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This is alist of German inventors and discoverers. The following list comprises people from Germany or German-speaking Europe, and also people of predominantly German heritage, in alphabetical order of the surname.

• Ernst Abbe: Invented the firstrefractometer, and many other devices. Donated his shares in the company Carl Zeiss to formCarl-Zeiss-Stiftung, still in existence today.
• Franz Carl Achard: Developed a process to produce sugar from sugar beet. Built the first factory for the process in 1802.
• Robert Adler: Invented a better television remote control.
• Konrad Adenauer: Invented soya sausage (1916; "Kölner Wurst")^[1] and, together with Jean and Josef Oebel, [coarse] wholemeal bread (1917; Kölner Brot).^[2]
• Georgius Agricola: Named "the father of mineralogy".
• Wilhelm Albert: Invented thewire rope 1834.
• Kurt Alder: Discovery of theDiels–Alder reaction, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1950.
• Richard Altmann: Discovery of theMitochondrion
• Alois Alzheimer: Psychiatrist who discoveredAlzheimer´s disease, a degeneration of the brain in old age.
• Ottomar Anschütz: in 1883 he patented a camera with an internal roller blind shutter mechanism, just in front of the photographic plate. Thus the focal-plane shutter in modern recognizable form was born.
• Hermann Anschütz-Kaempfe: Invented thegyrocompass in 1907.
• Manfred von Ardenne: Self-taught researcher, applied physicist and inventor. Inventor of television among other things. 600 patents in fields including electron microscopy, medical technology, nuclear technology, plasma physics, and radio and television technology.
• Leo Arons:Mercury-vapor lamp together withPeter Cooper Hewitt.
• Carl Auer von Welsbach:Gas mantle
• Leopold Auerbach: Discovery of Plexus myentericus Auerbachi, or Auerbach's plexus.
• Max Abraham: Physicist. Worked as Max Planck's assistant for three years. Developed theories on electrons.

