German-American Day

German-American Day Quick Facts

Hashtags:	#GermanAmerican, #GermanAmericanDay
2019 Date:	October 6, 2019
2020 Date:	October 6, 2020

2019 Holidays & Dates

German-American Day in 2019

German-American Day History

German-American Day celebrates German culture and heritage in the United States. This holiday also serves to remember 13 German families from Krefeld, Germany that fled religious oppression in Germany. On October 6th, 1683, these families established Germantown, Pennsylvania, the first distinctly German-American settlement. In the centuries that followed, more than seven million more German-speaking immigrants arrived on the shores of the US and as of 2010, over 20% of the US population claims German ancestry.

In 1983, on the 300th anniversary of Germantown, President Ronald Reagan declared October 6th as German-American Day. President Reagan officially declared German-American Day four years later in 1987. Today, German-American Day, a celebration of German culture, identity and heritage, is celebrated annually on October 6th.

Top Tweets for German-American Day

JUST IN: "NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the USA, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution...,do hereby proclaim Oct 6, 2018 as German-American Day. I call upon all Americans to celebrate the achievements & contributions of German Americans."
— Ansgar Graw (@Potomaker) October 5, 2018

This day in 1943, the end of the successful Italian uprising in Naples (known as Four days of Naples) as British and American troops arrive in the city. Most German forces were already driven out by the townsfolk and the Italian Resistance. #WW2 https://t.co/LymKwxMgce
— WWII Pictures (@WWIIpix) October 1, 2018

Today is National German-American Day. Have you noticed that Twitter doesn’t want you celebrating it? Meet the Third Reich scientists who got us to the moon through NASA https://t.co/odZuTGOvts
— Kevin (@aufstehen18) October 6, 2018

German-American Day Facts & Quotes

The current population of Germantown, PA is 26,563 inhabitants.
Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa are now home to the largest number of German descendants in the US.
After the Second World War, around 375,000 Germans immigrated to the US. In the 50s and 60s alone, around 786,000 Germans immigrated to the US.
Albert Einstein was a German immigrant, a Jew who opted to remain in the US when the Nazi party came to power in 1933.
The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything. - Albert Einstein

German-American Day Top Events and Things to Do

Read some popular stories by German writers including Hansel and Gretel, The Trial and The Man Without Qualities.
Spend some time learning more about the religious oppression in Germany in 1683 in order to further understand why the founding 13 families fled the country and arrived in Philadelphia.
Enjoy a glass of mulled wine. It is a common drink found at Christmas markets all through Germany.
Enjoy a German movie. Some of our favorites: Victoria (2015), Land of Mine (2015) and Downfall (2004).
Learn more about the Nazi Regime from WW2 in order to better understand how the population of German-Americans grew so quickly around that time.

German-American Day References and Related Sites

Gov Census

German Diversity

German Immigration

US Embassy to Germany

		US & Common Holidays
		Misc. & Int'l. Observances
		Christian Holidays
		Jewish Holidays
		Muslim Holidays