Part 3 | S-Z

Famous Austrians, Germans, Swiss

An online supplement to the books
When in Germany and The German Way
by Hyde Flippo
Where Are
They Buried?
The graves and cemeteries of the famous

For famous
FILM PEOPLE
see our German-Hollywood Connection
site

Not so famous but interesting! See the Expat Interview

A-B-C | D-E-F | G-H-I J-K-L | M-N-O | P-Q-R S-T | U-V | W-X-Y-Z Links
Index


S-T

  • Egon Schiele (1890-1918) | Austrian painter. See The Art of Egon Schiele at the Web Museum.

  • Claudia Schiffer (1971- ) | Known as one of fashion's top models, the tall, Teutonically blonde Mannekin from Düsseldorf is also one of the world's richest. Discovered by German designer Karl Lagerfeld in 1988, Schiffer announced in October 1998 that she would retire from the fashion runway. She continues to do photo and ad work, and make TV appearances.

  • Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) | Second only to Goethe, one of Germany's greatest dramatists and poets. Schiller was forced by Duke Karl Eugen of Württemberg to study law and medicine for eight years. It comes as no surprise then to discover the theme of rebellion and protest in many of Schiller's works. His dramas include Die Räuber (1781), Kabale und Liebe (1784), Don Carlos (1787), Wallenstein (1800, considered his greatest drama and translated into English by Coleridge), and Wilhelm Tell (1804). Also see Schiller links below.

  • Max Schmeling (1905-2005) | German boxer best known for his two bouts with the American Joe Louis. More info from About.com - German Language.

  • Helmut Schmidt (1918-) | Schmidt was Willy Brandt's successor in 1974 and chancellor (SPD) for the next seven years (before the "other" Helmut, Helmut Kohl). One of the most intellectual of all German chancellors, Schmidt speaks eloquently in both German and English and has written several books. He is still popular, appearing regularly as a commentator and publishing Die Zeit, one of Germany's most respected weeklies.

  • Gerhard Schröder (1944- ) | Elected German chancellor in September 1998, Schröder (spelled Schroeder in English) is the former governor (Ministerpräsident) of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen). He succeeded Helmut Kohl, who had set the new German record for time in office as chancellor: 16 years (1982-1998).

  • Carl Schurz (1829-1906) | Born near Cologne, Germany, fled to America by way of England from the German revolution of 1848. Schurz was a Union general in the Civil War, became a U.S. Senator (R, Missouri, 1869-1875), Secretary of the Interior in the Rutherford B. Hayes administration, and confidant of Abraham Lincoln (for whom he campaigned). He also edited several newspapers and wrote two biographies. As interior secretary, Schurz promoted civil service reform and was sympathetic to the American Indians. The small reservation town of Schurz, Nevada honors his name.

  • Arnold Schwarzenegger | The most famous of the Austrian FILM PEOPLE found on German-Hollywood Connection Web site.

  • Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) | Generous doctor to the natives in Lambarene, French Equatorial Africa (now Gabon), where he lived from 1913 until his death there in 1965. He established a hospital for the natives in Lambarene and worked tirelessly to improve the living conditions there. Schweitzer was also an accomplished musician (notably on the organ) and theologian/philosopher who wrote several books on religious, humanitarian themes, as well as a classic work on J.S. Bach. During his time in Africa, Schweitzer often traveled abroad to lecture and give organ recitals. His 1931 autobiography is entitled Aus meinem Leben und Denken (My Life and Thought). In 1952 he received the Nobel Peace Prize. Schweitzer was born in Kaysersberg in German Alsace, now in France.

  • Heidi Simonis (1943-) | The first woman to become governor (Ministerpräsidentin) of any of the 16 German states (Bundesländer). Simonis was elected governor/prime minister of Schleswig-Holstein in 1993. Before that she served as the German Finanz-Ministerin (treasury minister).

  • Alexander Spoerl (1917-1978) | That rarity in German literature, a master of witty, ironic humor. One of his classic works, the semi-autobiographical Memoiren eines mittelmässigen Schülers (Memoirs of a Mediocre Student, 1950), pokes fun at what might seem to be an unfunny subject, describing in hilarious detail what it was like growing up in Germany just as the Nazis were coming to power. In addition to other humorous novels, Spoerl wrote entertaining manuals on coping with everyday equipment and tools in Mit dem Auto auf du (On Familiar Terms with the Car) and Mit der Kamera auf du (On Familiar Terms with the Camera). His father, Heinrich Spoerl (1887-1955), was also a humorist, whose best known novel, Die Feuerzangenbowle (1933), was made into a movie with Heinz Rühmann.

  • Charles Proteus Steinmetz (1865-1923) | Professor, mathematical genius, and theorist, he died with about 200 practical patents to his credit. His inventions and improvements were primarily in the area of electrical devices and the transmission of electricity. Steinmetz was born in Breslau. He studied there, in Berlin, and in Zurich before coming to the U.S. in 1889.

