TREE CALENDAR

The trunk of this oak tree gives you a good example of how every tree writes a diary about its life. As the tree grows, new growth rings appear every year – in spring a light-coloured ring and in autumn a dark one. This means that we can tell a tree’s age by looking at its growth rings. Broad rings testify to good years with a lot of moisture. Narrow rings bear witness to bad years, when it was cold, for example, or dry. This oak here lived to an age of around 130. It had to be cut down because it had become rotten in old age and threatened to fall down. Our tree calendar shows you which historical events this tree experienced during its life. Pretty impressive!

• What historical events did the oak tree witness?

  2017 Donald Trump becomes US president
  2016 BREXIT. Great Britain votes to leave the EU
  2010-2012 Euro crisis
  2005 Angela Merkel becomes German chancellor
  2002 Introduction of the euro
  1996 Dolly the Sheep becomes the first cloned mammal
  1990 German reunification
  1989 Fall of the Berlin Wall
  1983 Official opening of the „Bed Towers” of the University Hospital Münster (UKM)
  1969 First moon landing
  1965 The University of Münster appoints its first woman professor
  1961 The Berlin Wall is erected
  1957 The Soviet Union sends “Sputnik”, the first satellite, into outer space
  1954, 1974, 1990, 2014 Germany is the football World Cup champion
  1952 First “Tagesschau” news programme is broadcast
  1949 Founding of the GDR
  1945 End of World War II
  1939 Beginning of World War II
  1935 Beginning of TV broadcasting in Germany
  1930 The University celebrates its 150th anniversary
  1927 Charles Lindbergh is the first pilot to fly the Atlantic non-stop
  1919 The beginning of the Weimar Republic. Friedrich Ebert becomes President of the first Germany democracy
  1912 The Titanic sinks during its maiden voyage. More than 1,500 people drown
  1908 Women are allowed to study. The first six women students enrol at the University of Münster
  1907 The WWU receives its name "Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität"
  1893 New Zealand is the first country in the world to introduce votes for women. Germany follows in 1918 – and Switzerland only in 1971
  1888 A new tree is growing