Anatomy

• 19th century: Discovery of Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system by Theodor Schwann^[17]

• 1840: First medical report on poliomyelitis (Heine-Medin disease), and the first to recognize the illness as a clinical entity, by Jakob Heine^[19]

• 1852: First description of tactile corpuscle by Georg Meissner and Rudolf Wagner^[20]

• 1868: Discovery of Langerhans cell by Paul Langerhans^[21]

• 1869: Discovery of islets of Langerhans by Paul Langerhans^[22]

• 1875: First description of Merkel cell by Friedrich Sigmund Merkel^[23]

• 1882: First successful cholecystectomy by Carl Langenbuch in Berlin^[24]

• 1906: Discovery of the Alzheimer's disease by Alois Alzheimer^[25]

• 1977: Plastination by Gunther von Hagens^[27]

Archaeology

• 1856: Neanderthal 1 near Düsseldorf^[32]

• 1856–1857: First description of the Neanderthal by Johann Carl Fuhlrott and Hermann Schaaffhausen^[33]

• 1861: Archaeopteryx by Hermann von Meyer near Solnhofen^[35]

• 1868–1879: Troy by Heinrich Schliemann^[36]

• 1908: Homo heidelbergensis by Daniel Hartmann and Otto Schoetensack near Heidelberg^[39]

• 1912: The Nefertiti Bust by Ludwig Borchardt^[40]

• 1991: Ötzi by Helmut and Erika Simon from Nuremberg^[46]

Arts

• 1525: Ray tracing by Albrecht Dürer^[48]

• 1708: Meissen porcelain, the first European hard-paste porcelain, by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus in Meissen^[49]

• 1810: Theory of Colours by Johann Wolfgang Goethe^[50]

• Early 1900s: The modernist movement Expressionism^[51]

• 1919: Bauhaus by Walter Gropius^[52]

Astronomy

• 1609–1619: Kepler's laws of planetary motion by Johannes Kepler^[53]

• 1781: Discovery of Uranus, with two of its major moons (Titania and Oberon), by William Herschel^[54]

• 1846: Discovery of Neptune by Johann Galle^[55]

• 1902: Discovery of the stratosphere by Richard Assmann^[56]

• 1909: Discovery of cosmic ray by Theodor Wulf^[57]

• 1916: Schwarzschild metric^[58] and Schwarzschild radius^[59] by Karl Schwarzschild

Biology, genetics and memory

• Late 1790s/early 1800s: Humboldtian science by Alexander von Humboldt^[62]

• 1840: Discovery of hemoglobin by Friedrich Ludwig Hünefeld^[67]

• 1877: Description of dyslexia by Adolf Kussmaul^[71]

• 1880s: Bacteriology by Robert Koch^[72]

• Late 19th century: Isolated the non-protein component of "nuclein", determining the chemical composition of nucleic acids, and later isolated its five primary nucleobases (adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine and uracil) by Albrecht Kossel^[73]

• 1885: Forgetting curve and learning curve by Hermann Ebbinghaus^[74]

• 1890: Description of mitochondrion by Richard Altmann^[76]

• 1928: First reliable pregnancy test by Selmar Aschheim and Bernhard Zondek^[79]

• 1928: Artificial cloning of organisms by Hans Spemann and Hilde Mangold^[80]

• 1974: First genetically modified animal (a mouse) by Rudolf Jaenisch^[83]

Chemistry

• 1669: Discovery of phosphorus by Hennig Brand in Hamburg^[85]

• 1706: Prussian blue by Heinrich Diesbach in Berlin^[86]

• 1724: Temperature scale Fahrenheit by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit^[87]

• 1773 or earlier: discovery of oxygen (although Joseph Priestley published his findings first) by Carl Wilhelm Scheele^[90]

• 1789: Discovery of the elements uranium^[91] and zirconium^[92] by Martin Heinrich Klaproth

