Richard Wagner, Bayreuth and Italy

“The Ring of the Nibelung” Introduction Richard Wagner (1813-1883) revolutionized classical music with his Tristan und Isolde (1859) and The Ring (1874). His tremendous influence on opera came from his “musical dramas,” including the...

Smoking and Vaping in Germany

“Please fasten your seatbelts and light up your cigarettes.” It comes as no surprise to those of us familiar with smoking in Germany to learn that it was a German who had the bizarre idea to found a luxury airline that would offer all-smoking flights –...

Notable German-Americans: J-K-L

Famous and Not-So-Famous Americans of German, Austrian, or German-Swiss Ancestry J-K-L North Americans of German, Austrian, or German-Swiss heritage have made significant contributions to many fields of American culture, from the arts to science and engineering. Below...