Events in the year 1955 in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Incumbents

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

–

Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss (; 31 January 1884 – 12 December 1963) was a German liberal politician who served as the first president of West Germany from 1949 to 1959. His cordial nature – something of a contrast to the stern character of chancellor K ...

* Chancellor –

Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman who served as the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of the Christian Dem ...

Events

* May 15 - Rhineland-Palatinate state election, 1955 * June 24 - July 5 -

5th Berlin International Film Festival The 5th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 24 June to 5 July 1955. This year's festival did not give any official jury prizes, instead awards were given by audience voting. This continued until the FIAPF granted Berlin "A-St ...

* July 2 -

Tierpark Berlin The Tierpark Berlin is one of two zoos located in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1955 and is located in Friedrichsfelde on the former grounds of Friedrichsfelde Palace, which is situated within the zoo. , the zoo houses 7,250 animals from ...

opened. * July 15 - September 18 -

documenta 1 The first Documenta took place between 15 July and 18 September 1955 in Kassel, West Germany. The artistic director was Arnold Bode.Ausstellungskatalog, documenta, kunst des XX. jahrhunderts, München 1955, auch als Nachdruck bei Prestel, Münc ...

in Kassel * August 11 -

1955 Altensteig mid-air collision The Altensteig mid-air collision occurred on 11 August 1955 when two United States Air Force Fairchild C-119G Flying Boxcars collided and crashed three miles from Altensteig in West Germany. The aircraft were part of a formation of nine C-119s fly ...

* September 20 -

Treaty on Relations between the USSR and the GDR The Treaty on Relations Between the USSR and GDR was a treaty between the Soviet Union and German Democratic Republic, commonly known as East Germany, signed on 20 September 1955. The treaty became the legal basis for the Group of Soviet Forces in ...

Births

* 4 January -

Wolfgang Tiefensee Wolfgang Tiefensee (born 4 January 1955) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He was the Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Urban Development in the grand coalition cabinet led by Angela Merkel between 2005 and ...

, German politician * 14 January -

Jan Fedder Jan Fedder (; 14 January 1955 – 30 December 2019) was a German actor, born in Hamburg. He was best known for his role as police officer Dirk Matthies in the German television show ''Großstadtrevier''. He was also known for his role as the cru ...

, German actor (died

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

) * 16 January - Martin Roth, German museum director (died

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

) * 18 January - Gerburg Jahnke, German comedian * 25 January -

Petra Gerster Petra Gerster [] (born 25 January 1955) is a German journalist and news presenter. Early life and education Starting in 1973, Gerster studied German studies, Slavic studies, and literature with a grant of the German Academic Scholarship Founda ...

, German journalist * 1 February **

Hans Werner Olm Hans Werner Olm (Born Hans Olm, 1 February 1955 in Bochum) is a German television and film comedian.Römhild, Gerhard (2011)Ickern sagt herzlich willkommen, derwesten.de, 12 July 2011, retrieved 2011-07-31 His career began in 1975, when Olm t ...

, German comedian ** Christian, Duke of Oldenburg, head of the Grand Ducal Family of Oldenburg * 10 February - Bernd Martin, German football player (died

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

) * 6 March -

Friedbert Pflüger Friedbert Pflüger (born 6 March 1955) is a former German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He was a Member of the German Bundestag (1990–2006). He was Secretary of State in the Federal Ministry of Defence (2005–2006), an ...

, German politician * 8 March -

Thomas Bellut Thomas Bellut (born 8 March 1955) is a German journalist. From 2012 to 2022, he was the director (German: '' Intendant'') of the TV channel ZDF. Early life and education Bellut was born in Osnabrück. After graduating from the school Antonian ...

, German journalist * 11 March -

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the punk and new wave movements in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is known as ...

, German musician * 21 March -

Bärbel Wöckel Bärbel Wöckel ( Eckert; born 21 March 1955 in Leipzig) is a retired East German sprinter. She never ran a world record in the individual disciplines. However, she ran several world records as part of relay teams with Doris Maletzki ...

