Explore the German-American people, ideas, and innovations that have shaped the San Francisco Bay Area, from the Gold Rush to Silicon Valley. More than 40 million Americans claim German ancestry, making German Americans one of the country's largest ancestry groups. Their influence is woven into the history of the Bay Area, from German-American Mayor Adolph Sutro to Levi Strauss and the Golden Gate Park Bandshell.
Award-winning author Sandra Bonura opens the evening with the story of Claus Spreckels, the German-born “Sugar King of California,” who built an industrial empire stretching from San Francisco to Hawaii. German journalist Arndt Peltner follows with a broader look at the German immigrants and German Americans who helped shape the region from the Gold Rush onward. Silicon Valley entrepreneurship specialist Anne Cocquyt brings the story into the present, exploring the continuing connections between German innovation and Bay Area entrepreneurship.
Reuters editor Judith Langowski moderates the conversation, followed by a Q&A.
LOCATION:Main Library - Koret Auditorium CLASS:PUBLIC TRANSP:TRANSPARENT END:VEVENT BEGIN:VALARM TRIGGER:-PT1440M ACTION:DISPLAY DESCRIPTION:Event Reminder - Panel: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Bay Area — Then and Now END:VALARM END:VCALENDAR