• 1828, 1893: Isolation (1828) of nicotine by Wilhelm Heinrich Posselt and Karl Ludwig Reimann.^[101] The structure (1893) of nicotine was later discovered by Adolf Pinner and Richard Wolffenstein^[102]

• 1839: Discovery of ozone by Christian Friedrich Schönbein^[110]

• c. 1855: Bunsen burner by Robert Bunsen and Peter Desaga^[117]

• 1864: First synthesis of barbiturate by Adolf von Baeyer, first marketed by Bayer under the name "Veronal" in 1903^[127]

• 1885–1886: Discovery of germanium by Clemens Winkler^[135]

• 1887: Petri dish by Julius Richard Petri^[136]

• 1903: First commercially successful decaffeination process by Ludwig Roselius (later of Café HAG), after foundations were laid by Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge in 1820^[144]

• 1981–1996: Discovery and creation of bohrium by Peter Armbruster and Gottfried Münzenberg at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt^[157]

• 1982: Discovery and creation of meitnerium at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research^[158]

• 1984: Discovery and creation of hassium at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research^[157]

• 1994: Discovery and creation of darmstadtium at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research^[159]

• 1994: Discovery and creation of roentgenium at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research^[160]

• 1996: Discovery and creation of copernicium at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research^[161]

Clothing, cosmetics and fashion

• 18th century or earlier: Dirndl, Lederhosen and Tracht^[163]

• 1709: Eau de Cologne by Johann Maria Farina (Giovanni Maria Farina) in Cologne^[164]

• 1871–1873: Jeans by German-born Levi Strauss (together with Russian-American Jacob Davis)^[165]

• 1905: Permanent wave that was suitable for use on people, by Karl Nessler^[166]

• 1911: Nivea, the first modern cream,^[167] by Beiersdorf AG^[168]

Computing

• Late 17th century: Modern binary numeral system by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz^[170]

• 1918–1923: Enigma machine by Arthur Scherbius^[171]

• 1920s: Hellschreiber (precursor of the impact dot matrix printers and faxes) by Rudolf Hell^[172][173]

• 1941: First programmable, fully automatic digital computer (Z3) by Konrad Zuse^[174]

• 1942–1945: Programming language Plankalkül, the first high-level programming language to be designed for a computer,^[175] by Konrad Zuse

• 1945: The world's first commercial digital computer (Z4) by Konrad Zuse^[6]

• 1960s: Smart card by Jürgen Dethloff and Helmut Gröttrup^[177]

• 1990s: MP3 format by Karlheinz Brandenburg and others at the Fraunhofer Society.^[178][179]

Construction, architecture and shops

• 1831–1834: Wire rope by Wilhelm Albert^{[180][181][182]}

• 1880: The world's first electric elevator by Werner von Siemens^[185]

• 1895: Electrically driven hand drill by Carl and Wilhelm Fein in Stuttgart^[186]

• 1958: Modern (plastic) wall plug (Fischer Wall Plug) by Artur Fischer^{[194][195][196]}

• 1962: The world's first sex shop by Beate Uhse AG in Flensburg^[197]

• 1988–1990: The concept of the Passivhaus (Passive house) standard by Wolfgang Feist in Darmstadt^[199]

Cuisine

• Altbier

• First automat restaurant (Quisisana) in Berlin, 1895^[201]

• Baumkuchen

• Modern beer – Reinheitsgebot^[202][203] and "developing the beverage [beer] to its highest perfection"^[204]

• Berliner (doughnut)

• Berliner Weisse

• Bienenstich

• Black Forest cake

• Bratwurst

• Braunschweiger

• Currywurst by Herta Heuwer^[205]

• Dominostein by Herbert Wendler^[206]

• Donauwelle

• Modern doner kebab sandwich in Berlin, 1972^[207]

• Dortmunder Export

• Fanta

• Frankfurter Kranz

• Frankfurter Würstchen

• Gummy bear

• Hamburger (the "founder" is unknown, but it has German origins)^[208][209]

• Hamburg steak

• Hedgehog slice (Kalter Hund)

• Helles

• Hot Dog^[210][211]

