September 15

© 1997, 1998 by Paul A. Schons

September 15, 1757

Birth of Karl Philipp Moritz in Hameln, Germany. A novelist, Moritz is remembered primarily for Andreas Hartknopf and Anton Reiser which give insight into the period in which he lived.

September 15, 1834

Birth of the historian, Heinrich von Treitschke, in Dresden, Germany. Treitschke was a professor of history and political science at the Universities of Leipzig, Freiburg, Kiel, Heidelberg and Berlin. He was a strong advocate of German unification as a rebirth of the Holy Roman Empire under Prussian leadership. His philosophy of political structure was authoritarian.

September 15, 1876

Birth of Bruno Walter in Berlin, Germany. Walter was a leading orchestral conductor of his day. After establishing a reputation in Cologne, Berlin, Vienna and Leipzig he moved to the United States (1939) where he conducted in New York.

September 15, 1885

Birth of Ina Seidel in Halle, Germany.

September 15, 1916

The British use tanks for the first time in WWI.

September 15, 1935

The Nürnberg Laws declare that Jews are no longer citizens of the Third Reich. The Nürnberg Laws also adopt the swastika as the symbol of Germany.

September 15, 1945

Death of Anton Friedrich von Webern in Mittersill, Austria. Von Webern studied music at the University of Vienna where he earned the doctorate in 1906. As early as 1904 he had been a private student of Arnold Schönberg. He was an early user of Schönberg's 12 tone scales. Von Webern stayed in Austria after the German annexation but was not able to produce since contemporary music of the sort he wrote was termed "degenerate" and forbidden. In 1945 he and his wife, fearing the approaching Russian army, fled Vienna to a small town near Salzburg. There he was accidentally shot to death by a U. S. soldier. Von Webern was a prolific composer of instrumental works, vocal works and "Lieder".

September 15, 1949

The first post-war German Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer is elected.

September 15, 1953

Death of Erich Mendelsohn in San Francisco (born in Allenstein, Germany (now in Poland)). Mendelsohn, who was associated with the "Blaue Reiter" group of Expressionists in Munich, led in Expressionism in architecture. He studied at the Technical Academy in Munich. In 1919-1921 he built the Einstein Tower in Potsdam. He left Germany in 1933 with the rise of the Nazis and immigrated to the United States where he made his home in San Francisco. Significant Mendelsohn buildings are in St. Louis, Cleveland, Grand Rapids and St. Paul.

September 15, 1957

The third parliamentary elections are held in West Germany. The CDU/CSU gets 50.2% of the vote, the SPD 31.8%, the FDP 7.7%. Konrad Adenauer remains the chancellor.