willkommen-in-germany:

* The first-ever mechanically printed book was in German. Johannes Gutenberg was a German blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher who introduced the concept of printing. His invention of mechanical movable type printing started the Printing Revolution and is widely regarded as the most important event of the modern period. It played a key role in the development of the Renaissance, Reformation, the Age of Enlightenment, and the Scientific Revolution and laid the material basis for the modern knowledge-based economy and the spread of learning to the masses. Gutenberg was the first European to use movable type printing around the year 1439.

* German is the 3rd-most commonly taught language worldwide.

* Statistically, only 2% of Germans do not own a cell phone.

* Germany was the first country to adopt Daylight Saving Time in 1916.

* Gummy bears (Gummibärchen) were invented by a German. Hans Riegel Senior, a confectioner from Bonn, started the HARIBO company in 1920. In 1922, he invented the Tanzbär, a small fruit-flavored gum candy treat, which was basically a larger form of its successor, the Goldbär. Even during 1929’s hyperinflation that wreaked havoc on the country, Haribo’s gummy bear treats remained affordably-priced for a mere 1 Pfennig in pairs at kiosks. Their successor would later become Haribo’s world-famous Gold-Bears in 1967.