Seven immortal German products
Germany is not the world’s second largest exporter for nothing. Some innovations sought around the world became outmoded. But they pioneered markets that now dominate global trade.
4711 eau de cologne
Most people in Germany say 4711 eau de cologne reminds them of their grandmothers. Turns out people have been saying that for generations, because 4711 has been around since the early 18th century. This style of light fragrance was invented in Cologne and started out as a medicine. 4711 is so iconic it was owned by marketing giant Procter & Gamble for a number of years.
The Z3 computer
The world’s first programmable digital computer, the electromechanical Z3, was built by German computer pioneer Konrad Zuse in 1941. Zuse worked in isolation on two prototypes in his parent’s apartment in Berlin. Zuse founded one of the world’s first computer start-ups in 1946.
Birkenstock sandals
They make BMWs in the USA and VWs in China, but Birkenstock footwear has been made only in Germany for 230 years. Birks became an export hit in the 1960s when a California woman with sore feet tried them on during a visit to Germany, and began importing them to the US. The timing was perfect... it was the height of the Flower Power movement.
MP3 file format
Karlheinz Brandenburg was a doctoral student working on digital music compression in the 1980s. Based on his and other’s work, Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute launched the first software MP3 encoder in 1994 and chose the filename extension mp3. Soon MP3 files began to be shared on the Internet, transforming the music business forever.
Aspirin
In 1897, scientists at Bayer AG created a synthetic medication and named the acetylsalicylic acid compound, Aspirin. Bayer lost the trademark in France, Russia, the UK and the US after World War I, and it became a generic name in those countries. But Bayer still has the trademark in over 83 countries.
The spark plug
A Frenchman invented the very first electric spark plug. But Germany’s Robert Bosch built the first spark plug that was part of a complete automotive ignition system in 1898. Today, Bosch is one of the world’s largest suppliers of components to the automotive industry.
The cuckoo clock
Cuckoo clocks became a cottage industry in the Black Forest in the mid-18th century. Though new designs have been added over the years, the whistling mechanism has not changed. Manufacturers formed a trade association in 1987, and they claim millions of authentic cuckoo clocks have been sold in the last few years, mostly to customers in North America.