Groundhog Day is an American and Canadian holiday on February 2, but the custom of predicting the arrival of spring has German origins. It also has a connection to Candlemas, a religious holiday with roots dating back to Celts.
Category: People and History
Cilly Aussem was a German tennis player in the 1920s and 30s and the first German to win Wimbledon. She won against fellow German Hilde Krahwinkel.
Luise Rainer was an actor from Düsseldorf in Germany with a brief career in Hollywood. She won two Academy Awards in 1936 and 1937.
The King in Germany? Yes, Elvis Presley was stationed in Germany for his military service from October of 1958 until March of 1960.
The Ice Saints or Eisheiligen in Germany are the days of May 11 (12)-15, ending with the Cold Sophie (Kalte Sophie). These days might see low temperature and night frost which is why you shouldn’t plant before those dates.
The Litfaßsäule – the cylindrical cement pillar placed in cities advertising cultural and sporting events. It was named after its inventor Ernst Litfaß.
Coffee wouldn’t be what it is today without Melitta Bentz. In 1908, the housewife from Dresden invented the coffee filter … and the rest is history!
Clara Immerwahr (1870-1915) was the first German woman to earn a doctorate in chemistry; during a time when it was near impossible for girls and women to receive a university degree.
Louise Otto-Peters was a journalist and writer, an early women’s rights activist of the 19th century, and co-founder of the General German Women’s Association.
The Internationale Grüne Woche Berlin (IGW) or Green Week has been an important agricultural convention since 1926. Read more about the history and why it’s called “green”.
