German American Heritage Month

September 15-October 15

President Ronald Reagan first proclaimed October 6,

1983 as German American Heritage Day, and it was

officially commemorated four years later in 1987. This

day honors the 300th anniversary of the arrival of 13

German families who established the first German

settlement on American soil. This community on the

northern outskirts of Philadelphia later came to be

known as Germantown.

President Reagan's 1987 proclamation read: "The United

States has embraced a vast array of German traditions,

institutions, and influences... Christmas trees and

Broadway musicals are familiar features of American

society. Our kindergartens, graduate schools, the social

security system, and labor unions are all based on

models derived from Germany. German teachers,

musicians, and enthusiastic amateurs have left an

indelible imprint on classical music, hymns, choral

singing, and marching bands in our country. In

architecture and design, German contributions include

the modern suspension bridge, Bauhaus, and Jugendstil.

German-American scientists have helped make the

United States the world's pioneer in research and

technology."

Some notable Americans of German descent include:

Dwight Eisenhower, Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger,

Hannah Arendt, Kurt Vonnegut, Sylvia Plath, Fred

Astaire and Lou Gehrig.

International food blog