

• 1831–1834: Wire rope by Wilhelm Albert
• 1858: Hoffmann kiln by Friedrich Hoffmann.
• 1880: The world's first electric elevator by Werner von Siemens.
• 1895: Electrically-driven hand drill by Carl and Wilhelm Fein in Stuttgart.
• 1895: Exothermic welding process by Hans Goldschmidt.
• 1926–1927: Portable electric and the first petrol chainsaw. A precursor of chainsaws was made around 1830 by Bernhard Heine.
• 1927: Concrete pump by Max Giese and Fritz Hull.
• 1930s: Particle board by Max Himmelheber.
• 1954: Angle grinder by Ackermann + Schmitt in Steinheim an der Murr.
• 1958: Modern wall plug by Artur Fischer.
• 1962: The world's first sex shop by Beate Uhse AG in Flensburg.
• 1963–1967: First hydraulic breaker by Krupp in Essen.
• 1988–1990: The concept of the Passivhaus standard by Wolfgang Feist in Darmstadt.

  Cuisine

• Altbier
• Angostura bitters by Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert in Venezuela, 1824.
• First automat restaurant in Berlin, 1895.
• Baumkuchen
• Modern beer – Reinheitsgebot and "developing the beverage to its highest perfection".
• Berliner
• Bethmännchen
• Berliner Weisse
• Bienenstich
• Black Forest cake
• Bock
• Bratwurst
• Braunschweiger
• Currywurst by Herta Heuwer.
• Dominostein by Herbert Wendler.
• Donauwelle
• Modern doner kebab sandwich in Berlin, 1972.
• Dortmunder Export
• Fanta
• Frankfurter Kranz
• Frankfurter Würstchen
• Gummy bear
• Hamburger.
• Hamburg steak
• Hedgehog slice
• Helles
• Hot Dog
• Jägermeister
• Kölsch
• Lager
• Lebkuchen
• Marmite by Justus von Liebig.
• Märzen
• Meat extract by Justus von Liebig.
• Obatzda
• Parboiled rice by Erich Gustav Huzenlaub.
• Pilsener by Josef Groll.
• Pinkel
• Potato salad
• Pretzel.
• Prinzregententorte
• Pumpernickel
• Radler
• Riesling wine
• Rye beer
• Saumagen
• Schwarzbier
• Strammer Max
• Stollen
• Streuselkuchen
• Teewurst
• Thuringian sausage
• Toast Hawaii
• Welf pudding
• Wheat beer
• Zwieback
• Zwiebelkuchen

  Education, language and printing

• 12th century: Lingua Ignota, the first entirely artificial language, by St. Hildegard of Bingen, OSB.
• c. 1440: Printing press with movable type by Johannes Gutenberg.
• 1605: First newspaper by Johann Carolus in Strasbourg.
• 1774: The process of deinking by Justus Claproth.
• 1796: Lithography by Alois Senefelder.
• Early 19th century: Humboldtian model of higher education by Wilhelm von Humboldt.
• 1812–1858: Grimms' Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.
• 1830s: Kindergarten concept by Friedrich Fröbel.
• 1844: Wood pulp process for use in papermaking by Friedrich Gottlob Keller.
• 1879–80: The constructed language Volapük by Johann Martin Schleyer.
• 1884–1886: Linotype machine by Ottmar Mergenthaler.
• 1905: The Morse code distress signal .
• 1919: Waldorf education by Emil Molt and Rudolf Steiner in Stuttgart.
• 1937–1951: Interlingua by German-born Alexander Gode.

