June 14

in History

Munich, Bavaria, GermanyMedieval

1158

Munich Is Founded

A Bavarian duke builds a city on the Isar

On the banks of the river Isar, Henry the Lion, the powerful Duke of Bavaria, founded the city of Munich. He established a marketplace and a bridge at the site, diverting trade routes to fill his own coffers at the expense of the Bishop of Freising. What began as an act of ducal ambition would grow into one of Europe's greatest cities -- a center of art, science, industry, and culture that has shaped German and world history for nearly nine centuries.

1158 AD

Berlin, GermanyEarly 20th Century

1900

German Navy Doubles

An arms race accelerates toward catastrophe

The German Reichstag passed the second Naval Law, authorizing the doubling of the Imperial German Navy's fleet. The legislation was the cornerstone of Admiral Tirpitz's strategy to build a navy powerful enough to challenge British dominance of the seas. The massive naval buildup alarmed Britain and triggered a ruinous arms race that poisoned diplomatic relations between the two nations, becoming one of the key factors that pushed Europe toward the catastrophe of World War I.

1900 AD

Albert II — Albert II, a rhesus monkey, rides a V-2 rocket to an altitude of 134 km (83 mi), thereby becoming the first mammal and first monkey in space.

Early 20th Century

1949

Albert II

Albert II, a rhesus monkey, rides a V-2 rocket to an altitude of 134 km (83 mi), thereby becoming the first mammal and first monkey in space.

1949 AD