• Walter Baade: astronomer, discovered together with Fritz Zwicky, he identifiedsupernovae as a new category of astronomical objects
• Karl Ernst von Baer: discovered mammal ovum.
• Ralph Baer: Inventor of thefirst home video game console.
• Adolf von Baeyer: Chemist. Synthesizedindigo, discovered the phthalein dyes, and investigated polyacetylenes, oxonium salts, nitroso compounds (1869) and uric acid derivatives (1860 and onwards) including the discovery of barbituric acid (1864).Nobel laureate 1905.
• Albert Ballin: Father of moderncruise ship travel
• Heinrich Band: Developed a musical instrument and called itbandoneón in 1846. It is used in most tango orchestras until today.
• Heinrich Barkhausen: Discovered what is now called theBarkhausen effect, to describe the phenomenon, which is caused by rapid changes of size of magnetic domains in 1919, andBarkhausen stability criterion.
• Oskar Barnack: The father of the first mass marketed 35mm camera andLeica.
• Heinrich Anton de Bary: Father ofPhytopathology, the science of plant diseases and modernMycology. Coined the wordsymbiosis in 1879.
• Karl Adolph von Basedow: Discovery and description ofGraves-Basedow disease
• Wilhelm Bauer: Inventor and engineer, who built several hand-powered submarines.
• Eugen Baumann: He was one of the first people to create polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and, together with Carl Schotten, he discovered the Schotten-Baumann reaction.
• Carl Baunscheidt: Inventor of theLebenswecker ("life awakener") or "artificial leech".
• Hans Beck: Inventor of the toyPlaymobil.
• Georg Bednorz: Physicist, discoveredhigh-temperature superconductivity inceramics, shared the 1987 Nobel Prize in Physics.
• Martin Behaim: Inventor of the first globe of the world (Erdapfel) between 1491 and 1493.
• Alexander Behm: Inventor ofecho sounding. The patent was granted in 1913.
• Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen: Navigator and Explorer. Discovered the land mass ofAntarctica on January 28, 1820.
• Friedrich Bessel: astronomer, he is credited with being the first to use parallax in calculating the distance to a star.
• Hans Bethe: Nuclear physicist and Nobel laureate in physics 1967. During World War II, he was head of the Theoretical Division at the secretLos Alamos laboratory which developed the firstatomic bombs.
• Emil Adolf von Behring: Discovered the diphtheria antitoxin. It was the world's first cure for a disease (1891).^[3] He was awarded history's first Nobel Prize in Physiology of Medicine in 1901.
• Melitta Bentz: Inventor of the coffee filter, 1908.
• Karl Benz: Father and inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile, 1885, and pioneering founder of automobile manufacturing.
• Albrecht Berblinger: Inventor of the spring prosthesis and hang-glider (1811).^[a]
• Hans Berger: a German neurologist, best known as the inventor ofelectroencephalography (EEG) (the recording of "brain waves") in 1924, coining the name, and the discoverer of thealpha wave rhythm known as "Berger's wave"
• Emil Berliner: He is best known for developing the microphone and disc record gramophone.
• Albert Betz:Betz's law, 1913
• Gerd Binnig: Physicist. Design of the scanning tunneling microscope (STM) withHeinrich Rohrer. Nobel laureate 1986.
• Ludwig Blattner: developed the Blattnerphone, the first magnetictape recorder (using steel tape) whilst working in Britain in the late 1920s.^[4]
• Max Bockmühl: He developed together with GermanGustav EhrhartMethadone in 1937 in Germany, working for I.G. Farbenindustrie AG at the Farbwerke Hoechst
• Johann Elert Bode: Discovered the Titus-Bode Law
• Ludwig Bölkow: Aeronautical pioneer. Was instrumental in the development of theMe 262, developed a newrotorhead concept for helicopters.
• Max Born: Physicist and mathematician. Groundbreaking work in quantum mechanics. Nobel laureate 1954 with Walther Bothe. His Ph.D. student Delbrück, and six of his assistants (Fermi, Heisenberg, Goeppert-Mayer, Herzberg, Pauli, Wigner) went on to win Nobel Prizes. His Ph.D. studentJ. Robert Oppenheimer led the project to develop the atomic bomb.
• Manfred Börner: Physicist. Developed the first workingfiber-optical data transmission system in 1965. Received a patent for an "electro-optical transmission system utilizing lasers".
• Carl Bosch: Chemist and Nobel laureate, discovered the processes of industrial high pressure chemistry.
• Robert Bosch: He invented, engineered and launched various innovations for the motor vehicle.
• Walther Bothe: Nuclear physicist, who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954 with Max Born.
• Johann Friedrich Böttger: He was generally acknowledged as the inventor of European porcelain although more recent sources ascribe this toEhrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. Böttger is still credited with developing the manufacture of porcelain in Europe.
• Karlheinz Brandenburg: Inventor and audio engineer; father of audio compression format MPEG Audio Layer 3, more commonly known as MP3.
• Karl Ferdinand Braun: Inventor of the CRT oscilloscope in 1897
• Wernher von Braun: The preeminent rocket engineer of the 20th century. Developed theV-2 rocket for Germany. BuiltSaturn V rocket in USA which put man on the moon.
• Korbinian Brodmann: neurologist,Brodmann area in brain
• Walter Bruch:PAL, colour encoding system for analogue television
• Friedrich Wilhelm Gustav Bruhn: inventor ofTaximeter
• Ernst Büchner: Chemist and inventor ofBüchner flask andBüchner funnel.
• Robert Bunsen: Chemist who developed theBunsen burner, and withGustav Kirchhoff he discovered caesium (1860) and rubidium (1861).
• Wilhelm Busch: Caricaturist, painter and poet; father of comics.
• Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann: Pioneer and promoter of theharmonica.
• Adolf Busemann: Discovered the effect ofswept wing for modern aircraft in 1935.
• Adolf Butenandt: Discovered primary female sex hormones. Shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Leopold Ruzicka in 1939.

• Georg Cantor: Mathematician, discoverer of theset theory (1870s), which has become a fundamental theory in mathematics.
• Ernst Boris Chain: biochemist, co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work onpenicillin (together with Fleming).
• Carl von Clausewitz: The father of modernmilitary theory.
• Justus Claproth: Jurist and inventor of recyclable paper anddeinking.
• Nicolaus Copernicus: Astronom, formulated aheliocentricmodel of theuniverse which placed the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the center.
• Manfred Curry:German American yachtsman, developed thecam cleat used on sailboats to easily and quickly secure a rope, discoverer of the pseudoscientific phenomenon of "geomagnetic lines" called the Curry Grid.