  Entertainment, electronics and media

• c. 1151: The earliest known morality play by St. Hildegard of Bingen, OSB.
• 1505: The world's first watch by Peter Henlein.
• 1663: First magazine.
• 1885: Nipkow disk by Paul Gottlieb Nipkow.
• 1895: First moving picture show to a paying audience, and thereby creating the first cinema, by Emil and Max Skladanowsky in the Berlin Wintergarten theatre.
• 1897: Cathode-ray tube and the oscilloscope by Ferdinand Braun.
• 1903: Printed circuit board by Albert Hanson of Berlin.
• 1907: Earplug by Max Negwer.
• 1907: Pigeon photography by Julius Neubronner.
• 1920s: Small format camera by Oskar Barnack.
• 1928: Magnetic tape in Dresden, later developed and commercialized by AEG.
• 1930s: tape recorder by BASF and AEG in cooperation with the state radio RRG.
• 1934: Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow in Berlin, first public television station in the world.
• 1942: Closed-circuit television by Siemens AG at Test Stand VII in Peenemünde.
• 1949: Integrated circuit by :de:Werner Jacobi |Werner Jacobi.
• 1961: Phase Alternating Line, a colour encoding system for analogue television, by Walter Bruch of Telefunken in Hanover.
• 1970: Twisted nematic field effect by Wolfgang Helfrich.
• 1983: Controller Area Network by Robert Bosch GmbH.
• 1984: Short Message Service concept by Friedhelm Hillebrand.
• Late 1980s and early 1990s: MP3 compression algorithm by i.a. Karlheinz Brandenburg.
• 1990: First radio-controlled wristwatch by Junghans.
• 1991: SIM card by Giesecke & Devrient in Munich.
• 2005: YouTube by German-born Jawed Karim.

  Geography, geology and mining

• 1812: Mohs scale of mineral hardness by Friedrich Mohs.
• 1855: Stauroscope by Wolfgang Franz von Kobell.
• 1884: Köppen climate classification by Wladimir Köppen. Changes were later made by Rudolf Geiger.
• 1912: Theory of continental drift and postulation of the existence of Pangaea by Alfred Wegener.
• 1933: Central place theory by Walter Christaller.
• 1935: Richter magnitude scale by German-born Beno Gutenberg.

  Household and office appliance

• 1767: Washing machine by Jacob Christian Schäffer.
• 19th century: Meat grinder by Karl Drais.
• 1835: Modern mirror by Justus von Liebig.
• 1864: Ingrain wallpaper by Hugo Erfurt.
• 1870–1895: Modern refrigerator and modern refrigeration by Carl von Linde.
• 1886: Hole punch and ring binder by Friedrich Soennecken in Bonn.
• 1886: Folding ruler by Anton Ullrich in Maikammer.
• 1901: Adhesive tape by company Beiersdorf AG.
• 1907: Laundry detergent by Henkel.
• 1908: Paper coffee filter by Melitta Bentz.
• 1909: Egg slicer by Willy Abel in Berlin.
• 1929, 1949: First machine-produced tea bag and the modern tea bag by Adolf Rambold and Teekanne.
• 1930s: Ink eraser by Pelikan.
• 1941: Chemex Coffeemaker by German-born Peter Schlumbohm.
• 1954: Wigomat, the first electrical drip coffee maker.
• 1969: Glue stick by Henkel.

  Mathematics

• 1611: Kepler conjecture by Johannes Kepler.
• 1623: Mechanical calculator by Wilhelm Schickard.
• Late 17th century: Calculus and Leibniz's notation by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
• 1673–1676: Leibniz formula for π by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
• 1675: Integral symbol by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
• 1795: Least squares by Carl Friedrich Gauss.
• c. 1810: Gaussian elimination by Carl Friedrich Gauss.
• 1824: Generalization of the Bessel function by Friedrich Bessel.
• 1827: Gauss map and Gaussian curvature by Carl Friedrich Gauss.
• 1837: Analytic number theory by Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet.
• c. 1850: Riemann geometry by Bernhard Riemann.
• 1859: Riemann hypothesis by Bernhard Riemann.
• 1874: Cantor's first uncountability proof and set theory by Georg Cantor.
• 1882: Klein bottle by Felix Klein.
• 1891: Cantor's diagonal argument and Cantor's theorem by Georg Cantor.
• 1897: Cantor–Bernstein–Schroeder theorem by Felix Bernstein and Ernst Schröder.
• c. 1900: Runge–Kutta methods by Wilhelm Kutta and Carl Runge.
• 1900s: Hilbert space by David Hilbert.
• Early 20th century: Weyl tensor by Hermann Weyl.