• Jägermeister

• Kölsch

• Lager^[212]

• Lebkuchen

• Parboiled rice (Huzenlaub Process) by Erich Huzenlaub^[216]

• Pilsener by Josef Groll^[217][218]

• Potato salad (Kartoffelsalat)^[219][220]

• Pretzel (the origin is disputed, but the earliest recorded evidence of pretzels appeared in Germany)^[221]

• Prinzregententorte

• Pumpernickel

• Riesling wine^[222]

• Rye beer

• Schwarzbier

• Sprite^[223]

• Strammer Max

• Stollen

• Streuselkuchen

• Teewurst

• Thuringian sausage

• Toast Hawaii

• Vienna sausage by Johann Georg Lahner [de] in 1805^[224]

• Wheat beer

• Zwieback

• Zwiebelkuchen

Education, language and printing

• 12th century: Lingua Ignota, the first entirely artificial language, by St. Hildegard of Bingen, OSB^[225]

• c. 1440: Printing press with movable type by Johannes Gutenberg^[11]

• 1605: First newspaper (Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien) by Johann Carolus in Strasbourg (then part of the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation)^[226]

• 1796: Lithography by Alois Senefelder^[228]

• Early 19th century: Humboldtian model of higher education by Wilhelm von Humboldt,^[229] which led to the creation of the first modern university (Universität zu Berlin) in 1810,^[230] although the University of Halle is also regarded as "the first truly modern university"^[231]

• 1812–1858: Grimms' Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm^[232]

• 1830s: Kindergarten concept by Friedrich Fröbel^[233]

• 1905: The Morse code distress signal SOS (  ▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄ )^[237][238]

• 1919: Waldorf education by Emil Molt and Rudolf Steiner in Stuttgart^[239]

• 1937–1951: Interlingua by Alexander Gode^[240]

Entertainment, electronics and media

• c. 1151: The earliest known morality play (Ordo Virtutum) by St. Hildegard of Bingen, OSB^[241]

• 1505: The world's first (pocket) watch (Watch 1505) by Peter Henlein^[242][243]

• 1663: First magazine (Erbauliche Monaths Unterredungen)^[244]

• 1885: Nipkow disk (fundamental component in the earliest televisions) by Paul Gottlieb Nipkow^[3]

• 1897: Cathode-ray tube (CRT) and the oscilloscope by Ferdinand Braun^[245]

• 1903: Printed circuit board by Albert Hanson of Berlin^[246]

• 1907: Earplug by Max Negwer (Ohropax)^[247]

• 1928: Magnetic tape in Dresden, later developed and commercialized by AEG^[250]

• 1930s: (Modern) tape recorder by BASF (then part of the chemical giant IG Farben) and AEG in cooperation with the state radio RRG^[251][252]

• 1934: Fernsehsender Paul Nipkow (TV Station Paul Nipkow) in Berlin, first public television station in the world^[253][254]

• 1949: Integrated circuit by Werner Jacobi (Siemens AG)^[255][256]

• 1984: Short Message Service (SMS) concept by Friedhelm Hillebrand^[260]

• Late 1980s and early 1990s: MP3 compression algorithm (fundamental for MP3 players) by i.a. Karlheinz Brandenburg (Fraunhofer Society)^[261]

• 1990: First radio-controlled wristwatch (MEGA 1) by Junghans^[262]

• 1991: SIM card by Giesecke & Devrient in Munich^[263][264]

• 2005: YouTube, co-founded by Jawed Karim^[265]

Geography, geology and mining

• 1912: Theory of continental drift and the postulation of the existence of Pangaea by Alfred Wegener^[271]

• 1935: Richter magnitude scale by Beno Gutenberg (together with Charles Francis Richter)^[273]

Household and office appliance

• 1835: Modern (silvered-glass) mirror by Justus von Liebig^{[274][275][276]}

• 1870–1895: Modern refrigerator and modern refrigeration by Carl von Linde.^{[2][278][279][280]}

