July 5, 1933 – The Autobahn constructor

On this day in 1933 Fritz Todt was appointed Inspector General for German Roadways. Todt had received a degree in construction engineering from Technische Hochschule Karlsruhe, and later, in 1931, his doctorate from the same school after writing his thesis titled “Sources of failure in building state roads from tar and asphalt.” The same year he earned his doctorate he was made a senior colonel in the Nazi party, which he had joined almost a decade prior. Two years later, Hitler appointed Todt as Inspector General for German Roadways. His main task was to develop a series of comprehensive highways, which developed into the controlled-access road system that crisscrosses Germany and is collectively known as the Autobahn.