10 German Contributions To America

The contributions and achievements of German-Americans have through the centuries had a deep and lasting effect on how the United States has become the country that it is today.

German immigrants, known for their hard work, thrift, practical skills, interest in the arts, crafts, and enjoyment of the good life, have definitely left their mark on American life and culture. Here we will highlight a few of the many German-Americans that played a prominent role in creating the United States as we know it today.

Many German immigrants contributed to transmitting and winning the freedoms that Americans are enjoying today. In 1735, the first key victory to gain freedom of the American press happened when John Peter Zenger, a journalist and printer with German-American roots, was granted the right by a jury to criticize the colonial government, and a Philadelphia-based German newspaper published the American Declaration of Independence first.

Here are ten German you (maybe) didn’t know about:

The Light Bulb – Heinrich Göbel actually invented the incandescent light bulb more than 25 years before Thomas Edison. But Göbel forgot to get a patent for his invention. Though Göbel was born and raised in Germany, he actually developed his great idea in the U.S.

Disney Activities – Disney is full of German-based things, from Cinderella, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty to constructing a replica of the Bavarian Neuschwanstein Castle, all Disney theme parks and movies are relying heavily on German heritage and culture.

Easter Egg Hunting – The tradition of hiding and hunting Easter eggs comes from Southern Germany. Though it’s true that the Easter bunny eggs legend had been around in other parts of Europe for some time, in Germany they stepped the tradition up a notch or two’.

The Easter Bunny – The Easter Bunny as we know it these days first showed up in 16th-century German books. During the 1700s, Dutch settlers in Pennsylvania brought the Easter Bunny tradition with them to America. The immigrants’ children believed the Easter Bunny would lay treats and eggs if they behaved well.

The Christmas Tree – Decorating the Tannenbaum (another German word) goes back all the way to 16th-century Germany and the Germans started the tradition of decorating the trees. Eventually, the idea spread all through the Christian world.

The Ring Binder – The ring binder that we all use so extensively was invented in Germany. It was Friedrich Soennecken from Bonn that came up with this great invention that he patented in 1886. The great innovative idea of adding a hole to the binder’s cover was also a German invention by Louis Leitz.

Chicken Fried Steak – The origin of this plate swamping, delicious, treat is not so clear but it is generally believed that it was brought to America by Austrian and German immigrants who initially introduced us to the Wiener Schnitzel recipe. Later, the Americans smothered it in heavy gravy. It is said that it was first named Chicken Fried Steak (as opposed to Wiener Schnitzel) when the U.S. got involved in the war with Germany.

The Advent Calendar – German Lutherans introduced this Christmas tradition in the early 19th century. The idea of the calendar was actually pretty simple: a way to count days until it was Christmas. In the early 20th century, Gerhard Lang actually printed the Advent Calendar for the first time.

The Gingerbread House – Gingerbread houses were first seen in Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel Fairy Tale. Later, they also appeared in a German opera with the same title. In German Opera Houses, it then became a Christmas holiday tradition to come up with miniature gingerbread house replicas, a tradition that spread eventually, into German homes.

The Prefab House – Prefabricated houses were invented in Germany as well. Warner Sell, a Berlin resident, invented the trailer home when, after WWII, the U.S. forces that occupied Germany needed a place to live. His company sold more than 5000 of these prefab houses for the American soldiers.