  Medicine and drugs

• 1796: Homeopathy by Samuel Hahnemann.
• 1803–1827: First isolation of morphine by Friedrich Sertürner in Paderborn; first marketed to the general public by Sertürner and Company in 1817 as a pain medication; and the first commercial production began in 1827 in Darmstadt by Merck.
• 1832: First synthesis of chloral hydrate, the first hypnotic drug, by Justus von Liebig at the University of Giessen; Oscar Liebreich introduced the drug into medicine in 1869 and discovered its hypnotic and sedative qualities.
• 1840: Discovery and description of Graves-Basedow disease by Karl Adolph von Basedow.
• 1847: Kymograph by Carl Ludwig.
• 1850s: Microscopic pathology by Rudolf Virchow.
• 1850–51: Ophthalmoscope by Hermann von Helmholtz.
• 1854: Sphygmograph by Karl von Vierordt.
• 1855: First synthesis of the cocaine alkaloid by Friedrich Gaedcke; development of an improved purification process by Albert Niemann in 1859–1860, who also coined the name "cocaine". First commercial production of cocaine began in 1862 in Darmstadt by Merck.
• 1882: Adhesive bandage by Paul Carl Beiersdorf.
• 1882: Discovery of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria which causes tuberculosis, by Robert Koch.
• 1884: Discovery of the pathogenic bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae which causes diphtheria, by Edwin Klebs and Friedrich Löffler.
• 1884: Koch's postulates by Robert Koch and Friedrich Loeffler, based on earlier concepts described by Jakob Henle.
• 1884: Discovery of the vibrio cholerae bacteria which causes cholera, by Robert Koch.
• 1887: Amphetamine by Romanian-born Lazăr Edeleanu in Berlin.
• 1887: Löffler's medium by Friedrich Loeffler.
• 1888: First successful afocal scleral glass contact lenses by Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick.
• 1890: Diphtheria antitoxin by Emil Adolf von Behring.
• 1897–1899: Aspirin by Felix Hoffmann or Arthur Eichengrün at Bayer in Elberfeld.
• 1897: Heroin by Felix Hoffmann at Bayer in Elberfeld.
• 1897: Protargol by Arthur Eichengrün.
• 1897: Discovery of the cause of foot-and-mouth disease by Friedrich Loeffler.
• 1907–1910: First synthesis of arsphenamine, the first antibiotic, by Paul Ehrlich and Alfred Bertheim. In 1910 marketed by Hoechst under the name Salvarsan.
• 1908–1911: Creation of dihydrocodeine.
• 1909, 1929: First intrauterine device by Richard Richter, and the first ring used by a significant number of women by Ernst Gräfenberg.
• 1909: Labello by Dr. Oscar Troplowitz.
• 1912–1916: Modern condom by Julius Fromm in Berlin.
• 1912: MDMA by Merck chemist Anton Köllisch.
• 1914: Development and creation of oxymorphone.
• 1916: Creation of oxycodone by Martin Freund and Edmund Speyer at the University of Frankfurt.
• 1920–1924: First synthesis of hydrocodone by Carl Mannich and Helene Löwenheim in 1920, first marketed by former German drug development company Knoll as Dicodid in 1924.
• 1922: Discovery and creation of desomorphine by Knoll.
• 1923: Creation of hydromorphone by Knoll.
• 1924: First human Electroencephalography recording by Hans Berger. Berger also discovered alpha waves.
• 1929: Cardiac catheterization by Werner Forssmann.
• 1932: Prontosil by Josef Klarer and Fritz Mietzsch at Bayer.
• 1937–1939: Creation of methadone by Max Bockmühl and Gustav Ehrhart of IG Farben.
• 1939: Intramedullary rod by Gerhard Küntscher.
• 1943: Luria–Delbrück experiment by Max Delbrück.
• 1953: Echocardiography by Carl Hellmuth Hertz.
• 1961: Combined oral contraceptive pill by Schering AG.
• 1997: C-Leg by Ottobock.
• 2007: Small incision lenticule extraction by Walter Sekundo and Marcus Blum.

