September 20

© 1997, 1998 by Paul A. Schons

September 20, 1863

Death of Jakob Grimm in Berlin, Germany. Along with his brother, Wilhelm he is known most for the Grimms' fairy tales, published as Kinder- und Hausmärchen. (1812-1822). But the brothers did a huge amount of work which is equally important but less known. Between 1816-18 they published Deutsche Sagen, a collection of German legends. Between 1819 and 1837 Jakob prepared a complete German grammar, Deutsche Grammatik. His work in linguistics led to a new science. Grimm's Law in linguistics is named for Jakob Grimm. He further published an analysis of ancient Germanic law, Deutsche Rechtsaltertümer. The most extensive work undertaken by the brothers was the complete German dictionary, Deutsches Wörterbuch. The work was so extensive that neither lived to see it completed. Scholars continued the work after the Grimms' deaths and finally finished it about a century after they had started it. Jakob also published a history of the German language, Geschichte der deutschen Sprache.

September 20, 1875

Birth of Matthias Erzberger in Buttenhausen, Germany. Erzberger, a member of the Catholic Center Party, worked toward the peace to end WWI and was a signatory of the Armistice in 1918. Later he was first berated by right extremist groups and in 1921 shot to death by right wing radicals.

September 20, 1884

A 6.2 mile tunnel, the Arlberg Tunnel, is completed in the Austrian Alps.

September 20, 1894

Death of Heinrich Hoffmann in Frankfurt am Main. Hoffmann is most widely known as the author of Struwwelpeter.

September 20, 1945

German rocket engineers who have been captured at the end of the War and been brought to the U. S. start work on the American rocket program.

September 20, 1949

Ludwig Erhard is named Minister of Economics in Konrad Adenauer's cabinet.

September 20, 1990

The two Germanys ratify a treaty of unification.

September 20, 2005

September 20, 2005 Simon Wiesental dies at age 96 at his home in Vienna:
Los Angeles - Simon Wiesenthal, Holocaust-Überlebender und Vorkämpfer gegen den Antisemitismus, ist im Alter von 96 Jahren gestorben. Er sei in seinem Haus in Wien friedlich entschlafen, teilte der Leiter des Simon-Wiesenthal-Zentrums, Marvin Hier, in Los Angeles mit.
---Die Welt am 20.9.05