• Gottlieb Daimler: He invented the first high-speed petrol engine and the first four-wheel automobile, also the firstinternal combustion motorcycle, theReitwagen.
• Adolf "Adi" Dassler: Sports shoes with and without spikes; founder ofAdidas.
• Rudolf Dassler: First sport shoes with screw-in shoe spikes, 1949; founder ofPuma.
• Hans Georg Dehmelt: Physicist. Co-developed the non-magnetic quadrupole mass filter which laid the foundation for what we now call anion trap. Shared the Nobel Prize in 1989.
• Max Delbrück:German American biophysicist. He was awarded theNobel Prize for discovering that bacteria become resistant to viruses (phages) as a result of genetic mutations.
• Johann Christoph Denner: Woodwind instrument maker, inventor of theclarinet.
• Jürgen Dethloff: Inventor and engineer, co-inventor of theSmart card (together withHelmut Gröttrup).
• Johann Friedrich Dieffenbach: Pioneer of skin transplantation and cosmetic surgery.
• Ernst Dickmanns: Developer of the firstdriverless car.
• Otto Diels:Diels–Alder reaction (together withKurt Alder)
• Rudolf Diesel: Inventor of thediesel engine 1893.
• Gerhard Domagk: Discovery of what would become the first commercially available antibiotic.
• Christian Doppler: Discovered theDoppler effect.
• Walter Robert Dornberger: Co-inventor of theV-2 rocket.
• Karl Drais: Inventor of the bicycle and typewriter (1821) among other things.
• Peter Ferdinand Drucker: Invented the science of modern management.

• Paul Ehrlich: Scientist in the fields of hematology, immunology, and chemotherapy, and Nobel laureate. Developed an effective treatment against syphilis.
• Caroline Eichler: Inventor, first woman to receive a patent (for her leg prosthesis)
• Albert Einstein: Father of Theoretical Physics, inventor and discoverer.
• Ludwig Elsbett: Developed new concepts for Diesel engines which drastically enhanced efficiency.
• Douglas Engelbart:German American inventor of thecomputer mouse.
• Evaristo Conrado Engelberg: Inventor in 1885 of a machine used to remove the husks from rice and coffee, theEngelberg huller.
• Friedrich Engels: He invented together withKarl Marx the economic and sociopolitical worldviewMarxism.
• Hugo Erdmann: Chemist who discovered, together with his doctoral advisorJacob Volhard, theVolhard-Erdmann cyclization. In 1898 he was the first who coined the termnoble gas (the original noun isEdelgas inGerman).^[5]
• Leonhard Euler: Swiss mathematician and physicist. One of the most influential mathematicians of the 18th century.

• Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit: Physicist and engineer who invented thealcohol thermometer (1709), themercury thermometer (1714), anda temperature scale now named after him.
• Gerd Faltings:Mathematician known for his work inarithmeticalgebraic geometry,Fields Medal in 1986 for proving theMordell conjecture.
• Otto Feick:Wheel gymnastics in 1925.
• Wilhelm Emil Fein: Invented the electrically-driven hand drill in 1895.
• Artur Fischer: Invented the (split)wallplug made of plastic in 1958.
• Hermann Emil Fischer: Discoveries in chemistry.
• Franz Fischer andHans Tropsch: Invented a process in 1925 to turn coal into synthesis gas, and still further into liquid hydrocarbons. The process is a key component in moderngas to liquids processes.
• Wilhelm Rudolph Fittig: He discovered thepinacol coupling reaction,mesitylene,diacetyl andbiphenyl.
• Irmgard Flügge-Lotz: She worked on what she called "discontinuous automatic control", which laid the foundation for automatic on-off aircraft control systems in jets.
• Werner Forssmann: Performed the first human cardiac catheterisation. Shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine 1956
• Joseph von Fraunhofer: Discovery of the dark absorption lines known as Fraunhofer lines in the Sun's spectrum, and for making excellent optical glass and achromatic telescope objectives.
• Gottlob Frege: He is generally considered to be the father ofanalytic philosophy. Had influence onCarnap,Russell, andWittgenstein
• Otto Frenzl: Aeronautical pioneer, developed thearea rule in 1943, a design technique for airfoils used to reduce an aircraft's drag at transonic and supersonic speeds. Later it was independently developed again byRichard T. Whitcomb in 1952.
• Sigmund Freud:Neurologist who became known as the founding father ofpsychoanalysis.
• Nikolaus Friedreich: Discovery of Friedreich-Auerbach disease (together with Leopold Auerbach) among other things.
• Friedrich Fröbel: Pedagogue, who laid the foundation for modern education. He created the concept of thekindergarten.
• Klaus Fuchs: Theoretical physicist
• Johann Carl Fuhlrott: Had the insight to recognize theNeanderthal bones for what they were: the remains of a previously unknown type of humans. He (together with Schaafhausen) is considered to be the father ofpaleoanthropology.

