| 1905 | Frankfurt has a population of 400,000. |
| 1914 | Foundation of Frankfurt University as a civil endowment university. |
| 1914-1918 | Während des Ersten Weltkriegs steigt die Arbeitslosigkeit stark an. Versorgungsengpässe führen zu Hungersnöten. |
| 1918 | The November Revolution leads to the formation of a workers' and soldiers' council. |
| 1925-1930 | Invited to Frankfurt at the initiative of its mayor (Louis Landmann), Ernst May is appointed city architect. He creates a large number of new housing estates, known as Neues Frankfurt (New Frankfurt). |
| 1926 | Frankfurt Airport is reopened at Rebstock, an area that had been used as a landing place for airships before the war. Foundation of the Society for the Construction of a Motorway between Hamburg, Frankfurt and Basle (with the German acronym HAFRABA). |
| 1928 | The incorporation of Höchst, Nied, Griesheim, Sossenheim, Schwanheim and Fechenheim makes Frankfurt the third largest city in terms of square mileage. The city has a population of 548,000. |
| 1933 | After the local elections in March, Frankfurt's city hall falls into the hands of the Nazis. Its former mayor, Landmann, is expelled from office, and flees first to Berlin, then to the Netherlands, where he dies in 1945. |
| 1938 | Destruction of synagogues and other Jewish establishments in a night of pogroms on November 9. |
| 1941-1944 | From October 1941 onwards a total of 9,415 Jews are deported from Frankfurt and murdered in concentration camps. Over 700 people commit suicide to avoid deportation. |
| 1943/44 | The centre and the Altstadt (Old Town) of Frankfurt are almost completely destroyed in air raids. |
| 1945 | The city is occupied by American troops on March 26 and 29. |
| 1946 | A rubble clearance campaign is started on a large scale, marking the beginning of the reconstruction of the city. |
| 1947 | Frankfurt becomes the headquarters of the United Economic Area of American, French and British Zones. The Bank deutscher Länder (Bank of the German States) is set up in Frankfurt and, a year later, serves as the basis for organizing and implementing West Germany's currency reform. |
| 1948 | On May 18, the 100th anniversary of the German National Assembly is celebrated at the rebuilt Paulskirche (St. Paul's Church). |
| 1949 | Frankfurt and Bonn are discussed as two options for the capital of the new Federal Republic of Germany. Bonn is chosen. Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main area quickly develop into an important economic centre. Over the years Frankfurt becomes one of Europe's leading financial cities. In May, civil aviation is resumed at Frankfurt Airport again. In 1950 about 200,000 passengers are processed at the airport. |
| 1955 | For the first time, Frankfurt has a population of 600,000. |
| 1958 | Frankfurt Airport becomes Germany's first commercial jet airport. In 1959 the first jet plane leaves for New York. The number of passengers rises from 9.5 million in 1970 to 32.5 million in 1993. |
| 1968 | Opening of the first underground line. |
| 1972 | Foundation of Frankfurter Verkehrsverbund (FFV), the Frankfurt local transport company. |
| 1975 | The Umlandverband Frankfurt (Association of the Frankfurt Area) takes over regional development in the lower Main region. |
| 1984 | The opening of the Film Museum and the German Architectural Museum mark the development of the Museumsufer (Museum Embankment). |
| 1995 | The European Currency Institute, the predecessor of today's European Central Bank, is set up at the Eurotower, the former building of the BfG (trade union bank). |
| 1997 | Since the early 1980s, the Frankfurt skyline has been increasingly dominated by skyscrapers. The Messeturm (256 metres, 840 ft.) and the Commerzbank Tower (258 metres, 846 ft.) are among Europe's tallest office blocks. |
| 1999 | The first stage in the launch of the euro puts the focus increasingly on the activities of the European Central Bank. |
© Helmut Nordmeyer, Translation: Hugh Beyer