, German sprinter * 13 April -

Ole von Beust Ole von Beust (born 13 April 1955) is a former German politician who was First Mayor of Hamburg from 31 October 2001 to 25 August 2010, serving as President of the Bundesrat from 1 November 2007 on for one year. He was succeeded as mayor by C ...

, German politician * 29 April -

Klaus Siebert Klaus Siebert (29 April 1955 – 24 April 2016) was a German biathlete and biathlon coach who raced for East Germany. Career At the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, Siebert won a silver medal on the relay with the East German relay team ...

, German biathlete (died

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

) * 15 May - Claudia Roth, German politician * 15 May -

Alexander Pusch Alexander Pusch (born 15 May 1955 in Tauberbischofsheim, Baden-Württemberg) is a German fencer and Olympic champion in épée competition. Biography Alexander Pusch fought for the Fencing-Club Tauberbischofsheim. He won a gold medal in the in ...

, German fencer * 26 May - Doris Dörrie, German film director * 2 June - Heiko von der Leyen, German physician * 10 June -

Annette Schavan Annette Schavan (; born 10 June 1955) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). She was the Federal Minister of Education and Research in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2005 to 2013, when she resigned foll ...

, German politician * 11 June -

Marie Gruber Marie Gruber (11 June 1955 in Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia – 8 February 2018) was a German actress. She appeared in more than one hundred films since 1980. Selected filmography References External links

* 1955 births 2018 d ...

, German actress * 1 July - Rosemarie Wenner, German Methodist bishop * 29 July -

Christian Tramitz Christian Tramitz (born 29 July 1955) is a German actor and comedian. Early life Born in Munich, Bavaria, Tramitz is the grandson of Austrian actor Paul Hörbiger and first cousin once removed of actress Christiane Hörbiger. His parents are ...

, German actor, comedian, voice actor and author * 9 August -

Udo Beyer Udo Beyer (born 9 August 1955) is a former East German track and field athlete who competed in the shot put. Beyer has admitted to knowingly taking part in doping while he competed for East Germany. He was a Stasi informer under the codename ...

, German track and field athlete * 15 August -

Roger Willemsen Roger Willemsen (15 August 1955 – 7 February 2016) was a German author, essayist and TV presenter. Biography Willemsen was born and passed his Abitur in Bonn. He studied German philology (Germanistik), philosophy and history of art in Bonn, ...

, German author, essayist and TV presenter (died

) * 20 August -

Helge Schneider Helge Schneider (born 30 August 1955 in Mülheim an der Ruhr) is a German entertainer, comedian, musician, author, film and theatre director, and actor. He frequently appears on German television and is probably best known for his song "Katzeklo ...

, German comedian, jazz musician and multi-instrumentalist, author, film and theatre director, and actor * 25 August - Gerd Müller, German politician * 2 September -

Claus Kleber Claus-Detlev Walter Kleber (born 2 September 1955 in Reutlingen) is a German journalist and former lawyer. He anchored ''heute-journal'', an evening news program on ZDF, one of Germany's two major public TV stations. He is also known for his e ...

, German journalist * 14 September -

Wilhelm Huxhorn Wilhelm Huxhorn (; 20 September 1955, in Pfungstadt – 15 April 2010) was a German goalkeeper and record holder. He played 221 matches for SV Darmstadt 98. In 1985, he scored a goal from away which earned him an entry in the Book of Records. ...

, German footballer (died 2010) * 20 September **

Georg Christoph Biller Georg Christoph Biller (20 September 1955 – 27 January 2022) was a German choral conductor. He conducted the Thomanerchor as the sixteenth Thomaskantor since Johann Sebastian Bach from 1992 to 2015. He was also a baritone, an academic teacher, ...

, German choral conductor (died

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

) **

Lilo Wanders Ernst-Johann "Ernie" Reinhardt (born 22 September 1955), better known as Lilo Wanders, is a German transvestite actor, comedian and theatre/television host. Born in Celle, Reinhardt attended the Gymnasium Walsrode and went on to become an ente ...

, German transvestite entertainer, comedian and theatre/television host * 22 September - Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, German football player and trainer * 25 September - Peter Müller, German politician * 25 September -

Richy Müller Richy Müller (born Hans-Jürgen Müller; 26 September 1955) is a German television and movie actor. He is particularly known as a crime scene investigator in the German television series Tatort. Filmography * ' (1979, TV miniseries) * ''Jetzt u ...