• Hermann Ganswindt: Inventor and spaceflight scientist, whose inventions (such as the dirigible, the helicopter, and the internal combustion engine) are thought to have been ahead of his time.
• Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss: German mathematician and physical scientist who contributed significantly to many fields, including number theory, statistics, analysis, differential geometry, geodesy, geophysics, electrostatics, astronomy and optics. Sometimes referred to as "the Prince of Mathematicians".
• Hans Geiger: Inventor of theGeiger–Müller counter in 1928. It detects the emission of nuclear radiation through the ionization produced in a low-pressure gas in a Geiger–Müller tube. Further improved byWalther Müller.
• Heinrich Geißler: Inventor of theGeissler tube.
• Reinhard Genzel:Astrophysicist, he and his group were the first to track the motions ofstars at the centre of theMilky Way and show that they were orbiting a very massive object, probably asupermassiveblack hole.
• Walter Gerlach: Physicist who co-discovered spin quantization in a magnetic field, theStern–Gerlach effect.
• Edmund Germer: Inventor of the neon lamp (Neonlampe).
• Max Giese: Inventor of the firstconcrete pump in 1928.
• Heinrich Göbel: Inventor of Hemmer for Sewing Machines, 1865,^[6] Vacuum Pump (Improvement of the Geissler-System of vacuum pumps, 1881^[7] and Electric Incandescent Lamp (sockets to connect the filament of carbon and the conducting wires), 1882^[8]
• Kurt Gödel: Important discoveries in math and logic, such as theincompleteness theorems

• Maria Goeppert-Mayer: Physicist. Nobel laureate in Physics 1963 for proposing the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus together withJ. Hans D. Jensen. The unit for thetwo-photon absorption cross section is named the Goeppert-Mayer (GM) unit.
• Peter Carl Goldmark: Engineer who was instrumental in developing the long-playing (LP) microgroove 33-1/3 rpm vinyl phonograph disc.
• Heinrich Greinacher: German-Swiss physicist. He is regarded as an original experimenter and is the developer of the magnetron and the Greinacher multiplier; Cockcroft-Walton-Generator in 1914.
• Brothers Grimm: Academic pioneers of philology,linguistics, and storytelling. Worked together on the most comprehensive dictionary of the German languageDeutsches Wörterbuch.Jacob Grimm: Philologist and linguist. Described first what is now known asGrimm's law, the first scientific research intosound change in 1822.
• Alexander Grothendieck: Mathematician and the central figure behind the creation of the modern theory ofalgebraic geometry;Fields Medalist (1966).
• Helmut Gröttrup:smart card (together withJürgen Dethloff)
• Walter Gropius: Pioneer of modern architecture. Founder of theBauhaus. First modern industrial building designed in 1910.
• Peter Grünberg: Physicist. Discoveredgiant magnetoresistance withAlbert Fert. The discovery is used in gigabyte hard disk drives for computers. Nobel laureate 2007.
• Heinz Guderian: The father of modern mechanized warfare, inventor of the Blitzkrieg strategy.
• Otto von Guericke: Groundbreaking research into air pressure. Invented thevacuum pump in 1650.
• Beno Gutenberg: Together with AmericanCharles Francis Richter he inventedRichter magnitude scale.
• Johannes Gutenberg: Inventor of the technology of printing with movable type in 1439. The first book so printed was theGutenberg Bible, one of the most beautifully executed printed books ever produced.