  Military and (chemical) weapons

• 1498: Barrel rifling in Augsburg.
• 1836: Dreyse needle gun by Johann Nicolaus von Dreyse.
• 1842: Pickelhaube by King Frederick William IV of Prussia.
• 1850: Brandtaucher, the oldest surviving submarine in the world, by Wilhelm Bauer.
• 1901: Modern flamethrower by Richard Fiedler.
• 1916: First anti-tank grenade.
• 1916: Stahlhelm by Dr. Friedrich Schwerd.
• 1918: First anti-tank rifle by Mauser.
• 1918: First practical submachine gun by Theodor Bergmann.
• 1920s: Creation of Zyklon B by Walter Heerdt and Bruno Tesch at Degesch.
• 1935: Flecktarn by Johann Georg Otto Schick.
• 1935–37: Jerrycan by Müller & Co in Schwelm.
• 1936: The first ever nerve agent, tabun, by Gerhard Schrader in Leverkusen.
• 1938: The nerve agent sarin by IG Farben in Wuppertal-Elberfeld.
• 1939: Warfare method of blitzkrieg by i.a. Heinz Guderian.
• 1941: The only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational and the first piloted aircraft of any type to exceed 1000 km/h in level flight, the Messerschmitt Me 163, by Alexander Lippisch.
• 1942: First modern assault rifle by Hugo Schmeisser.
• 1943: First aviation unit to use precision-guided munition.
• c. 1944: First anti-tank missile.
• 1944: First operational cruise missile by Robert Lusser at Fieseler.
• 1944: A modern pioneer and the world's first long-range guided ballistic missile under the direction of Wernher von Braun.
• 1944: The nerve agent soman by Konrad Henkel in Heidelberg.

  Musical instruments

• c. 1700: Clarinet by Johann Christoph Denner in Nuremberg.
• 1805: Panharmonicon by Johann Nepomuk Mälzel.
• 1814–1816: Metronome by Johann Nepomuk Mälzel and Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel.
• 1818: French horn by Heinrich Stölzel and Friedrich Blühmel.
• 1821: Harmonica by Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann.
• 1828: Flugelhorn by Heinrich Stölzel in Berlin.
• 1830 or earlier: Accordion in Nuremberg.
• 1835: Tuba by Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and Johann Gottfried Moritz in Berlin.
• 1850s: Wagner tuba by Richard Wagner.
• 1854: Bandoneon by Heinrich Band.
• 1877: Microphone by Emile Berliner.
• 1887: Gramophone record by Emile Berliner.
• 1914: Hornbostel–Sachs, the most used system in musical instrument classification, by Curt Sachs.

