European History Commons^™

The Initial Calvinistic Business Spirit, Rev. Dr. David W. Hall

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Within days of John Calvin’s death on May 27, 1564, his mantle of leadership passed to Theodore Beza (1520-1605). Geneva found itself on the world’s stage as various groups, such as Catholics and Anabaptists, hoped to overturn the newfound Calvinist establishment. The crucial forty year period between the death of Calvin (1564) and the death of Beza (1605) determined whether or not Calvinism would be a lasting force in Geneva and elsewhere. Historian William Monter attributes much of Geneva’s growth and stability during this period to the intellectual magnetism of Calvinism.

Swiss Club Dc Trip To Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Swiss American Historical Society Review

SAHS President Thomas Quinn Marabello, who is also a member of the Swiss Club DC, joined them on a weekend trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They carpooled from the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, DC and drove to Pittsburgh on the morning of September 20th.

Full Issue

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

How A Swiss Person Bought A Part Of The Russian Empire In California: Revisiting Johann August Sutter’S Purchase Of Fort Ross In 1841, David Aragai

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Today, Fort Ross is a State Historic Park along California’s Highway Number 1. It is about one hundred miles north of San Francisco on the wild, beautiful, and wind torn Sonoma Coast. Founded in 1812, Fort Ross was originally an outpost of the Russian Empire; the southernmost on the American continent and the one farthest away from the imperial capital, St. Petersburg. It was built with the intent to help feed the Alaskan colony, as well as to extract sea otters and other mammals from the surrounding waters due to their valuable fur.

Book Review: Der Lange Weg Zur Schweizerfahne/Le Long Chemin Vers Le Drapeau Suisse/The Long Way To The Swiss Flag, Rob Sherwood

Swiss American Historical Society Review

As the classic joke goes, “What is great about Switzerland? I don’t know, but their flag is a big plus.” The Swiss flag is indeed one of the most distinctive in the world. Officially, it is one of only three national flags (along with those of Vatican City and Nepal) that is not a rectangle. The Long Way to the Swiss Flag offers a comprehensive look into the history, origins, and evolution of the familiar red field with a white cross—the emblem of the Swiss Confederation. While many believe the Swiss flag is merely an extension of the flag of …

A Strand In The Web: My Amish Roots Among The Swiss Anabaptists, Duane Schlabach

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The early morning summer sun cuts through the murmuring leaves of the towering maple tree rooted deeply on the edge of the large common area in Interlaken, Switzerland. It’s 2018, and the pealing bells from the Schlosskirche [castle church] still cut through the ground fog hanging along the water’s edge, crescendo over the lakes, and reverberate off the cliff walls like it has for countless generations. The pull of ancestral voices from the misty northern shorelines of Lake Thun in Oberhofen settles deep into the marrow of my identity. I stand in my Heimatort [place of origin] the land where …

Sahs Presentation At The Swiss Society Of Boston’S Annual Meeting

Swiss American Historical Society Review

On Saturday, April 12, SAHS President Thomas Quinn Marabello was invited to speak at the Swiss Society of Boston’s annual meeting and dinner in Boston, Massachusetts. It was held at the Hampshire House in Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, a mansion built in 1911 by architect Ogden Codman, Jr., who designed several mansions in Newport, Rhode Island, including The Breakers. The five-story Georgian revival townhouse with Italian marble and Palladian windows look out onto Boston Public Garden. The first residents, Bayard and Ruth Thayer, held many salons there and it became Boston’s preeminent salon. In the 1940s, Hampshire House became a …

Centennial Committee Update

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The Centennial Committee met virtually on February 8th and March 22nd, and is meeting again on June 7th. We have made some decisions and continue to explore options, partners and possibilities as we plan for our big anniversary in 2027!

In The Footsteps Of Our Swiss Ancestors: Sahs Centennial Trip To Switzerland

Swiss American Historical Society Review

We have enough people interested in this trip that we are working with European Educational Travel based in Basel, Switzerland and are able to provide further information, including an itinerary. This trip is open to SAHS members and non-members, and if we have to cap numbers it will be based on a first come, first served basis.

