Major German Inventions

World-Changing Innovations from Germany

• Aspirin (Felix Hoffmann, Bayer, 1897)
• Diesel engine (Rudolf Diesel, 1892)
• Automobile (Karl Benz & Gottlieb Daimler, 1885–1886)
• Printing press (movable type) (Johannes Gutenberg, c. 1440)
• Zeppelin (rigid airship) (Ferdinand von Zeppelin, 1900)
• Rocketry / V-2 (Wernher von Braun team, 1940s)
• X-ray imaging (Wilhelm Röntgen, 1895)
• Electron microscope (Ernst Ruska & Max Knoll, 1931)
• Television (mechanical scanning) (Paul Nipkow, 1884)
• Programmable computer (Z3) (Konrad Zuse, 1941)
• MP3 audio coding (Fraunhofer Society, 1980s–90s)
• Chip card (smart card) (Helmut Gröttrup & Jürgen Dethloff, 1968)

Germany's strong research infrastructure (Max Planck, Fraunhofer, universities) continues to drive innovation.