, German actor * 30 September - Andy Bechtolsheim, German businessman * 11 October -

Hans-Peter Briegel Hans-Peter Briegel (born 11 October 1955) is a German former professional football player and manager who played as a defender or midfielder. One of the most popular German players in his days, Briegel's original sport was athletics, being succ ...

, German footballer * 25 October - Peter Nocke, German swimmer * 10 November -

Roland Emmerich Roland Emmerich (; born 10 November 1955) is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is widely known for his science fiction and disaster films and has been called a "master of disaster" within the industry. His films, most of wh ...

, German film director, screenwriter, and producer * 8 December -

Martin Semmelrogge Martin Semmelrogge (born 8 December 1955) is a German actor, best known for his role as the comical Second Watch Officer in the film ''Das Boot''. His character was based on the real life World War II submarine officer Werner Herrmann. Semmelr ...

, German actor * 15 December -

Renate Künast Renate Elly Künast (born 15 December 1955) is a German politician of Alliance 90/The Greens party. She was the Minister of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture from 2001 to 2005 and subsequently served as chairwoman of her party's parliame ...

, German politician * 22 December -

Thomas C. Südhof Thomas Christian Südhof (; born December 22, 1955), ForMemRS, is a German-American biochemist known for his study of synaptic transmission. Currently, he is a professor in the School of Medicine in the Department of Molecular and Cellular P ...

, German biochemist * 31 December -

Gregor Braun Gregor Braun (; born 31 December 1955) is a retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer from Germany, who was a professional rider from 1977 to 1989 and who became a multiple Olympic Gold medaillist and track world champion. his profession was ...

, German cyclist

Deaths

* 15 January —

Johannes Baader Johannes Baader (June 21, 1875 – January 14, 1955), originally trained as an architect, was a German writer and artist associated with Dada in Berlin. Life Baader was born in Stuttgart, where his father worked as a metalworker at the royal ...

, German architect, writer and artist (born

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

) * 24 January -

Friedrich Wilhelm Kopsch Friedrich Wilhelm Theodor Kopsch (4 March 1868 in Saarbrücken - 24 January 1955 in Berlin) was a German anatomist born in Saarbrücken. Life He studied under Heinrich Wilhelm Waldeyer (1836-1921) at the University of Berlin, obtaining his medi ...

, German anatomist (born

1868 Events January–March * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...

) *

20 February Events Pre-1600 *1339 – The Milanese army and the St. George's (San Giorgio) Mercenaries of Lodrisio Visconti clash in the Battle of Parabiago; Visconti is defeated. * 1472 – Orkney and Shetland are pawned by Norway to Scotland ...

—

Eugen Schmalenbach Eugen Schmalenbach (20 August 1873 – 20 February 1955) was a German academic and economist. He was born in Halver, and attended the Leipzig College of Commerce starting in 1898. That college later became part of Leipzig University, only to e ...

, German economist (born

1873 Events January–March * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defe ...

) *

24 March Events Pre-1600 *1199 – King Richard I of England is wounded by a crossbow bolt while fighting in France, leading to his death on April 6. *1387 – English victory over a Franco- Castilian-Flemish fleet in the Battle of Margate off ...

Otto Gessler Otto Karl Gessler (or Geßler) (6 February 1875 – 24 March 1955) was a liberal German politician during the Weimar Republic. From 1910 until 1914, he was mayor of Regensburg and from 1913 to 1919 mayor of Nuremberg. He served in numerous W ...

, German politician (born

) *

18 April Events Pre-1600 * 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 days. *1428 – Peace of Ferrara betwe ...

—

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...

, German theoretical physicist (born 1879) *

29 May Events Pre-1600 * 363 – The Roman emperor Julian defeats the Sasanian army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Sasanian capital, but is unable to take the city. *1108 – Battle of Uclés: Almoravid troops under th ...

Rudolf Klein-Rogge Friedrich Rudolf Klein (24 November 1885 – 29 May 1955), better known as Rudolf Klein-Rogge, was a German film actor, best known for playing sinister figures in films in the 1920s and 1930s as well as being a mainstay in director Fritz Lang's ...