• 1871: Modern mattress (the innerspring mattress) by Heinrich Westphal in Berlin^[281][282]

• 1886: Hole punch and ring binder by Friedrich Soennecken in Bonn^[283]

• 1886: Folding ruler by Anton Ullrich in Maikammer^[284]

• 1901: Adhesive tape by company Beiersdorf AG^[285]

• 1907: (Modern) Laundry detergent (Persil) by Henkel^[286]

• 1908: Paper coffee filter by Melitta Bentz^[287]

• 1909: Egg slicer by Willy Abel in Berlin^[288]

• 1929, 1949: First machine-produced tea bag (1929) and the modern tea bag (1949) by Adolf Rambold and Teekanne^[289][290]

• 1930s: Ink eraser by Pelikan^[291]

• 1969: Glue stick by Henkel^[294]

Mathematics

• 1611: Kepler conjecture by Johannes Kepler^[295]

• 1623: Mechanical calculator by Wilhelm Schickard^[296][297]

• 16xx:  Late 17th century: Calculus^[298] and Leibniz's notation^[299] by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz

• 1673–1676: Leibniz formula for π by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz^[300]

• 1675: Integral symbol by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz^[301]

• 1795: Least squares by Carl Friedrich Gauss^[302]

• 1827: Gauss map^[305] and Gaussian curvature^[306] by Carl Friedrich Gauss

• 1837: Analytic number theory by Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet^[307]

• c. 1850: Riemann geometry by Bernhard Riemann^[308]

• 1859: Riemann hypothesis by Bernhard Riemann^[309]

• 1874: Cantor's first uncountability proof and set theory by Georg Cantor^[310]

• 1882: Klein bottle by Felix Klein^[311]

• 1891: Cantor's diagonal argument and Cantor's theorem by Georg Cantor^[312]

• 1897: Cantor–Bernstein–Schroeder theorem by Felix Bernstein and Ernst Schröder^[313]

• 1900s: Hilbert space by David Hilbert^[316]

• Early 20th century: Weyl tensor by Hermann Weyl^[317]

Medicine and drugs

• 1803–1827: Isolation of morphine by Friedrich Sertürner; marketed pain medication by Sertürner + Company in 1817, commercial production in 1827 in Darmstadt by Merck.^[319]

• 1832: Synthesis of chloral hydrate, first hypnotic drug,^[320] by Justus von Liebign;^[321] Oscar Liebreich into medicine in 1869 its hypnotic + sedative qualities.^[322]

• 1850s: Microscopic pathology by Rudolf Virchow^[325]

• 1850–51: Ophthalmoscope by Hermann von Helmholtz^[326][327]

• 1852: First complete blood count by Karl von Vierordt^[328]

• 1854: Sphygmograph by Karl von Vierordt^[329]

• 1855: First synthesis of the cocaine alkaloid by Friedrich Gaedcke;^[330] Purification process by Albert Niemann in 1859–1860 as "cocaine".^[331] 1862 in Darmstadt by Merck.^[332]

• 1881: First modern caesarean section performed by Ferdinand Adolf Kehrer (introduction of the transverse incision technique)^[333]

• 1882: Adhesive bandage (Guttapercha-Pflastermulle) by Paul Carl Beiersdorf^[334]

• 1882: Discovery of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacteria which causes tuberculosis, by Robert Koch^[335]

• 1884: Discovery of the vibrio cholerae bacteria which causes cholera, by Robert Koch^[338]

• 1887: Amphetamine by Romanian-born Lazăr Edeleanu in Berlin^[339]

• 1888: First successful afocal scleral glass contact lenses by Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick^[341]

• 1890: Diphtheria antitoxin by Emil von Behring^[342]

• 1897–1899: Aspirin by Felix Hoffmann or Arthur Eichengrün at Bayer in Elberfeld^[343]

• 1897: Heroin by Felix Hoffmann at Bayer in Elberfeld^[344]

• 1897: Discovery of the cause of foot-and-mouth disease (Aphthovirus) by Friedrich Loeffler^[346]