• Fritz Haber: German chemist and Nobel laureate who pioneered synthetic ammonia and chemical warfare.
• Theodor W. Hänsch: Physicist, developed laser-based precision spectroscopy further to determine optical frequency extremely accurately. Nobel laureate in 2005.
• Otto Hahn: German chemist and Nobel laureate who pioneered the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. Considered to be "the father of nuclear chemistry" and the "founder of the atomic age". Discovered many isotopes,Protactinium andnuclear fission.
• Samuel Hahnemann: Physician, best known for creating a system of alternative medicine calledhomeopathy.
• Harald zur Hausen: Virologist, discovered the role ofpapilloma viruses in the development ofcervical cancer. His research made the development of a vaccine against papilloma possible, which will drastically reduce cervical cancer in future. Nobel laureate 2008.
• Henry J. Heinz: Tomato ketchup and fifty six other things.
• Werner Heisenberg: Theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to quantum mechanics. Discovered a particle's position and velocity cannot be known at the same time. Discovered atomic nuclei are made of protons and neutrons.
• Wolfgang Helfrich: Co-inventor ofTwisted nematic field effect.
• Rudolf Hell: Inventor of the first fax machine (Hellschreiber).
• Richard Hellmann: Hellmann's (Blue Ribbon) Mayonnaise, 1905.
• Hermann von Helmholtz: Discovered the principle of conservation of energy.
• Peter Henlein: Inventor of the portable watch.
• Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel (William Herschel): Discovered the planetUranus andinfrared radiation among other things.
• Heinrich Hertz: Physicist, Discoverer ofelectromagnetic/radio waves.
• Otto Herzog [de;fr]: First use of theCarabiner in mountain climbing which substantially enhanced security for mountaineers.
• Victor Francis Hess: DiscoveredCosmic rays. Also won theNobel Prize.
• David Hilbert: Influential mathematician who discovered and developed a broad range of fundamental ideas in math.
• Albert Hofmann: German-Swiss; Discovered the chemical properties ofchitin andlysergic acid diethylamide.
• Wilhelm Hofmeister: Discovery theAlternation of generations
• Felix Hoffmann: Isolated acetylsalicylic acid, a painkiller marketed under the name Aspirin (Bayer), 1897. In some English speaking countries marketed under the name disprin.
• Herman Hollerith: aGerman American statistician who developed a mechanical tabulator based on punched cards
• Gottlob Honold: Inventor of the spark plug and the modern internal combustion engine, as well as headlights.
• Horten brothers: Designed some of the most advanced aircraft of the 1940s, including the world's first jet-powered flying wing, theHorten Ho 229.
• Christian Hülsmeyer: German inventor of theTelemobilskop, a radio-based detector of remote objects; a 1904 precursor ofradar.
• Alexander von Humboldt: Naturalist and explorer. His quantitative work on botanical geography was foundational to the field of biogeography.
• Wilhelm von Humboldt: Originator of thelinguistic relativity hypothesis.

• Otmar Issing: Economist who invented the "pepet pillar" decision algorithm now used by theECB.

• J. Hans D. Jensen: Nuclear physicist, proposed thenuclear shell model, shared 1963 Nobel Prize in Physics.
• Hugo Junkers: Pioneer of all-metal aircraft construction with theJunkers J 1 (1915–16).

• Ferdinand Adolf Kehrer : Introduction of the transverse incision technique to minimize bleeding by modernCaesarean section
• Hermann Kemper: Invented the magnetic levitation train. Patent granted in 1934.
• Johannes Kepler: Discovered the laws of planetary motion.
• Donald J. Kessler: Astrophysicist, known for developing theKessler syndrome.
• Wolfgang Ketterle: German-American physicist who developed an "atom laser", amongst other breakthroughs. Nobel laureate 2001.
• Erhard Kietz: Pioneer discoverer of video technology.
• Gustav Kirchhoff: Discovery of the principles upon whichspectroscopy is founded.
• Martin Heinrich Klaproth: Discovered the elementUranium.
• Klaus von Klitzing:Physicist, known for discovery of the integerquantum Hall effect, 1985 Nobel Prize in Physics.
• Ludwig Knorr: Chemist, who together with Carl Paal, discovered thePaal-Knorr synthesis, and theKnorr quinoline synthesis andKnorr pyrrole synthesis.
• Robert Koch: Physician, discoverer, inventor and Nobel Prize winner. He became famous for isolating Bacillus anthracis (1877), the Tuberculosis bacillus (1882) and the Vibrio cholera (1883) and for his development of Koch's postulates.
• Arthur Korn: Inventor involved in development of the fax machine, specifically the transmission of photographs or telephotography, known as theBildtelegraph.
• Max Kramer: Aircraft engineer. Developed the first operational guided bomb in 1942/43. This firstsmart bomb was radio controlled and joy-stick operated.
• Julius H. Kroehl: Inventor and engineer, who built the first functioning submarine in the world.
• Herbert Kroemer: Physicist, shared the Nobel Prize in Physics 2000 for developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed- and opto-electronics.
• Max Krueger: Chemist, invented dynamite.
• Werner Krüger: Developed theKrueger flap, a lift enhancement device in modern aircraft wings in 1943.
• Alfred Krupp: Pioneer in metal casting and metal working process and procedures.
• Adam Johann von Krusenstern: Navigator and explorer, led the first Russian expedition to circumnavigate the Earth.
• Dietrich Küchemann: Aeronautical pioneer, developed wings for supersonic speed, such asdelta wings as used in theConcorde.