  Physics and scientific instruments

• 1512, 1576: Theodolite by Gregorius Reisch and Martin Waldseemüller, although the first "true" version was created by Erasmus Habermehl.
• 1608: Telescope by German-born Hans Lippershey.
• 1650: First vacuum pump by Otto von Guericke.
• 1654: Magdeburg hemispheres by Otto von Guericke.
• 1663: First electrostatic generator by Otto von Guericke.
• 1745: Leyden jar by Ewald Georg von Kleist.
• 1777: Discovery of Lichtenberg figures by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg.
• 1801: Discovery of ultraviolet by Johann Wilhelm Ritter.
• 1813: Gauss's law by Carl Friedrich Gauss.
• 1814: Discovery of Fraunhofer lines by Joseph von Fraunhofer.
• 1817: Ackermann steering geometry by Georg Lankensperger in Munich.
• 1817 or earlier: Gyroscope by Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bohnenberger in Tübingen.
• 1820: Galvanometer by Johann Schweigger in Halle.
• 1827: Ohm's law by Georg Ohm.
• 1833: Magnetometer by Carl Friedrich Gauss.
• 1845: Kirchhoff's circuit laws by Gustav Kirchhoff.
• 1850: Formulation of the first and second law of thermodynamics by Rudolf Clausius.
• 1852: First experimental investigation of the Magnus effect by Heinrich Gustav Magnus.
• 1857: Geissler tube by Heinrich Geißler.
• 1959: Helmholtz resonance by Hermann von Helmholtz.
• 1859: Spectrometer by Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff.
• 1861: First telephone transmitter by Johann Philipp Reis; he also coined the term telephone.
• 1864–1875: Centrifuge by brothers Alexander and Antonin Prandtl from Munich.
• 1865: Concept of entropy by Rudolf Clausius.
• 1869: First observation of cathode rays by Johann Wilhelm Hittorf and Julius Plücker.
• 1870: Virial theorem by Rudolf Clausius.
• 1874: Refractometer by Ernst Abbe.
• 1883: First accurate electricity meter by Hermann Aron.
• 1886: Discovery of anode rays by Eugen Goldstein.
• 1887: Discoveries of electromagnetic radiation, photoelectric effect and radio waves by Heinrich Hertz.
• 1887: First parabolic antenna by Heinrich Hertz.
• 1893–1896: Wien approximation and Wien's displacement law by Wilhelm Wien.
• 1895: Discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Röntgen in Würzburg.
• 1897: Nernst lamp by Walther Nernst in Göttingen.
• 1900: Drude model by Paul Drude.
• 1900: Planck constant and Planck's law by Max Planck.
• 1900–1930: Quantum mechanics by i.a. Max Planck and Werner Heisenberg.
• 1901: Modern pyrometer by Ludwig Holborn and Ferdinand Kurlbaum.
• 1904: Boundary layer theory by Ludwig Prandtl.
• 1904: First radar system by Christian Hülsmeyer.
• 1905: Mass–energy equivalence and special relativity by Albert Einstein.
• 1905: Rubens' tube by Heinrich Rubens.
• 1906–1912: Third law of thermodynamics by Walther Nernst.
• 1913: Echo sounding by Alexander Behm.
• 1913: Discovery of the Stark effect by Johannes Stark.
• 1915: Noether's theorem by Emmy Noether.
• 1916: General relativity by Albert Einstein.
• 1917: Laser's theoretical foundation by Albert Einstein.
• 1919: Discovery of the Barkhausen effect by Heinrich Barkhausen.
• 1919: Betz's law by Albert Betz.
• 1920s: hand-held metal detector by German-born Gerhard Fischer.
• 1921: Discovery of nuclear isomerism by Otto Hahn.
• 1921–22: Stern–Gerlach experiment by Otto Stern and Walther Gerlach.
• 1924: Description of coincidence method by Walther Bothe.
• 1924–25: Bose–Einstein statistics, Bose–Einstein condensate and Boson by Albert Einstein.
• 1927: Free electron model by Arnold Sommerfeld.
• 1927: Uncertainty principle by Werner Heisenberg.
• 1928: Geiger–Müller counter by Hans Geiger and Walther Müller.
• 1931: Electron microscope by Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll.
• 1933: Discovery of the Meissner effect by Walther Meissner and Robert Ochsenfeld.
• 1937–39: CNO cycle by Carl von Weizsäcker and German-born Hans Bethe.
• 1937: Scanning electron microscope by Manfred von Ardenne.
• 1938: Discovery of nuclear fission by Otto Hahn and Fritz Straßmann in Berlin.
• 1949: Development of the nuclear shell model by Maria Goeppert-Mayer and J. Hans D. Jensen.
• 1950s: Quadrupole ion trap by Wolfgang Paul.
• 1958: Discovery of the Mössbauer effect by Rudolf Mössbauer.
• 1959: Penning trap by Hans Georg Dehmelt.
• 1961: Bark scale by Eberhard Zwicker.
• 1963: Proposition of heterojunction by Herbert Kroemer.
• 1980: Quantum Hall effect by Klaus von Klitzing.
• 1980s: Atomic force microscope and the scanning tunneling microscope by Gerd Binnig.
• 1988: Discovery of giant magnetoresistance by Peter Grünberg.
• 1994: STED microscopy by Stefan Hell and Jan Wichmann.
• 1998: Frequency comb by Theodor W. Hänsch.