• 1907–1910: First synthesis of arsphenamine, the first antibiotic,^[347] by Paul Ehrlich and Alfred Bertheim.^[348] In 1910 marketed by Hoechst under the name Salvarsan.^[349]

• 1908–1911: Creation of dihydrocodeine^[350]

• 1909, 1929: First intrauterine device (IUD) by Richard Richter (of Waldenburg, then part of Germany; in 1909), and the first ring (Gräfenberg's ring, 1929) used by a significant number of women by Ernst Gräfenberg.^[351]

• 1912–1916: Invention of the modern condom by Poland-born Julius Fromm in Berlin^[353]

• 1924: First human electroencephalography (EEG) recording by Hans Berger. He also invented the electroencephalogram and discovered alpha waves.^[362]

• 1929: Cardiac catheterization by Werner Forssmann^[363]

• 1953: Echocardiography by Carl Hellmuth Hertz (with Swedish physician Inge Edler)^[369]

• 1961: Combined oral contraceptive pill by Schering AG^[370][371]

• 1969: Articaine (Ultracain), a dental local anesthetic first synthesized by pharmacologist Roman Muschaweck and chemist Robert Rippel (former Hoechst AG)^[372][373]

• 2020: mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine (BNT162b2) based on research by Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci^[376][377]

Military and (chemical) weapons

• 1842: Pickelhaube by King Frederick William IV of Prussia^[380]

• 1901: Modern flamethrower by Richard Fiedler^[381]

• 1916: First anti-tank grenade^[382]

• 1918: First anti-tank rifle (Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr) by Mauser^[384]

• 1918: First practical submachine gun (MP 18) by Theodor Bergmann^[385]

• 1941: The only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever + the first piloted aircraft to exceed 1000 km/h in level flight, the Messerschmitt Me 163, by Alexander Lippisch.^[394]

• 1943: First aviation unit (Kampfgeschwader 100) to use precision-guided munition^[396]

• c. 1944: First anti-tank missile (the X-7)^[397]

• 1944: First operational cruise missile (V-1 flying bomb) by Robert Lusser at Fieseler^[398]

• 1944: A modern pioneer and the world's first long-range guided ballistic missile (V-2 rocket) under the direction of Wernher von Braun^[399][400]

Musical instruments

• 1700~: Clarinet by Johann Christoph Denner in Nuremberg^[402][403]

• 1805: Panharmonicon by Johann Nepomuk Mälzel^[404]

• 1814–1816: Metronome by Johann Nepomuk Mälzel and Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel^[405]

• 1818: (Modern) French horn by Heinrich Stölzel and Friedrich Blühmel^[406]

• 1821: Harmonica by Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann^[407]

• 1828: Flugelhorn by Heinrich Stölzel in Berlin^[408]

• 1830< Accordion in Nuremberg^[409]

• 1835: Tuba by Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and Johann Gottfried Moritz in Berlin^[410]

• 1850s: Wagner tuba by Richard Wagner^[411]

• 1854: Bandoneon by Heinrich Band^[412]

• 1877: Microphone by Emile Berliner^[413][414]

• 1887: Gramophone record by Emile Berliner^[414][415]

• 1914: Hornbostel–Sachs, the most used system in musical instrument classification, by Curt Sachs (+ Erich Moritz von Hornbostel)^[416]

Physics and scientific instruments

• 1512, 1576: Theodolite by Gregorius Reisch and Martin Waldseemüller (1512),^[417] although the first "true" version was created by Erasmus Habermehl (1576)^[418]

• 1608: Telescope by Hans Lippershey^[419]

• 1650: First vacuum pump by Otto von Guericke^[420]

• 1654: Magdeburg hemispheres by Otto von Guericke^[421]

• 1663: First electrostatic generator by Otto von Guericke^[422]

• 1777: Discovery of Lichtenberg figures by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg^[424]

• 1801: Discovery of ultraviolet by Johann Wilhelm Ritter^[425]

• 1813: Gauss's law by Carl Friedrich Gauss^[426]

