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Birth
Otto Selz was born the son of a Jewish banker in Munich. -
Law student extraordinaire
Following his father's wishes, Selz graduated with high honors with a law degree from the University of Munich. -
Selz finds philosophy
Selz despised his legal education and decided to pursue philosophy at Bonn University. -
Selz publishes his first results
Uber die gesetze des geordneten DenkverlaufsSelz's first experiments into ordered cognitive thinking were published for the first time in a book called Uber die Gesetze des geordneten Denkverlaufs (On the laws of ordered thinking). -
WWI breaks out
WWISelz's studies are interrupted by the war in Europe, He joins the German army and rises to the rank of sergeant-major. -
Injured in battle
Iron CrossSelz is injured in battle at the Western front of the war and subsequently receives the Iron Cross. -
Selz follows up with ordered thinking
Selz publishes a second book explicating his views on ordered thought, Über die Gesetze des geordneten Denkverlaufs II: Zur Psychology des produktiven Denkens und des Irrtums (On the laws of orderly thinking II: the psychology of productive thinking and error). -
Selz moves to Mannheim
Mannheim Business SchoolSelz becomes a full professor at the Mannheim Business School and starts a program dedicated to studying the mind's orderedness. -
A bit of French recognition
Selz is just beginning to acquire international renown. The French Journal de Psychologie publishes one of his lectures and psychologists from around the world were gaining interest in his work. -
It comes crashing down
Hitler's riseAs the Nazis rise to power, Jews are being pressured out of academia. Selz is no exception and his position is terminated. -
Kristallnacht and arrest
KristallnachtIn the days following Kristallnacht, Selz was arrested and sent to the Dachau concentration camp for five weeks. He was released and ordered to leave Germany. -
Selz heads to The Netherlands
Selz moves to The Netherlands, where other psychologists and education researchers are interested in his work. -
Nazis invade The Netherlands
Battle of The NetherlandsThe Nazis invade The Netherlands. Colleagues offer to hide Selz away in various safe houses, but he refuses, believing that his Iron Cross will protect him. -
Selz is arrested.
Selz is arrested by Nazi authoritees. -
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Selz dies
Selz dies due either to sickness or exhuastion during transport. -
Research refound
Thought and Choice in ChessDutch chessmaster and psychology Adriaan de Groot publishes Thought and Choice in Chess, which references Selz's research into prdered thought processes. -
Cognitive revolution kicks off
Cognitive revolutionPsychologists and computer scientists including George A. Miller, Noam Chomsky and Allen Newell convene at MIT for an information sciences symposium. Their discussions revolve around how to study human thought processes. This meeting is generally understood to mark the beginning of the cognitive revolution.
