When we think of Germany — the land of poets and thinkers — we often think of men like Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the poet and natural scientist, or Albert Einstein, who discovered the theory of relativity.
And while many German brands have become household names (think Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz), few people realize how many commonly things invented in Germany.
Take the automobile, for example. In 1885, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach built the first functional combustion engine and attached it to a bicycle. This “riding car” was presented a few years later at the Paris World Fair in 1889 and by the 1920s, people were mobile.
Or the coffee filter. In 1908, Dresden housewife Melitta Bentz wondered if an improvised paper filter could make her morning coffee less bitter. Voila! The coffee filter was born and Bentz became an inventor. After she patented her idea, Melitta Group KG became a booming business and even today employs thousands of people
Source: 10 everyday things invented in Germany | Meet the Germans | DW | 12.09.2018