End Matter

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

On The Linguistic History Of The Swiss Amish In Indiana, Tobias Frick

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Between 1789 and 1914, about half a million Swiss citizens left their country to find new opportunities abroad.1 By 1880, more than 88,000 Swiss had settled in the United States of America.2 These immigrants carried not only their earthly possessions and their knowledge to the foreign lands, but also brought their Swiss German dialects i.e. their linguistic varieties with them. In most settlements, the Swiss vernaculars were replaced by the majority language of English at some point. The Swiss settlers in New Glarus, Wisconsin, for example, upheld their linguistic variety for several generations before shifting to English.3 An exception is …

An Insight Into The “Berglihütte” In 1908: Grindelwald Mountain Guides – Frozen For The Star Photographer, Karl Horat

Swiss American Historical Society Review

We are in 1908, inside the “Berglihütte”, which had been built by the Grindelwald section of the Swiss Alpine Club almost forty years earlier. Since then, it has been perched like an eagle’s nest on a rocky ridge in the middle of the sea of ice at an altitude of around 3,300 meters.

From The Ambassador’S Desk, C. Naseer Ahmad

Swiss American Historical Society Review

An ambassador is an official representative appointed by a country’s government to manage diplomatic relations and promote its interests in a foreign nation or international organization. This role is as vital as it is diverse, involving a wide array of responsibilities that go beyond traditional diplomacy. Ambassadors must deftly juggle numerous tasks, all essential to the development and maintenance of peaceful international relationships. They serve not only as representatives of their nation’s government but also as stewards of its interests, charged with boosting economic, cultural, and political ties with their host country.

Front Matter

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

Meet The New Additions To The Sahs Editorial Board

Swiss American Historical Society Review

With an increase in article submissions and book proposals, the Editorial Board is happy to add two new members to our ranks. Jocelyn Moore and Jonah Schaller have already been very helpful proofreading and making suggestions to articles that we receive. They join Tom Marabello, Marianne Derron, Richard Hacken, Jurg Siegenthaler and Rob Sherwood as additions to the dedicated volunteer SAHS Editorial Board.

The Friends Of The Swiss American Historical Society Annual Outing And General Meeting In The Historic Château D’Hauteville, Canton Vaud, St. Légier, Barbara Miller

Swiss American Historical Society Review

In cooperation and with the generous help of Yvon Bordet and Pepperdine University Swiss Campus, this year’s annual outing will take place on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, starting in Ouchy Lausanne at 11:55 and then traveling to Vevey by boat. We will meet at the boat harbor in Ouchy Lausanne at 11:40 AM. To get there you take either a bus or the metro across the street from Lausanne station to go to Ouchy Olympique.

Memorial Day – May 23, 2024: Wreath Laying Ceremony In Münsingen, Canton Bern, Switzerland, Barbara Müller

Swiss American Historical Society Review

It was a rather cold rainy day in May when the U.S. Embassy celebrated Memorial Day services in a village in Bern-Mittelland. Why here in this village of Münsingen?

I received the invitation to attend the service, and with the cold rainy day my thoughts turned from World War II and the many victims to another war much too close for comfort that of Ukraine. I seemed not to be the only one with these thoughts, as after the Bugle call when the Deputy Chief of Mission Bradford J. Bell just before his speech mentioned the ongoing war in Ukraine …

Proposed Changes To Discuss & Vote On At The 2025 Sahs Annual Meeting

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Members will have an opportunity to discuss and vote on the two following items at the annual general meeting in New York City on October 4, 2025. If you are unable to attend in person or virtually, and have any questions or comments, please send an email to: [email protected].

B17 Aircraft, Known As “Denny Boy”, Yvon Bordet

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The B17 “Denny Boy” took off from the British base at Thurleigh (England) on the night of Saturday, July 15 to Sunday, July 16, 1944. Objective: To bomb the BMW factories in Munich (Germany).

The aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire near its target, then again on the return to Mulhouse. Smoke filled the cockpit, an engine failed and the plane lost altitude. The captain decided to attempt a landing in neutral Switzerland. But it was in a small field, near a chapel, that he miraculously managed to land the bomber, in the commune of Féternes... in France, just a …

Swiss American Historical Society Annual General Meeting: October 3–4, 2025, New York City

Swiss American Historical Society Review

We are pleased to offer members a tour of the United Nations Headquarters building on the afternoon of Friday, October 3rd. The building is closed to visitors that day, but thanks to the staff at the Swiss Consulate, they have arranged a guided tour for us at 4:00 PM! If you want to do the tour, there is a question on the required registration Google Form that is linked on the next page (and it has also been sent by email to all members). The cost is $20.00 per person and we can take a maximum of 20 people on …

Introducing The New Sahs President & Vice President, Thomas Quinn Marabello

Swiss American Historical Society Review

It is an honor to serve as the new President of the Swiss American Historical Society, an organization that I have come come to truly enjoy being associated with.

Swiss Good Offices In Afghanistan, 1979-1992, Dr. Liliane Stadler

Swiss American Historical Society Review

In February 2024, I published my first monograph on Switzerland’s good offices in Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion of 1979. In October 2024, I presented my book at Johns Hopkins University in Washington D.C., where I currently hold a two-year postdoctoral position at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs. I would like to thank the Swiss American Historical Society (SAHS) for reprinting my remarks in the SAHS Review, as well as Ambassador Dr. Ralf Heckner and Vincent Barras from the Swiss Embassy for joining us at Johns Hopkins for the event.

Leo Schelbert Award

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The Leo Schelbert Award is given to the best submitted research paper and is open to both undergraduate and graduate students. The topic can be anything that relates to the mission of the Swiss American Historical Society (SAHS), which focuses on increasing an understanding of Swiss and/or Swiss-American history.

Centennial Committee

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The Centennial Committee of the Swiss American Historical Society is organizing to plan and consider ideas for celebrating our milestone 100th anniversary which will occur in the year 2027. In addition to a trip to Switzerland and holding our annual meeting in Chicago where the Society was founded, we also are interested in potentially doing an exhibit at the Embassy of Switzerland and/or the Swiss Center of North America, doing an oral history project, finding donors to contribute to the Leo Schelbert Award, creating merchandise, potentially creating a video, and publishing a commemorative book on the history of the Society. …

2024 Reports, Thomas Quinn Marabello, Barbara Müller, Ernie Thurston, Richard Hacken

Swiss American Historical Society Review

Business Meeting Report—September 28, 2024

President’s Report for 2024

President’s Report for 2024 for The Friends of the Swiss American Historical Society

Annual Financial Report of the SAHS

SAHS Membership Report

Publications Report

SAHS Website Report 2024

Front Matter

Swiss American Historical Society Review

No abstract provided.

The Connection Between Zermatt And Vail: How A Swiss Alpine Village Influenced The Creation Of A Colorado Village And Ski Resort In The Rocky Mountains, Thomas Quinn Marabello

Swiss American Historical Society Review

When one hears the places “Zermatt” and “Vail” we tend to think of skiing. Both are known worldwide for great skiing and beautiful mountains. While Zermatt has existed for centuries, Vail only became permanently inhabited by people after World War II. Zermatt did not become a well known place until the nineteenth century when adventurers sought to climb the Matterhorn, and then it became a popular tourist destination. However, Zermatt influenced the creation of the village of Vail, thanks to a man named Peter Seibert who spent time there and wanted to create a European Alpine style ski village in …

New Swiss Ambassador To The U.S.

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The new Swiss Ambassador to the U.S., Dr. Ralf Heckner, presented his credentials to President Joseph R. Biden during a ceremony at The White House on September 20, 2024. A native of Davos, Ambassador Heckner served as ambassador to India and Bhutan before coming to Washington, DC. He also served as Deputy Head of the United Nations and Other International Organizations, and has a PhD in history from the University of Fribourg.

Anabaptism 500th Anniversary In 2025

Swiss American Historical Society Review

The year 2025 marks the 500th anniversary of the beginnings of Anabaptism. It all began on January 21, 1525, when a small group of Christians in Zurich renounced baptism for infants and experienced voluntary baptism as adults. Throughout the year, we will include trivia questions, opportunities, new scholarship and resources that will be commemorating this milestone, in the SAHS Review and on our LinkedIn and Facebook pages.