Werner von Siemens(1816-1892)
Ernst Werner Siemens' family moved to Lübeck in 1823 for economic reasons. Siemens received private lessons and later attended high school in Lübeck. He stopped attending school early. In 1834 he left Lübeck and moved to Berlin. There he became an officer candidate in the artillery of the Prussian army. Siemens was given the opportunity to study mathematics, chemistry, physics and ballistics for three years at the Berlin Engineering and Artillery School. In 1838 he became a lieutenant. The following year, 1839, his mother died and a year later his father died. He remained in the military until 1849. The final move to Berlin took place in 1842. Werner Siemens worked there in the field of telegraphy and earned his money to support his younger siblings. In 1846, Siemens invented the pointer telegraph.
The following year he and the university mechanic J.G. Halske founded the company "Telegraphen-Bauanstalt Siemens & Halske". This company formed the foundation for the later global corporation Siemens. In the revolutionary year of 1848, Siemens received the public contract to equip the Berlin-Frankfurt telegraph line with its pointer telegraph. In 1853 he worked on behalf of the Russian government, for which he renewed the telegraph line in the Tsarist Empire. In 1855 he founded a branch in St. Petersburg. The order situation there developed very positively, so that Siemens was able to successfully survive the domestic economic crisis with these business profits. During this time he invented measuring instruments, relays and other technical achievements. Siemens developed a process for laying deep-sea cables, which he tested in 1857 on behalf of the British government.
The following year, 1858, he founded another branch in London, which was run by his brother Wilhelm Siemens. He also opened a factory in Wollwich to manufacture cables. Between 1862 and 1866, Siemens was a member of the Prussian state parliament for the Progress Party. In this role he opened up the foreign market for products from Germany. In 1866 he discovered the dynamoelectric principle, which turned out to be a significant discovery both technically and economically. Ernst Werner Siemens then built the first dynamo machine and began production in 1879. This marked the beginning of the age of high-voltage technology. In 1868, work began on the approximately 11,000 kilometer long telegraph line between London, Tehran and Calcutta. After around twelve years of construction, the work was completed.
From 1867 onwards, Siemens continued to run the company alone; his partner Halske had left. Siemens' awards include an honorary doctorate, which he received from the University of Berlin in 1860. In 1873 he was admitted to the Prussian Academy of Sciences. In 1888, Emperor Wilhelm I elevated him to the nobility, which is why he now called himself Werner von Siemens. In 1874, von Siemens connected Ireland to America with an Atlantic submarine cable. His suggestions led to the adoption of the first German patent law in 1877. The following year he invented electric street lighting. In 1879, von Siemens developed the world's first electric railway and presented it to the public at the Berlin trade fair in the same year. Two years later he built the world's first electric railway in Berlin, which was put into operation.
In 1880, von Siemens was a co-founder of the "Electrical Engineering Association", today known as VDE - Association of German Electrical Engineers. In 1887 he contributed to the founding of the Physical-Technical Reichsanstalt. Werner von Siemens dedicated his extensive life's work to the scientific foundation of electrical engineering. By 1890, the Siemens Group had 6,000 employees. In addition, he was committed to the technical development of everyday life and to promoting the economy. As an entrepreneur, he also had social responsibility. For example, he founded the "Siemens Pension Fund" to provide for the retirement of his employees. Particularly in the social area, Siemens introduced social policy measures such as the nine-hour day, which were groundbreaking. He wanted to bind his employees to the company.
The following year he and the university mechanic J.G. Halske founded the company "Telegraphen-Bauanstalt Siemens & Halske". This company formed the foundation for the later global corporation Siemens. In the revolutionary year of 1848, Siemens received the public contract to equip the Berlin-Frankfurt telegraph line with its pointer telegraph. In 1853 he worked on behalf of the Russian government, for which he renewed the telegraph line in the Tsarist Empire. In 1855 he founded a branch in St. Petersburg. The order situation there developed very positively, so that Siemens was able to successfully survive the domestic economic crisis with these business profits. During this time he invented measuring instruments, relays and other technical achievements. Siemens developed a process for laying deep-sea cables, which he tested in 1857 on behalf of the British government.
The following year, 1858, he founded another branch in London, which was run by his brother Wilhelm Siemens. He also opened a factory in Wollwich to manufacture cables. Between 1862 and 1866, Siemens was a member of the Prussian state parliament for the Progress Party. In this role he opened up the foreign market for products from Germany. In 1866 he discovered the dynamoelectric principle, which turned out to be a significant discovery both technically and economically. Ernst Werner Siemens then built the first dynamo machine and began production in 1879. This marked the beginning of the age of high-voltage technology. In 1868, work began on the approximately 11,000 kilometer long telegraph line between London, Tehran and Calcutta. After around twelve years of construction, the work was completed.
From 1867 onwards, Siemens continued to run the company alone; his partner Halske had left. Siemens' awards include an honorary doctorate, which he received from the University of Berlin in 1860. In 1873 he was admitted to the Prussian Academy of Sciences. In 1888, Emperor Wilhelm I elevated him to the nobility, which is why he now called himself Werner von Siemens. In 1874, von Siemens connected Ireland to America with an Atlantic submarine cable. His suggestions led to the adoption of the first German patent law in 1877. The following year he invented electric street lighting. In 1879, von Siemens developed the world's first electric railway and presented it to the public at the Berlin trade fair in the same year. Two years later he built the world's first electric railway in Berlin, which was put into operation.
In 1880, von Siemens was a co-founder of the "Electrical Engineering Association", today known as VDE - Association of German Electrical Engineers. In 1887 he contributed to the founding of the Physical-Technical Reichsanstalt. Werner von Siemens dedicated his extensive life's work to the scientific foundation of electrical engineering. By 1890, the Siemens Group had 6,000 employees. In addition, he was committed to the technical development of everyday life and to promoting the economy. As an entrepreneur, he also had social responsibility. For example, he founded the "Siemens Pension Fund" to provide for the retirement of his employees. Particularly in the social area, Siemens introduced social policy measures such as the nine-hour day, which were groundbreaking. He wanted to bind his employees to the company.