• Eugen Langen: Entrepreneur, engineer and inventor, involved in the development of the petrol engine and the Wuppertal monorail.
• Paul Langerhans:Islets of Langerhans,Langerhans cells
• Max von Laue: Discoveries regarding the diffraction of X-rays in crystals.
• Ernst Lecher: He is remembered for developing an apparatus— "Lecher lines"—to measure the wavelength and frequency of electromagnetic waves.
• Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz: Philosopher known for discovering the mathematical field of calculus and coherently laying down its basic operations in 1684.
• Georg Christoph Lichtenberg: German scientist credited with the development of theelectrophorus.
• Justus von Liebig: German chemist who made contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry.
• Otto Lilienthal: Father of Aviation and first successful aviator. Main discovery was the properties and shape of thewing.
• Carl von Linde: Engineer who, among other things, developed refrigeration and gas separation technologies.
• Walter Linderer: Father of theairbag.
• Alexander Lippisch: Pioneer of aerodynamics, his most famous design is theMesserschmitt Me 163.
• Ernst Litfaß: free-standing cylindricaladvertising column.

• Ernst Mach: Discovered many effects of high speed projectiles; theMach number is dedicated to his memory.
• Georg Hans Madelung: Academic and aeronautical engineer; a participant in the development of theJunkers F.13.
• Karl Marx: Political economist and philosopher, who defined the political/economical background of capitalism and discovered the mechanics ofMarxism.
• Wilhelm Maybach: Together with Gottlieb Daimler the first gasoline-powered motorcycle, power-engine boat and later, 1902, the Mercedes car model.
• Ottomar von Mayenburg: Inventor of "Chlorodont", the first commercial brand of toothpaste.
• Georg Meissner: DiscoveredMeissner's plexus.
• Lise Meitner: Nuclear physicist, who, together withOtto Frisch, provided a theoretical account of nuclear fission.
• Julius Lothar Meyer: With Mendeleev he developed the periodic classification of the elements in order of their atomic weight.
• Christian Erich Hermann von Meyer: He discovered the Triassic predatorTeratosaurus, the earliest birdArchaeopteryx lithographica (1861), the pterosaurRhamphorhynchus, and the prosauropod dinosaurPlateosaurus
• Gregor Mendel: Discoveries in genetics. Mendel demonstrated that the inheritance of certain traits in pea plants follows particular patterns, now referred to as the laws ofMendelian inheritance. First published in 1865.
• Ottmar Mergenthaler: Inventor who has been called a second Gutenberg because of his invention of the Linotype machine.
• Rudolf Mössbauer: physicist, discoveredMössbauer effect, shared Nobel Prize in Physics 1961.
• Johannes Peter Müller: Discoveries in physiology.

• Thomas Nast: TheGerman American "Father of the American Cartoon".
• Rudolf Nebel: Pioneer of German rocket research and – for many experts – Nestor of space travel
• Walther Nernst: Inventor of theNernst lamp and Nobel laureate 1920 in Chemistry.
• Karl Nessler: Inventor of thepermanent wave.
• Paul Gottlieb Nipkow: Technician and inventor, the "spiritual father" of the core element of first generation television technology.
• Emmy Noether: Mathematician. Groundbreaking contributions to abstract algebra and theoretical physics (Noether's theorem). Considered by many as the most influential woman in the history of mathematics.

• Hermann Oberth: Pioneer of rocket science and discoverer of theOberth effect.
• August Oetker: Pharmacist. He was the first to sellbaking powder in small packets to households instead of bakeries (as others before him) and thus made it the popular product we know today.
• Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain: The modern jet engine in 1933, patented in 1936.Frank Whittle had developed a similar concept independently in 1928/1929.
• Wilhelm Ostwald: Numerous discoveries and inventions in chemistry and other areas.
• Nikolaus August Otto: Inventor of the first internal-combustion engine to efficiently burn fuel directly in a piston chamber.

• Wolfgang Paul: Physicist. Co-developed the non-magnetic quadrupole mass filter which laid the foundation for what we now call anion trap. Shared the Nobel Prize in 1989.
• Hans von Pechmann: Chemist, renowned for his discovery ofdiazomethane in 1894.Pechmann condensation andPechmann pyrazole synthesis.
• Julius Richard Petri: Bacteriologist who is generally credited with inventing thePetri dish while working as assistant toRobert Koch.
• Emil Pfeiffer: Discovery ofInfectious mononucleosis
• Fritz Pfleumer: Inventor of magnetic tape for recording sound. He builts the world's first practical tape recorder, called Magnetophon K1.
• Max Planck: Physicist, Scientist. He is considered to be the founder of the quantum theory, and one of the most important physicists of the twentieth century.
• Robert Otto Pohl: German-American physicist; He developed the3ω-method, widely used to measure thermal conductivities. He is also known for showing that thermal properties of glass are different from crystalline solids at low temperatures.
• Robert Wichard Pohl: In 1938, together with Rudolf Hilsch, built first functioning solid-state amplifier using salt as the semiconductor.
• Ludwig Prandtl: First to explain theboundary layer and its importance for drag and streamlining in aircraft in 1904. He established and headed the Aerodynamische Versuchsanstalt in Göttingen, nowMax Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization. During his tenure the first wind tunnel in Germany was built here, thereby establishing a specific design for wind tunnels (Göttingen type).