  • Rita Süßmuth (1937- ) | University professor and member of parliament Süßmuth served as the president of the German lower house of parliament (Bundestag) from 1988 to 1998.

  • Edward Teller (1908- ) | Born in Austria-Hungary and came to the U.S. in 1935 after studying in Germany. Known as the "father of the H-bomb," Teller worked on the wartime Manhattan project at Los Alamos, New Mexico. Teller accused American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer of blocking progress on the H-bomb during hearings in 1954.

  • Gerhard Thiele | German astronaut and scientist who has participated in NASA missions. One of nine Germans who have been to space. MORE > Germans in Space from About.com

  • Kurt Tucholsky (1890-1935) | German satirist best known for his biting humor and critical views of the human species. He committed suicide after his books were burned and he was exiled from Germany by the Nazis.


U-V

  • Walter Ulbricht (1893-1973) | Became one of the world's biggest liars as East German General Secretary when he said only months before he ordered the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961: "Niemand hat die Absicht, eine Mauer zu errichten." ("No one has any intention of building a wall.") On August 13, 1961 Ulbricht ordered Erich Honecker to begin construction of the infamous Wall that would fall 38 years later when Honecker was the leader of the soon-to-be-extinct DDR.

  • Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886-1969) | Born in Aachen, Germany. Known for his trend-setting architecture and the phrase "less is more," van der Rohe was associated with the Bauhaus and later headed the school that became the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. He designed classic skyscrapers like New York's Seagram building (1958), which pioneered the use of open space around such mid-city structures. (Also see Helmut Jahn, Walter Gropius and the architectural links below.)

  • Wernher von Braun (1912-1977) | See listing under "B"


W-X-Y-Z

  • Richard Wagner (1813-1883)  | Revolutionized classical music with his "Tristan und Isolde." His tremendous influence on opera came from popular works such as his "Ring Cycle" and the "Meistersinger von Nürnberg." Wagner built his famous music hall in Bayreuth, now the home of the annual Richard Wagner Festival (Festspiele). Fortunately, Wagner's music transcends his dark side as an anti-Semite and a philanderer. His life was also intertwined with that of "Mad King Ludwig" of Bavaria, who supported Wagner financially for a time. - See pictures of Wagner's grave in Bayreuth. - More Wagner Web links (below).

  • August von Wassermann (1866-1925) | Best known as the German pathologist who invented a widely-used test for the diagnosis of syphilis in 1906. Born in Bamberg, Wassermann studied in Vienna, Munich, Strassburg, and Berlin, where he was a student of bacteriologist Robert Koch. Wassermann also developed a treatment for diphtheria and vaccinations for cholera, tetanus, and typhoid fever.

  • Wim Wenders  | German film director ("Wings of Desire"), and...

  • Billy Wilder | Legendary Austrian director ("Some Like It Hot," "Double Indemnity"), are just two of the famous FILM PEOPLE found on The German-Hollywood Alphabetical Index

  • Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) | An Austrian-British philosopher of Jewish descent born in Vienna, he had much of his work published posthumously -- although his main work, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, considered a masterwork of philosophical thought (logical positivism), was first published in England in German and English in 1922. Tractatus dealt with the question of human language and thinking. Ironically, Wittgenstein claimed that his ideas were misunderstood by those claiming to be his followers. (See quotation above.)

  • Carl Zeiss (1816-1888) | Opened a workshop in 1846 for constructing microscopes and other optical instruments. The Carl Zeiss firm in Jena became famous for its quality glass and optical products. After World War II it was split into a western and an eastern firm.

  • Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917) | Graf (Count) Zeppelin invented the rigid-frame airship near Lake Constance (Bodensee). As a young military officer, Zeppelin visited America in the midst of the Civil War to brush up on his military science. (Zeppelin links!)

  • Hans Zimmer | Composer of film music for "The Lion King" and other Hollywood pictures -- just one of the famous FILM PEOPLE making The German-Hollywood Connection!

  • Konrad Zuse (1910-1995) | Invented the world's first mechanical binary digital computer, the Z1 (1936-1938), in Berlin. A restored but non-functional Z1 is on display in the German Technology Museum (Deutsches Technikmuseum) in Berlin. Zuse's Z2 (1940) was the first fully functioning electro-mechanical computer. A more advanced Z3 followed the next year. A replica of a later Zuse (TSU-sa) computer, the Z4, can be found at the German Museum (Deutsches Museum) in Munich. The Z4, completed in 1945, is considered the world's first programmable computer and predates the ENIAC in the U.S. by several years. (Zuse links!)

    "I remember mentioning to friends back in 1938 that the world chess champion would be beaten by a computer in 50 years time. Today we know computers are not far from this goal." - Konrad Zuse

  • Famous People Index | An index of all the people on the GW&M site.


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