  Sociology, philosophy and politics

• Late 18th century: German idealism by Immanuel Kant.
• 19th century: Marxism, the foundation of communism and socialism, by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
• 1852: Credit union by Franz Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch in Saxony, later further developed by Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen.
• Late 19th century: Verstehen by Max Weber.
• 1879: Experimental psychology by Wilhelm Wundt in Leipzig.
• 1880s: The German Empire became the first modern welfare state in the world under statesman Otto von Bismarck, when he e.g. innovatively implemented the following:
• *Health insurance in 1883;
• *Accident insurance in 1884;
• *Pension insurance in 1889.
• 1897: Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, first LGBT rights organization in history, founded by Magnus Hirschfeld in Berlin.
• 1916: The German Empire became the first country in the world to implement daylight saving time.
• 1930s: Critical theory by the Frankfurter School''.
• 1966: Private copying levy.
• 1978: Blue Angel certification, the world's first ecolabel.

  Religion, ethics and festivities

• 1434: The world's first genuine Christmas market in Dresden.
• 1517: Protestantism and Lutheranism by Martin Luther.
• 16th century: Modern Christmas tree.
• 17th century: Easter Bunny.
• c. 1610: Tinsel in Nuremberg.
• 1776: Illuminati by Adam Weishaupt.
• 1810: Oktoberfest, the world's largest Volksfest, in Munich.
• 1839: Advent wreath by Johann Hinrich Wichern.
• c. 1850: Advent calendar by German Lutherans; the modern version was created by Gerhard Lang from Munich.

  Sport

• c. 1790: Balance beam by Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths.
• c. 1810: Horizontal bar, parallel bars, rings and the vault apparatus by Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, who is often hailed as the "father of modern gymnastics".
• 1901: Modern bodybuilding by Eugen Sandow.
• 1906: Schutzhund.
• c. 1910: Loop jump in figure skating by Werner Rittberger.
• 1917–1919: Handball by Max Heiser, Karl Schelenz, and Erich Konigh in Berlin.
• 1925: Wheel gymnastics by Otto Feick in Schönau an der Brend.
• 1936: The tradition of the Olympic torch relay by Carl Diem and Alfred Schiff in Berlin.
• 1946: Goalball by Sepp Reindle.
• 1948: Paralympic Games by German-born Ludwig Guttmann.
• 1954: Modern football boots with screw-in studs by Adolf or Rudolf Dassler.
• 1961: Underwater rugby by Ludwig von Bersuda in Cologne.
• 1963: Grass skiing by Josef Kaiser.
• 1970: Penalty shoot-out in football by Karl Wald.
• 1989: International Paralympic Committee in Düsseldorf.
• 1993: Jugger in Heidelberg.
• 2000: Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
• 2001: Speed badminton by Bill Brandes in Berlin.

  Tourism and recreation

• 1882: Strandkorb by Wilhelm Bartelmann in Rostock.
• 1891: First purpose-built cruise ship by Albert Ballin.
• Early 20th century: Pilates by Joseph Pilates.
• 1911: Carabiner for climbing by Otto "Rambo" Herzog.
• 1920s: Autogenic training by Johannes Heinrich Schultz.