• Georg Hermann Quincke: German physicist who invented the Quincke's Interference Tube, an apparatus which demonstrates destructive interference of sound waves.

• Adolf Rambold: Inventor of moderntea bag.
• Johann Philipp Reis: Inventor of the first phone transmitter in 1861, he also invented the termTelephone.
• Josef Rodenstock: Founder ofRodenstock, manufacturer of optical systems, ophthalmic lenses and spectacles frames.
• Ralf Reski:Moss bioreactor (1998).
• Paul Julius Freiherr von Reuter: Communications pioneer.
• Fritz Reiche: Was a student of Max Planck and a colleague of Albert Einstein, who was active in, and made important contributions to the early development of quantum mechanics including co-authoring the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule.
• Hans Reichel:Musical instrument inventor. Inventor of thedaxophone and variousovertone guitars.
• Bernhard Riemann: Mathematician, who made lasting contributions to analysis, number theory, and differential geometry.
• Johann Wilhelm Ritter: Physicist and discoverer ofUltraviolet.
• Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen: Physicist and discoverer of x-rays/Röntgen rays (8 November 1895), this earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901.
• Arthur Rudolph: Rocket engineer who, together withWernher von Braun, played a key role in the development of theV-2 rocket.
• Ernst Ruska: Physicist, developed the first electron microscope in 1933. Nobel laureate 1986.

• Carl Wilhelm Scheele:Oxygen (although Joseph Priestley published his findings first), identification ofmolybdenum,tungsten,barium,hydrogen andchlorine
• Arthur Scherbius: Developed the mechanical cipher machineEnigma. Patent granted in 1918.
• Paul Schlack: InventedNylon 6.
• Friedrich Albert Moritz Schlick: Was a German philosopher, physicist and the founding father of logical positivism and the Vienna Circle.
• Heinrich Schliemann: Father ofarchaeology, among other things he discovered HomericTroy.
• Hugo Schmeisser: Developed the first modern assault rifleStG 44 in 1942.
• Bernhard Schmidt: Developed a photographictelescope with minimal optical errors: theSchmidt camera.
• Paul Schmidt (inventor): Developed since 1928 his idea of a new drive, the "pulsating incineration", also used in theV-1 flying bomb (engine was called "Argus-Schmidtrohr");pulsejet was a development by Schmidt.
• Christian Friedrich Schönbein: Professor Schönbein is credited with four scientific advances:Ozone,Gun cotton,Collodion andFuel cell^[9]
• Johann Lukas Schönlein: Professor of medicine, he discovered among other things the parasitic cause of ringworm or favus (Achorion Schönleinii).

• Otto Schoetensack: Named theHomo heidelbergensis.
• Otto Schott: Inventor ofborosilicate glass. Donated his shares in the company Carl Zeiss to formCarl-Zeiss-Stiftung, still in existence today.
• Walter H. Schottky: Played a major early role in developing the theory of electron and ion emission phenomena, invented the screen-grid vacuum tube and the pentode.
• Marx Schwab: Silversmith, invented coining with the screw press around 1550.^[10]
• Theodor Schwann: Discovery of properties of cells in animals.
• Alois Senefelder: He invented the printing technique oflithography in 1796.
• Friedrich Sertürner: First to isolatemorphine from theopium poppy in 1803/1804, discovering morphine.
• Philipp Franz von Siebold: Physician and naturalist, detailed description and collection of the Japanese flora and fauna. Introduced Western medicine to Japan and opened a medical school.
• Ernst Werner von Siemens: Dynamo, pointer telegraph that used a needle to point to the right letter, first electric elevator, trolleybus.
• Friedrich Soennecken: InventedHole punch andring binder.
• Arnold Sommerfeld: Theoretical physicist who pioneered developments in atomic and quantum physics.
• Franz Ritter von Soxhlet: German agricultural chemist Prof. Dr. phil. von Soxhlet (1848–1926) invented the Soxhlet extractor in 1879. In 1886, he proposed that pasteurization be applied to milk in order to prevent disease and spoilage. He taught at the Technical University of Munich.
• Jack Steinberger: German-American-Swiss physicist, co-discovered themuon neutrino, shared 1988 Nobel Prize in Physics.
• Georg Wilhelm Steller: Chief naturalist on Vitus Bering's expedition during which Alaska was discovered (1741) and pioneer of Alaskan Natural History.Steller's sea cow (now extinct) was named after him.
• Otto Stern: Nobel laureate; contributed to the discovery of spin quantization in theStern–Gerlach experiment withWalther Gerlach in 1922.
• Heinrich Stölzel: Developed the valve for brass instruments which is used today in 1818. Friedrich Blühmel had made a similar development independently at the same time.
• Horst Ludwig Störmer: German-American physicist. Shared the Nobel Prize in 1998 for the discovery of a new form of quantum fluid with fractionally charged excitations.
• Levi Strauss: TheGerman American father ofblue jeans.
• Eduard Suess: Discoveries in geology.

• Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus: He is considered to have been the inventor of European porcelain.
• Oscar Troplowitz: He inventedadhesive tape,Leukoplast.

• Dietrich "Diedrich" Uhlhorn: Engineer, mechanic and inventor, who invented the first mechanical tachometer (1817), between 1817 and 1830 inventor of the Presse Monétaire (levelcoin press known as Uhlhorn Press) which bears his name.

• Abraham Vater: Professor of anatomy;Ampulla of Vater.
• Richard Vetter: Developed the most fuel efficientcondensing boiler for heating systems in 1980. Used in many houses in Europe.
• Rudolf Virchow: "Father of modern pathology"; numerous discoveries in the area of medicine.
• Hans Vogt: Invented sound-on-film (idea 1905) together with Jo Engl and Joseph Massolle, first sound-on-film for the public on 17 September 1922 in FilmtheaterAlhambra, Berlin, Germany.
• Woldemar Voigt (often: Waldemar Voigt): Physicist, who taught at the Georg August University of Göttingen. He worked on crystal physics, thermodynamics and electro-optics. He discovered the Voigt effect in 1898.
• Woldemar Voigt (engineer): Chief designer atMesserschmitt's Oberammergau offices and pioneer of theMe 163 andMe 264, project leader of the development of Me P. 1101, Me P. 1106, Me P. 1110, Me P. 1111,Me P. 1112 and Me P. 1116.^[11]
• Jacob Volhard: Chemist who discovered, together with his studentHugo Erdmann, theVolhard–Erdmann cyclization.
• Otto Vollbehr: Chemist; invented a magnifying glass, theMikrophotoskop, which made it possible to view greatly reduced photographic reproductions of the original sheets in the form of slides.

• Martin Waldseemüller: Cartographer, used the name "America" on his mapUniversalis Cosmographia in honour of the Florentine explorerAmerigo Vespucci. The map was drawn atSt-Die in 1507 and it was the first time "America" was used on a map.
• Otto Wallach: Chemist who researched, amongst others, alicyclic compounds. Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1910.
• Hellmuth Walter: Engineer who pioneered research into rocket engines and gas turbines.
• Felix Wankel: Inventor of the Rotary Motor.
• Max Weber: Discovered the mass effects of capitalism and modernity.
• Wilhelm Eduard Weber: Inventor of the first electromagnetic telegraph together with Carl Friedrich Gauss.
• Alfred Wegener: He is most notable for proposing continental drift in 1912
• Gustav Weißkopf: Aviation pioneer - World's First Motorized Flight: August 14, 1901.
• Clemens Alexander Winkler: Chemist who discovered the element germanium in 1886.
• August Wöhler: Investigatedfatigue phenomena in the behavior of materials
• Friedrich Wöhler: The first to synthesizeurea. Wöhler is regarded as a pioneer in organic chemistry.

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• Hermann Zapf: Pioneer of computer typography and creator of many well-known typefaces.
• Carl Zeiss: Pioneered glass casting and allied procedures and processes for high quality optics.
• Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin (1838–1917): Inventor of the airship named after him. Start of the airship LZ1 in 1900.
• Karl Zimmer: Discovered the effects ofionizing radiation onDNA in 1935.
• Konrad Zuse: Inventor of the first functional program-controlled Turing-completecomputer in 1941, and the firsthigh-level programming languagePlankalkül in 1942.

• German inventions and discoveries
• List of German Americans

• "Made in Germany"
• German Inventions - Discoveries
• A Sampling of German Inventors and Inventions
• German inventors—"Made in Germany"

• German inventors
• German inventions
• Germany history-related lists
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• Lists of inventors
• Lists of German people by occupation

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