Berlin
A public-relations firm hired by the German government put out a book this week crediting many of the world’s great inventions to Germans. The book, whose title translates to “German Stars: 50 Innovations Everyone Should Know About,” claims that Heinrich Göbel, not Thomas Edison, invented the light bulb and that Otto von Guericke, not the Italian Evangelista Torricelli, invented the vacuum. The German newsmagazine Der Spiegel mocked the book, saying that Americans “would be surprised to learn” that Alexander Graham Bell was not responsible for the telephone, nor Levi Strauss for blue jeans. But the authors defended their work. “It’s fair to say many German figures have made significant contributions to innovations,” Lars Heitmüller of PR agency Fischer Appelt told the London Independent, “even if they don’t hold the patent.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 jackbooted cartoons about L.A.'s anti-ICE protestsCartoons Artists take on National Guard deployment, the failure of due process, and more
-
Some of the best music and singing holidays in 2025The Week Recommends From singing lessons in the Peak District to two-week courses at Chetham's Piano Summer School
-
Sudoku medium: June 14, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