• 1814: Discovery of Fraunhofer lines by Joseph von Fraunhofer^[427]

• 1817: Ackermann steering geometry by Georg Lankensperger in Munich^[428][429]

• 1817< Gyroscope by Johann Gottlieb Friedrich von Bohnenberger in Tübingen^[430]

• 1820: Galvanometer by Johann Schweigger in Halle^[431]

• 1827: Ohm's law by Georg Ohm^[432]

• 1833: Magnetometer by Carl Friedrich Gauss^[433]

• 1845: Kirchhoff's circuit laws by Gustav Kirchhoff^[434]

• 1850: Formulation of the first and second law of thermodynamics by Rudolf Clausius^[435][436]

• 1852: First experimental investigation of the Magnus effect by Heinrich Gustav Magnus^[437]

• 1959: Helmholtz resonance by Hermann von Helmholtz^[439]

• 1859: Spectrometer by Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff^[440]

• 1861: First telephone transmitter by Johann Philipp Reis;^[441][442] he also coined the term "telephone"^[442]

• 1864–1875: Centrifuge by brothers Alexander and Antonin Prandtl from Munich^[443]

• 1865: Concept of entropy by Rudolf Clausius^[444]

• 1869: First observation of cathode rays by Johann Wilhelm Hittorf and Julius Plücker^[445]

• 1874: Refractometer by Ernst Abbe^[447][448]

• 1883: First accurate electricity meter (Pendelzähler) by Hermann Aron^[449]

• 1886: Discovery of anode rays by Eugen Goldstein^[450]

• 1887: Discoveries of electromagnetic radiation, photoelectric effect and radio waves by Heinrich Hertz^[451]

• 1887: First parabolic antenna by Heinrich Hertz^[452]

• 1895: Discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Röntgen in Würzburg^[455]

• 1900: Planck constant and Planck's law by Max Planck^[458]

• 1900–1930: Quantum mechanics by i.a. Max Planck and Werner Heisenberg^[459]

• 1904: First radar system by Christian Hülsmeyer (Telemobiloscope)^[462]

• 1905: Mass–energy equivalence (E = mc²)^[463] and special relativity^[464] by Albert Einstein

• 1906–1912: Third law of thermodynamics (Nernst's theorem) by Walther Nernst^[466]

• 1913: Echo sounding by Alexander Behm^[467][468]

• 1915: Noether's theorem by Emmy Noether^[470]

• 1916: General relativity by Albert Einstein^[471]

• 1917: Laser's theoretical foundation by Albert Einstein^[472]

• 1920s: (Modern) hand-held metal detector by Gerhard Fischer^[475]

• 1924–25: Bose–Einstein statistics, Bose–Einstein condensate and Boson by Albert Einstein^[479]

• 1927: Free electron model by Arnold Sommerfeld^[480]

• 1927: Uncertainty principle by Werner Heisenberg^[481]

• 1928: Geiger–Müller counter by Hans Geiger and Walther Müller^[482]

• 1931: Electron microscope by Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll^[483]

• 1933: Discovery of the Meissner effect by Walther Meissner and Robert Ochsenfeld^[484]

• 1937–39: CNO cycle (Bethe–Weizsäcker process) by Carl von Weizsäcker and Hans Bethe^[485]

• 1937: Scanning electron microscope (SEM) by Manfred von Ardenne^[486]

• 1938: Discovery of nuclear fission by Otto Hahn and Fritz Straßmann in Berlin^[487][488]

• 1949: Development of the nuclear shell model by Maria Goeppert-Mayer and J. Hans D. Jensen^[489]

• 1950s: Quadrupole ion trap by Wolfgang Pauil^[490]

• 1980: Quantum Hall effect by Klaus von Klitzing^[495]

• 1980s: Atomic force microscope and the scanning tunneling microscope by Gerd Binnig^[496][497]

• 1994: STED microscopy by Stefan Hell and Jan Wichmann^[499]

