Friedrich Engelhorn

In 1847 after completing the traditional Gesellenwanderung, which took him to Mainz, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Geneva, Lyon and Paris, Engelhorn opened a goldsmith’s shop in his hometown.

Due to economic upheaval resulting from the 1848 revolution, his goldsmithery business began to deteriorate, which led him in summer of 1848 to establish with his two partners in Mannheim a private gasworks that produced and sold bottled gas used for lighting pubs and workshops.

Because of his experience with gas manufacture, in 1851 Engelhorn was put in charge of building a new public gasworks in Mannheim; subsequently he became its manager after the works started operation in December of that year.

In 1856 William Henry Perkin discovered a process to make the first commercial synthetic organic dye from aniline in the coal tar distillate.

Four years later Engelhorn wanted to enlarge his engagement in the chemical industry and with several partners, he founded the “Badische Anilin- & Soda-Fabrik” (BASF) on 6 April 1865.