  Toys and games

• c. 1780: Schafkopf card game.
• c. 1810: Skat card game in Altenburg.
• 1890: Plastilin by Franz Kolb.
• 1892: Chinese checkers by Ravensburger.
• 1902: Teddy bear by Richard Steiff.
• 1907–08: Mensch ärgere Dich nicht board game by Josef Friedrich Schmidt.
• 1964: fischertechnik by Artur Fischer.
• 1972: First home video console by German-born Ralph H. Baer.
• 1974: Playmobil by Hans Beck.
• 1995: The Settlers of Catan by Klaus Teuber.

  Transportation

• 1655: First self-propelled wheelchair by Stephan Farffler.
• 1817: The first bicycle by Baron Karl von Drais.
• 1817: Tachometer by Diedrich Uhlhorn.
• 1834: First practical rotary electric motor by Moritz von Jacobi.
• 1838: First electric boat by Moritz von Jacobi.
• 1876: Otto engine, the first modern internal combustion engine, by Nicolaus Otto.
• 1879–1881: First electric locomotive and electric tramway by Siemens & Halske.
• 1882: Trolleybus by Werner von Siemens.
• 1885: First production and modern automobile by Karl Benz in Mannheim.
• 1885, 1894: First motorcycle by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. The motorcycle of Hildebrand & Wolfmüller from 1894 was the first machine to be called a "motorcycle" and the world's first production motorcycle.
• 1886: First automobile on four wheels, by Gottlieb Daimler.
• 1886: Motorboat by Lürssen, in commission of Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, in Bremen.
• 1888: Driver's license by Karl Benz.
• 1888: The world's first filling station was the city pharmacy in Wiesloch.
• 1888: Flocken Elektrowagen, regarded by some as the first real electric car, by Andreas Flocken in Coburg.
• 1889: V engine by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach.
• 1891: Taximeter by Friedrich Wilhelm Gustav Bruhn.
• 1893: Diesel engine, diesel fuel and biodiesel by Rudolf Diesel in Augsburg.
• 1893: Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat, the first aeroplane to be serially produced, by Otto Lilienthal.
• 1893: Zeppelin, the first rigid airship, by Ferdinand von Zeppelin.
• 1895: Internal combustion engine bus by Daimler.
• 1896: Modern truck by Gottlieb Daimler.
• 1897: Flat engine by Karl Benz.
• 1897: Internal combustion engine taxicab by Gottlieb Daimler.
• 1901: Mercedes 35 hp, regarded by some as the first real modern automobile, by Paul Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. The car also had the world's first drum brakes.
• 1902, 1934: Concept of maglev by Alfred Zehden and Hermann Kemper.
• 1902: First high voltage spark plug by Gottlob Honold.
• 1902: First practical speedometer by Otto Schultze.
• 1906: Gyrocompass by Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe.
• 1909, 1912: The world's first passenger airline; DELAG in Frankfurt. The company also employed the first flight attendant, Heinrich Kubis.
• 1912: The world's first diesel locomotive by Gesellschaft für Thermo-Lokomotiven Diesel-Klose-Sulzer GmbH from Munich and Borsig from Berlin.
• 1915: The world's first all-metal aircraft by Junkers & Co.
• 1916: Gasoline direct injection by Junkers & Co.
• 1928: First rocket-powered aircraft by Alexander Lippisch.
• 1935: Swept wing by Adolf Busemann.
• 1936: The first operational and practical helicopter, by Focke-Achgelis.
• 1939: First aircraft with a turbojet, and the first practical jet aircraft, by Hans von Ohain.
• 1943: Krueger flap by Werner Krüger.
• 1951: Airbag by Walter Linderer.
• 1957: Wankel engine by Felix Wankel.
• 1960s: Defogger by Heinz Kunert.
• Late 1960s: Oxygen sensor by Robert Bosch GmbH.
• 1973: Spoiler on road cars by Porsche.
• 1995: Electronic stability control by Robert Bosch GmbH and Mercedes-Benz.