• 1998: Frequency comb by Theodor W. Hänsch^[500]

Sociology, philosophy and politics

• Late 18th century: German idealism by Immanuel Kant^[501]

• 19th century: Marxism by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels^[502]

• 1852: Credit union by Franz Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch in Saxony, later further developed by Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen^[503]

• Late 19th century: Verstehen by Max Weber^[504]

• 1879: Psychology by Wilhelm Wundt in Leipzig^[505][506]

• 1880s: German Empire (1871–1918)  first welfare state / Otto von Bismarck,^[507] e.g. Health insurance in 1883^[508], Accident insurance in 1884^[508], Pension insurance  in 1889^[508]

• 1897: Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, first LGBT rights organization in history,^[509][510] founded by Magnus Hirschfeld in Berlin

• 1916: The German Empire  first country daylight saving time (DST)^[511]

• 1930s: Critical theory by the Frankfurt School^[512]

• 1978: Blue Angel (Der Blaue Engel) certification, the world's first ecolabel^[514]

Religion, ethics and festivities

• 1434: First christmas market (Striezelmarkt) in Dresden^[515]

• 1517: Protestantism + Lutheranism by Martin Luther^[516]

• 1600<: Modern Christmas tree^[517][518]

• 1700<: Easter Bunny^[519]

• 1776: Illuminati by Adam Weishaupt^[521]

• 1810: Oktoberfest, the world's largest Volksfest,^[522] in Munich

• 1839: Advent wreath by Johann Hinrich Wichern^[523]

• 1850~: Advent calendar by German Lutherans;^[524] the modern version was created by Gerhard Lang (1881–1974) from Munich^[525]

Sport

• 1790~: Balance beam by Johann Christoph Friedrich GutsMuths^[526]

• 1810~: Horizontal bar, parallel bars, rings and the vault apparatus by Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, who is often hailed as the "father of modern gymnastics"^{[527][528][529]}

• 1901: Modern bodybuilding by Eugen Sandow^[530]

• 1906: Schutzhund, a dog sport that tests a dog's tracking^[531]

• 1910~: Loop jump in figure skating by Werner Rittberger^[532]

• 1917–1919: Handball by Max Heiser, Karl Schelenz, and Erich Konigh in Berlin^[533][534]

• 1920: Gliding by Oskar Ursinus^[535]

• 1925: Wheel gymnastics by Otto Feick in Schönau an der Brend^[536]

• 1936: The tradition of the Olympic torch relay by Carl Diem and Alfred Schiff in Berlin^[537]

• 1948: Paralympic Games by German-born Ludwig Guttmann^[539][540]

• 1954: Modern football boots with screw-in studs by Adolf (Adidas) or Rudolf Dassler (Puma)^[541]

• 1989: International Paralympic Committee in Düsseldorf^[545]

• 2001: Speed badminton by Bill Brandes in Berlin^[547]

Tourism and recreation

• 1882: Strandkorb by Wilhelm Bartelmann in Rostock^[548][549]

• 1891: First purpose-built cruise ship (Prinzessin Victoria Luise) by Albert Ballin^[550]

• 190x: Pilates by Joseph Pilates^[551]

• 1911: Carabiner for climbing by Otto "Rambo" Herzog^[552]

• 1915<: Modern parachute (the first collapsible parachute) by Katharina Paulus^[553][554]

• 1920s: Autogenic training by Johannes Heinrich Schultz^[555]

Toys and games

• c. 1780: Schafkopf card game^[556]

• c. 1810: Skat card game in Altenburg^[557]

• 1890: Plastilin by Franz Kolb^[558]

• 1892: Chinese checkers by Ravensburger^[559]

• 1902: Teddy bear (55 PB) by Richard Steiff^[560]

• 1907–08: Mensch ärgere Dich nicht board game by Josef Friedrich Schmidt^[561]

• 1964: Fischertechnik by Artur Fischer^[562]

• 1972: First home video console (Magnavox Odyssey) by German-born Ralph H. Baer^[563][564]

