Werner von Siemens, der Begründer der modernen Elektrotechnik by Artur Fürst

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Werner von Siemens, der Begründer der modernen Elektrotechnik by Artur Fürst

(2 User reviews) 472

By Catherine Nowak Posted on Jan 17, 2026

In Category - Time Travel

Authors: Fürst, Artur, 1880-1926 Published By : Fürst, Artur, 1880-1926

Book Language: German

Hey, have you ever wondered how our electrified world actually started? I just finished this biography about Werner von Siemens, and it completely changed how I look at every light switch and phone charger. This isn't just a dry history lesson. It's the story of a guy who started with nothing but wild ideas about invisible forces—electricity—at a time when most people thought it was magic or nonsense. The real conflict here isn't against a villain, but against the entire world's disbelief. Imagine trying to convince investors to fund a 'telegraph' when letters delivered by horse were the gold standard. The book follows his relentless hustle, from failed experiments that nearly bankrupted him to the breakthrough that connected continents. It's about the sheer nerve it takes to build the future when everyone else is perfectly happy with the past. If you like stories about underdog inventors and the messy, human side of world-changing innovation, you'll be hooked.

File: Werner von Siemens, der Begründer der modernen Elektrotechnik by Artur Fürst

I picked up this biography expecting a straightforward timeline of inventions, but Artur Fürst delivers something much richer: a portrait of the man behind the megawatt. Written in the early 20th century, it has the feel of a firsthand account, pulling from letters, company records, and the social atmosphere of 19th-century Europe.

The Story

The book follows Werner von Siemens from his childhood in a struggling family, through his army years where he first tinkered with science, to his founding of the small workshop that would become a global giant. We see his early, fragile telegraph lines, the gamble of laying a cable across the Mediterranean, and the constant battle for funding and credibility. It's not a smooth ride. Fürst doesn't shy away from the financial panics, the technical disasters (some cables just sank!), and the personal toll this obsessive work took. The "plot" is his lifelong crusade to make electricity practical, reliable, and essential—transforming it from a lab curiosity into the backbone of modern life.

Why You Should Read It

What grabbed me was how human Siemens feels. He wasn't a mythical genius in an ivory tower. He was a pragmatist, a brother who brought his family into the business, and a stubborn visionary who faced constant ridicule. Reading about him convincing skeptical bankers or troubleshooting a broken cable from a ship in a storm is genuinely thrilling. Fürst makes you feel the tension of each make-or-break moment. It reframes our electrified world not as an inevitable fact, but as a series of hard-fought victories by a man who simply refused to quit. You start seeing the wires and circuits around you as monuments to sheer willpower.

Final Verdict

Perfect for anyone curious about the origins of our tech-driven world, but who finds typical science histories too sterile. It's for readers who enjoy biographies of figures like Edison or Tesla, but want a perspective focused on business, family, and gritty determination over pure mythmaking. If you've ever used a train, sent a text, or flipped a light switch, this book tells the story of the man who helped make it all possible. It's a fascinating look at the birth of an industry and the relentless engineer who powered it into existence.