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Birth
Born in the small village of Rocken in Prussia to his father Carl Ludwig and his mother Franziska. His father was a devout Lutherian preacher and his mother was very pious as well. His only sibling to live past childhood was his sister Elisabeth. (biography.com) -
Death of his Father
Carl Ludwig Nietzsche died at the young age of 35 leaving behind two children, Friedrich and his sister. His father's death influenced Nietzsche in the future as he grew up in a household dominated by the women of the family. Some think that Nietzsche holds "master" values so highly as a reflex to his feminine upbringing. (Durant 386) -
Bismarck Becomes Prime Minister
Otto von Bismarck would go on to be one of the most influential figures in German history, and is mainly responsible for Germany's unification. Under his rule of realpolitik Prussia would dominate the lesser German states and eventually all of central Europe as a whole. (history.com) -
Enrolls in University of Bonn
Nietzsche enrolled in the University of Bonn after his graduation from a Protestant boarding school. However he only spent two semesters at the school before conflicts his some of his professors lead to his transfer to the University of Leipzig. At the University of Leipzig he prospered as a student of philosophy, becoming the only student to ever publish in the schools philosophy journal. (Britannica) -
End of Military Stint
Nietzsche served in the Prussia military for some stretch of time. His motivations to leave the university life for that of a military can be traced back to his philosophy that values strength and honor. He had a highly romanticized view of the military (owed in part to growing up in Prussia) and because of his early injury and depart from the military the view was never really corrected, so he carried it until his death (Britannica) -
Takes Job as Philosophy Professor
Nietzsche took a job as a Professor of Classical Philosophy in Basel Switzerland after being recommended by his teacher. Nietzsche got the job and this was extraordinary as he hadn't yet completed his philosophy doctorate at the University of Leipzig (Britannica) -
Wilhelm I crowned Kaiser
Wilhelm the I of Prussia was crowned Kaiser at the French Palace of Versailles. This came after Prussia's successful conquest of Alsace and Lorraine during the Franco-Prussian War. With this symbolic step Germany was united as his empire. (history.com) -
Outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War
After Prussian success in earlier wars, Otto von Bismarck attempted to continue the unification of Germany by inciting France to declare war on Prussia. Prussia would go on to trounce France and win the regions of Alsace and Lorraine. This would lead to an even stronger German state in the future. (history.com) -
Alexander Graham Bell Patents the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone after 3 years of research into improvements on the telegraph. Within years telephone lines began to cover the US by the end of the 19th century, as the efficiency of the telephone compared to the telegraph was enormous. With this growth Bell managed to grow rich as his company (known today as AT&T) grew and maintained a monopoly over the market (thoughtco) -
Resigns Professorial Chair
Nietzsche resigned his professorship due to his failing health at the time. Despite what one may think, this resignation didn't have a negative effects on the quality of his philosophy, as during the years to come, Nietzsche would go on to a creative and productive twilight until his collapse. It is worth noting that after his resignation from the University of Basel, he never took up teaching again and largely lived in isolation from the world. (Britannica) -
Publishes "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"
Nietzsche's book "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" is often considered his magnum opus. In his novel Nietzsche introduced his idea of the "ubermensch" or the superman. This was his ideal human that all men should either strive to be or help allow him to come into existence. The books main character is named after the famous Persian prophet Zoroaster, founder of Zoroastrianism. The book received little attention in its time, as it was difficult to understand. (Durant 391) -
Karl Benz invents first practically automobile
Karl Benz was the first invention to be able to design a practical automobile powered by an Internal Combustion Engine. Though at first the horseless wagon only traveled at 8 miles per hour, Benz's invention went on to be perfected in the years to come. The automobile revolutionize transit in the 20th century, all thanks to the work of Karl Benz (thoughtco) -
Publishes "Beyond Good and Evil"
Beyond Good and Evil expanded on Nietzsche's ideas put forth "Thus Spoke" and was much easier to understand. The title of the book comes from Nietzsche's new ideas on morality, mainly that there is no intrinsic good and bad and that all morals are subjective. Nietzsche proposes that the world consists of two morality sets: master and slave. Master morality is for the successful and values things like power, while slave morality is for the weak and values things like kindness (Durant 397) -
Collapse
Nietzsche collapsed on the streets of Turin, Italy in January of 1889. With the collapse we also lost control of all his mental faculties. After the collapse he composed strange letters to friends, often signing himself as "The Crucified." The mental collapse brought his family to take him into their care and he would stay in their care until his death. (Britannica) -
Van Gough Paints "The Starry Night"
The painting "The Starry Night" can be considered one of Van Gough's most famous paintings. It depicts the scene of a window from a mental asylum in the Netherlands where Van Gough was staying. Today it is held up as a prime example of the post-impressionist style of art. (moma.org) -
Bismarck Resigns
Bismarck was forced to resign by the new Kaiser Wilhelm II. This decision was caused by conflicts of opinion over topics like foreign policy in Germany. Bismarck eventually died in July of 1898, but not before he left his mark on Germany and the world for years to come. (history.com) -
Death
After his spiral downward in the last decade of his, life Nietzsche died in Weimar, Germany. In his last years he was cared for by his sister Elisabeth and their mother Franziska as otherwise he would have been forced into an asylum. (Britannica)
