"Spying on friends is a no-go," Angela Merkel said in 2013 when it turned out the US National Security Agency (NSA) had bugged her mobile phone for more than 10 years. In 2006, the German Chancellor gave her old Siemens S55 to the Haus der Geschichte museum in Bonn. Above, Merkel presents a new, secure mobile at the CeBIT computer trade fair.

For many centuries, the throne of Charlemagne in the Marienkirche in the western city of Aachen was a symbol of power, worshipped as a relic. Actually, the first king who was crowned on the throne wasn't Charlemagne, but Otto I, in 936. A man could only legitimately become king after being anointed with sacred oil and taking seat on the throne.

The first complete German-language bible was presented in October 1534 at the Michaelismesse trade fair in Leipzig. Martin Luther had translated the Old and the New Testament and released both parts in the first edition in two volumes. Soon, all 3,000 copies were sold out. About 60 copies of this first edition still exist today.

On January 18, 1871 Wilhelm I. was proclaimed German Emperor in Versailles. Fourteen years later, Anton Werner created this painting for Otto von Bismarck - and made a few additions. For example he added Bismarck's friend Albrecht von Roon, who wasn't in Versailles that day. The above painting is the third version - the first and second were lost during WWII.

The success story of the automobile began almost 130 years ago. In 1886, Carl Benz patented his three-wheeled "vehicle with gas engine" - and the first car was born. In 1906, Benz gave his reconstructed "Patent-Motorwagen Nummer 1" to the German Museum in Munich, to forever be remembered as the inventor of the automobile.

The Volksempfänger - the "people's radio receiver" - was an affordable radio, designed to reach as many households as possible and used by the Nazis to spread their propaganda. The VE 301 was first introduced in 1933. The numbers in its name come from the date of the takeover of Hitler, on January 30.

When he was nine years old, Konrad Zuse failed math in school. In 1938 he built the world's first programmable digital computer, the Z1. Just like current computers, the Z1 operated with the numbers 1 and 0. The Z3, the follow-up he completed in September 1941, was a fully functioning version. Zuse was recognized as the inventor of the first computer by a group of experts in Paderborn - in 1998.

This picture by photographer Yevgeny Khaldei was shot on Mai 2, 1945 on the roof the Reichstag after it was captured. By command of Stalin, the photo was staged and afterwards it was manipulated. Today it is a symbol standing for the end of World War II - it became one of the most reproduced photos of the 20th century. Yet Khaldei's famous image remained uncredited until the 90s.

From November 20, 1945 until October 1, 1946 the main lawsuit of the Nuremberg trials against war criminals of the Nazi regime took place. It was the first international tribunal worldwide. Herman Göring and Rudolf Hess were among the defendants. Two of the former docks of the "courtroom 600" pictured above are on exhibition in the museum Memorium Nuremberg Trials.

The game between Germany and Hungary ended with a final score of 3:2. Germany became World champion for the very first time in history. It was Helmut Rahn who scored the final goal. The success became known as the "Wunder von Bern" (miracle of Bern). The original football of the final can be seen in the German Football Museum in Dortmund.

In East Germany, the metro station Friedrichstrasse was the most important border crossing between east and west: 60 to 65 percent of all passengers passed through it. Those wanting to get to the other side of the Wall here had to go through bleak checkpoint rooms. In the 80s, the name "Tränenpalast" or "Palace of tears" was given to the building. It was declared a historic monument in 1995.

After the nuclear catastrophe of Fukushima, Germany was the first country in the world to decide to gradually switch to renewable energies. To store solar and wind energy, 25,600 rechargeable battery packs by the utility company WEMAG were put into operation in Schwerin in 2014. With the fully automated battery system, it became possible to balance short-term power surges.