Re: German inflexibility of thinking : Wed Feb 15, 2012 1:26 pm  

sanjunien wrote:

another notable exclusion has to be Pope Benedict XVI ?

as well as Jürgen Klinsmann...

If we start down the track of sportsmen and women, we'd be here ages – Beckenbauer and Rummenigge for starters (the latter of which reminds me of Karl Heinz Stockhausen). You''d have to include Lothar Matthäus too at a minimum.

Then there's the likes of Becker and Graff and Schumacher. I hadn't mentioned Bert Trautmann (nearly criminal of me), Max Schmeling and loads of track and field athletes.

Without checking back did I mention Werner Herzog?

If you want religious mentions, then Martin Niemöller, Dietrich Bonhoffer and Heinrich Gruber.

There are loads more I could have included.

If you want politics/historical figures etc – Frederich der Grosse (his 300th anniversary this year), the Great Elector, Otto von Bismarck, Helmuth von Möltke (the elder), Carl von Clausewitz, Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher ...

I've been rather fond of Prussian history since I found it the only part of my O' level history course that really gripped my imagination.

Re: German inflexibility of thinking : Wed Feb 15, 2012 1:32 pm  

But apart from all that lot (and providing the stimulus for a massive rebuilding programme in the 1940s and 50s), what have the Germans ever done for us...?

Re: German inflexibility of thinking : Wed Feb 15, 2012 1:42 pm  

Re: German inflexibility of thinking : Wed Feb 15, 2012 1:43 pm  

Mintball wrote:

If we start down the track of sportsmen and women, we'd be here ages – Beckenbauer and Rummenigge for starters (the latter of which reminds me of Karl Heinz Stockhausen). You''d have to include Lothar Matthäus too at a minimum.

Then there's the likes of Becker and Graff and Schumacher. I hadn't mentioned Bert Trautmann (nearly criminal of me), Max Schmeling and loads of track and field athletes.

Without checking back did I mention Werner Herzog?

If you want religious mentions, then Martin Niemöller, Dietrich Bonhoffer and Heinrich Gruber.

There are loads more I could have included.

If you want politics/historical figures etc – Frederich der Grosse (his 300th anniversary this year), the Great Elector, Otto von Bismarck, Helmuth von Möltke (the elder), Carl von Clausewitz, Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher ...

I've been rather fond of Prussian history since I found it the only part of my O' level history course that really gripped my imagination.

yes,all interesting stuff - such a vast subject matter

just the classical composers are enough for me to cope with but certainly not Mr Stockhauzen i'm afraid - call me an old fuddy duddy but my progressive persuasion can only stretch as far as Tippett,Shostakovitch & Paul Hindemith,another fine german composer.
I watched a concert with Julia Fischer the suprb german violinist/pianist who gave a rendition of the Ist movement of Hindemiths Piano Concerto on the solo violin as an encore after a performance of Tchaiks violin concerto - it was breathtaking
speaking of german virtuosos,Anne Sophie Mutter...brilliant

so 'what did the germans ever give us ?' well,where do we start and where on earth do we stop ?

Re: German inflexibility of thinking : Wed Feb 15, 2012 1:45 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

But apart from all that lot (and providing the stimulus for a massive rebuilding programme in the 1940s and 50s), what have the Germans ever done for us...?

Gave us our beloved Royal Family.

Re: German inflexibility of thinking : Wed Feb 15, 2012 1:47 pm  

Dally wrote:

Gave us our beloved Royal Family.

behead the lot of them !

Vive La Republique !!!

Re: German inflexibility of thinking : Mon Feb 20, 2012 5:06 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

But apart from all that lot (and providing the stimulus for a massive rebuilding programme in the 1940s and 50s), what have the Germans ever done for us...?

Gave us about half of our language?