, German actor (born 1885) * 29 June -

Ernst Legal Ernst Otto Eduard Legal (2 May 1881 – 29 June 1955) was a German actor and opera director of Berlin State Opera. Born on 2 May 1881 in Schlieben in the Prussian Province of Saxony, he was the father of the actress Marga Legal. He died in B ...

, German actor (born

1881 Events January–March * January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans. * January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The ...

) * 29 June —

Max Pechstein Hermann Max Pechstein (31 December 1881 – 29 June 1955) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and a member of the Die Brücke group. He fought on the Western Front during World War I and his art was classified as Degenerate Ar ...

, German painter (born

) *

2 August Events Pre-1600 *338 BC – A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Battle of Chaeronea, securing Macedonian hegemony in Greece and the Aegean. * 216 BC – The Carthaginian ar ...

Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria Rupprecht, Crown Prince of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria, Franconia and in Swabia, Count Palatine by (the) Rhine (''Rupprecht Maria Luitpold Ferdinand''; English: ''Robert Maria Leopold Ferdinand''; 18 May 1869 – 2 August 1955), was the last hei ...

, German nobleman (born

1869 Events January–March * January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan. * January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional Soccer, football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded. * January 20 & ...

) * 12 August —

Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...

, German author (born

) *

13 August Events Pre-1600 * 29 BC – Octavian holds the first of three consecutive triumphs in Rome to celebrate the victory over the Dalmatian tribes. * 523 – John I becomes the new Pope after the death of Pope Hormisdas. * 554 – Em ...

— Wilhelm Kreis, German architect (born

) * 19 August - Otto Weiß, Luftwaffe officer (born

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco ...

) * 25 August -

Heinrich Spoerl Heinrich Christian Johann Spoerl (; 1887–1955) was a German author. Biography Spoerl was born on 8 February 1887 in Düsseldorf, where he also grew up. He studied jurisprudence in Marburg, Berlin and Munich and was a solicitor in Düsseldorf fr ...

, German author (born

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl ...

) *

31 August Events Pre-1600 *1056 – After a sudden illness a few days previously, Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty. *1057 – Abdication of Byzantine Emperor Michael VI Bringas after just one year. * ...

: **

Willi Baumeister Willi Baumeister (22 January 1889 – 31 August 1955) was a German painter, scenic designer, art professor, and typographer. His work was part of the art competitions at the 1928 Summer Olympics and the 1932 Summer Olympics. Life Born in ...

, German painter, scenic designer, art professor and typographer (born

1889 Events January–March * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in t ...

) **

Eberhard Koebel Eberhard Koebel also Eberhard Köbel, called ''tusk'', i.e., "the German" in the language of the Sámi people he traveled among, (22 June 1907 – 31 August 1955) was a German youth leader, writer, and publisher. Eberhard Koebel was born in Stu ...

, German youth leader and writer (born

) * 9 October —

Joseph Vollmer Joseph Vollmer (1871–1955) was a German automobile designer and engineer and a pioneering tank designer. As chief designer for the German War Department's motor vehicle section, he designed the World War I German tanks A7V, K-Wagen, LK I and LK ...

, German engineer (born 1871) * 15 December —

Otto Braun Otto Braun (28 January 1872 – 15 December 1955) was a politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) during the Weimar Republic. From 1920 to 1932, with only two brief interruptions, Braun was Minister President of the Free State ...

, German politician (born

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

) *

19 December Events Pre-1600 * 1154 – Henry II of England is crowned at Westminster Abbey. *1187 – Pope Clement III is elected. * 1490 – Anne, Duchess of Brittany, is married to Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor by proxy. *1562 – T ...

Herbert von Dirksen Eduard Willy Kurt Herbert von Dirksen (2 April 1882 – 19 December 1955) was a German diplomat (and from 1936 when he joined the party, specifically a Nazi diplomat) who was the last German ambassador to Britain before World War II. Early lif ...

, German diplomat (born

1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in t ...

)

References

1950s in Germany Years of the 20th century in Germany

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