2. INTRODUCTION
In former times as well as today Berlin was and is a
city of sciences and inventions.
The scientists of universities like Humboldt University
and other instituions of science are mostly well
known, e.g. the Nobelists (29) Albert Einstein (1921),
Otto Hahn (1944), Robert Koch (1905), Max Planck
(1918) or Liese Meitner a female scientist of physics
who worked together with Otto Hahn.
Less well known are inventors of objects for everyday
life. Some inventions and their inventors from Berlin will
be introduced now.
4. OHROPAX (1907)
Berlin in 1907: Maximilian Negwer produced the first auditory
protection stopper of the world. Most probably he did not
calculate at that time that the name OHROPAX would become
one day one of the best known brands for the subject "Auditory
protection". (oro pax (lat): peace for the ears)
During World War One Ohropax was used by German soldiors
for protection against the din of artillery
fire.
Meanwhile Ohropax is used in many
different situations: snoring of the
partner, traffic noise.
5. KNIRPS (1928)
THE INVENTOR OF THE TELESCOPIC UMBRELLA
On account of a war injury it was difficult for
Hans Haupt to carry at the same time a
walking stick and an umbrella, hence, he l
looked for a solution. The result?
The first umbrella with a foldable up frame – he fitted
perfectly in his pocket and was always available if it
rained!
In view of his small format it was
only natural that he called him his
small "tiddler" – as a "small little
fellow" – and of it the brand name
“Knirps” (tiddler) is derived,
because “tiddler” means in
German “little guy".
6. PERLON STOCKINGS (1938)
In a rainy winter's day in January, 1938 in Berlin Lichtenberg the
mysterious formula H-(NH-CH2) 5 – Con-OH became sythetic
fibre Perlon in the lab of the IG Farben concern in Berlin. The
inventor was professor Paul Schlack.
But first Perlon was processed to
parachutes, it found use as an ad-
ditive for tyres, uniforms, brushes
and gun clutches.
Only after World War II the
women's world aroused enthusiasm
of the Perlonstrumpf (stockings
made of this material) in Germany‘s
economic rising up time. No lady
went more without. Whether businesswoman, shop assistant,
stewardess or whore. Everybody knows how to estimate the very
delicate butts.
The triumphal procession of the Perlons and the nylon stocking
(fabricated at the same time in the USA) could begin.
7. FIRST COMPUTER (1941)
Berlin 1941: Konrad Zuse built the Z3, the first freely
programmable functional “arithmetic machine” working with
binary figures, the first computer of the world - in cooperation
with Helmut Schreyer.
In 1945 it was destroyed the Z3 with
bomb attacks. Zuse and Schreyer
worked in the confusion of the war
completely in isolation, without
exchange with colleagues and
without every appropriations.
To modern Pcs the Z3 is not to be
compared. It weighed more than
1 t, was big like a sitting room cup-
board and controlled only the basic arithmetical operations as
well as the root drawing.
8. GRILL WALKER (1998)
Because he got no state approval for a grill,
without further ado the Berliner Bertram Rohloff
buckled it on to himself – consisting of a small
grill, gas cylinder and a sunshade, together
approx. 20 kg. For it the "New York Times" has
already appreciated him: „Grillwalker rocks
Berlin“. In the meantime, devices have been
also sold to South Korea, Japan and
Colombia.
After two hours of standing position the puff
goes out to the grill walkers . Therefore, they
always work as a duet. One buckles on the
grill, the other procures supplies or recovers.
After two hours comes the change. One is just
only half a grill.
