October 6th, 1983
The holiday was revived when President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October 6 as German-American Day to celebrate and honor the 300th anniversary of German American immigration and culture to the United States. The President called on Americans to observe the Day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
October 6, 1683- German-American Day celebrates German American heritage, commemorates the date in 1683 when thirteen German families from Krefeld in the Rhineland landed in Philadelphia.
Germantown Pennsylvania, was founded by German settlers, thirteen Quaker and Mennonite families, the first German settlement in the original thirteen American colonies.
Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben, also referred to as the Baron von Steuben, was a Prussian-born military officer who served as inspector general and Major General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War 1778. He made for the discipline, the Organization and the training of troops and was Chief of staff under George Washington. He was considered the Architect of American independence on the military level, because he succeeded in, themselves divided and militarily inexperienced group of rebels to transform into a powerful army. His tactical instructions formed the basis for the American victory in the battle of Monmouth.
The German-American Steuben Parade is held annually in September in New York City. It is one of the largest parades in the city and is traditionally followed by an Oktoberfest in Central Park as well as celebrations in Yorkville, Manhattan, a German section of New York City.
Levi Strauss, the inventor of the quintessential American garment — the blue jeans — was born in Buttenheim, Bavaria on February 26, 1829. After his father died in Germany , he immigrated with his mother and sisters to New York in 1847. He called himself Levi Strauss (Löb Strauss). He was engaged in the textile business of his older brothers.
The news of Gold discoveries, meanwhile, spread from the American West to the East Coast. In 1853, Levi Strauss followed the Gold Rush and moved to San Francisco. His 1853 founded company got the name Levi Strauss & company. His business partner Jacob Davis got on the idea, that the corners of the pockets and the bottom of the pants should be reinforced with rivets of a horse harness. On May 20, 1873 they received the patent.
Albert Einstein (14. März 1879 in Ulm; † 18. April 1955 in Princeton, New Jersey) Nobelpreise (1922) for Physics
Wernher von Braun was born in Wirsitz, Germany on March 23, 1912 He was a German engineer who worked on rocket technology, first for Germany and then for the United States.
He was one of the most important German weapons specialists to work on rocketry and jet propulsion in the U.S.
Many other famous people immigrated from Germany to the United States or have and had German ancestors.
Actor Leonardo Di Caprio
Actor Bruce Willis
Actor Nicholas Cage
Actor Clark Gable
Actor Fred Astair ( Fred Austerlitz)
Actor James Garner
Actor Johnny Weismueller
Actor Edward G. Robinson ( Emanuel Goldberg)
Actor Rock Hudson ( Roy Scherer)
Actor Woody Allen ( Allen Konigsberg)
Actress Sandra Bullock
Actress Renee Zellweger
Actress Doris Day ( Doris Kappelhoff)
Actress Barbara Streisand
Actress Kirsten Dunst
Actress Judy Garland ( Frances Gumm)
Dr. Seuss ( Theodor Seuss Geisel)
Dwight David Eisenhower 34 th US President
General Norman Schwarzkopf
Joseph Purlitzer
Babe Ruth ( George Herman) Baseball
Lou Gehrig Baseball
Ralph Lauren Modedesigner
Milton Hershey Chocolade
Henry John Heinz Heinz Ketchup
Leo Hirschfeld Tootsie Rolls
Louis Mayer Mayer Goldwyn MGM
Eric Carle Author
Ludwig Bemelmans Author
Frank Baum Author
Shel Silverstein Author
Hans and Margaret Rey Author
Elvis Presley
Dr. Henry Heimlich Heimlich Maneuver
Charles Schulz Cartoonist ( Snoopy)
Estee Lauder Cosmetic
Mary Kay Wagner Cosmetics
Larry King ( Larry Ziegler) TV Host
Jerry Seinfeld Comedian/ TV Host
Henry Steinway Piano
Helen Keller Deaf and Blind earned an BA
George Pullmann
David Copperfield Illusionist
Houdini ( Erich Weiss) Illusionist
Jonas Salk Polio Vaccination