May 2, 2006 is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Hans-Günther Sohl, who was Chairman of the Executive Board of August Thyssen-Hütte AG, a forerunner company of ThyssenKrupp AG, from 1953 to 1973.

As Executive Board Chairman he led the company for 20 years, during which time he developed the Duisburg steel mill into the biggest European steel producer of its time and laid the foundation for the present-day technology group. He was subsequently Chairman and then Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board for a further 15 years.

His exceptional career represents an important chapter of German industrial history.

To mark the centennial of his birth, ThyssenKrupp has commissioned two eminent independent historians to research the life's work of Hans-Günther Sohl: Professor Lothar Gall, Professor of Medieval and Modern History at Goethe University Frankfurt/Main since 1975, and Dr. Nils Havemann. Havemann came to prominence through his book on the DFB, Germany's national soccer federation, in the Third Reich. He currently works as a lecturer in Mainz.