• 1974: Playmobil by Hans Beck^[565]

• 1995: The Settlers of Catan by Klaus Teuber^[566]

Transportation

• 1655: First self-propelled wheelchair by Stephan Farffler^[567]

• 1817: The first bicycle (dandy horse, or Laufmaschine in German) by Baron Karl von Drais^[568][569]

• 1817: Tachometer by Diedrich Uhlhorn^[570][571]

• 1834: First practical rotary electric motor by Moritz von Jacobi^[572]

• 1838: First electric boat by Moritz von Jacobi^[573]

• 1876: Otto engine by Nicolaus Otto^[574]

• 1879–1881: First electric locomotive^[575] and electric tramway (Gross-Lichterfelde Tramway) by Siemens & Halske^[576][577]

• 1882: Trolleybus (Electromote) by Werner von Siemens^[578]

• 1885: First automobile (Benz Patent-Motorwagen) by Karl Benz in Mannheim^[579][580]

• 1885, 1894: Motorcycle (Daimler Reitwagen) by Gottlieb Daimler + Wilhelm Maybach.^[581] Hildebrand & Wolfmüller 1894 (+Alois Wolfmüller) first "motorcycle" + production.^[582]

• 1885: First modern internal combustion engine by Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach^[583]

• 1886: First automobile on four wheels, by Gottlieb Daimler^[584]

• 1886: Motorboat by Lürssen, in commission of Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, in Bremen^[585]

• 1888: Driver's license by Karl Benz^[586]

• 1888: The world's first filling station was the city pharmacy in Wiesloch^[587]

• 1888: Flocken Elektrowagen, regarded by some as the first real electric car,^[588] by Andreas Flocken in Coburg

• 1889: V engine by Gottlieb Daimler + Wilhelm Maybach^[589]

• 1891: Taximeter by Friedrich Wilhelm Gustav Bruhn^[590]

• 1893: Diesel engine, diesel fuel and biodiesel by Rudolf Diesel in Augsburg^[591]

• 1893: Lilienthal Normalsegelapparat, the first aeroplane to be serially produced,^[592][593] by Otto Lilienthal

• 1893: Zeppelin, the first rigid airship,^[594] by Ferdinand von Zeppelin^[595]

• 1895: Internal combustion engine bus by Daimler^[596]

• 1896: First truck (Daimler Motor-Lastwagen) by Gottlieb Daimler^[597]

• 1901: Mercedes 35 hp, as the first real modern automobile,^[600] by Paul Daimler + Wilhelm Maybach, also world's first drum brakes.^[601]

• 1902: First high voltage spark plug by Gottlob Honold^[603]

• 1902: First practical speedometer by Otto Schultze^[604][605]

• 1906: Gyrocompass by Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe^[606]

• 1909, 1912: The world's first passenger airline; DELAG in Frankfurt (1909).^[607] The company also employed the first flight attendant, Heinrich Kubis (1912).^[608]

• 1912: The world's first diesel locomotive by Gesellschaft für Thermo-Lokomotiven Diesel-Klose-Sulzer GmbH from Munich^[609] and Borsig from Berlin^[610]

• 1915: The world's first all-metal aircraft (Junkers J 1) by Junkers & Co^[611]

• 1916: Gasoline direct injection (GDI) by Junkers & Co^[612]

• 1928: First rocket-powered aircraft (Lippisch Ente) by Alexander Lippisch^[613]

• 1936: The first operational and practical helicopter (Focke-Wulf Fw 61), by Focke-Achgelis^[615]

• 1939: First aircraft with a turbojet (Heinkel He 178), and the first practical jet aircraft, by Hans von Ohain^[616]

• 1951: Airbag by Walter Linderer^[618]

• 1957: Wankel engine by Felix Wankel^[619]

• 1960s: Defogger by Heinz Kunert^[620]

• 1960s: Oxygen sensor by Robert Bosch GmbH^[621]

• 1995: Electronic stability control (ESC) by Robert Bosch GmbH and Mercedes-Benz^[622][623]