Everyone is aware of the words Sibling Rivalry, the arguments between siblings. The earliest mention was between Cain and his brother Able. This rivalry led to the extreme act of murder. Domestic violence can be the most dangerous and history proves it. Can this animosity between siblings be so strong as to affect an entire town, where inhabitants take sides? Yes, it can and here is the story.
Sibling Rivalry
Traditional sibling rivalry occurs between the first two siblings. The Second born wants to Dethrone the Firstborn and the Firstborn wants to hold onto the throne. The Firstborn has an edge up in school so usually the second born becomes the athlete. These roles can change if there is a dethroning. Because of sibling spacing this sibling rivalry can move down to younger siblings.
Birth Oder of Two Brothers
Herzogenaurach Germany was the hometown for the Dassler Brothers Rudolph the third born child, born in 1898 and Adolph the fourth born child, born in 1900. They also had two older siblings. Marie the second born child, in 1894 and Fritz the firstborn in 1892. Because there is a six-year difference between Marie and her third born younger brother Rudolph, it made two families within the family. This is one type of Double Birth order. Rudolph becomes the oldest child in the second family and receives a 1/3 birth order. Adolph becomes the second born child in the second family and carries the Double birth orders of a 2/4. All reports show that the two boys were happy siblings with no real animosity. Although they had double birth orders, all the numbers were different.
The Changing Birth Order of the Brothers
As it happens in life, death can come to a sibling and that is exactly what happened to oldest brother Fitz. He died in WWI. This happened when Rudolph was 20 and Adolph was 18. Their birth orders now changed. Rudolph moves up one number to a 2/1 Double birth order and Adolph moves up to a 3/2 Double birth order. What has changed so dramatically is that with double birth orders, the recipient goes back and forth between his two birth orders and now with the death of Fritz they share the number 2 birth order. When they are both expressing the #2 birth order, the struggle between the brothers would be intense.
Early Years
When the boys were young Adolph, called Adi, played many different sports. This would have matched both his #4 and #2 birth orders. It was then that he realized that the same shoes used for all sports was not the best and he started developing different shoes for different sports. When both boys returned from WWI Adi set up a shoe factory in his mother’s bathroom. Two years later, Adi the innovator took care of the technical aspects, his genius was adding spikes to shoes. Two years later Rudi joined him and did the sales and marketing.
Olympics 1936
This was their breakthrough year; many of the athletes wore these newly invented shoes and won Olympic medals Jesse Owens won all four gold medals wearing Dassler’s shoes. Their sales skyrocketed.
WWII
Both boys were members of the Nazi party when the war started, Rudolph was drafted; he suspected his brother Adi and his wife had schemed to get him sent to the front. This allowed Adi to stay home to run the company. Later, Rudi was arrested on suspicion of working with the Gestapo and spent a year behind bars by the Allies. Adi got a deferment as he switched his factory from shoes to making weapons. Rudolph could not forgive him, as he had to serve in the war and not is brother Adi. Tensions elevated between the two boys. They all lived in the same house. Adi and his family on the first floor, Rudolph and his family on the second floor and their parents on the third floor. There was also tension between the wives’. Adi married the daughter of the most successful shoe manufacturer in Germany, she was an Only child. This is the true CEO of a company and although a woman, she took the reins and was resented by Rudolph’s wife. The story is told that during a bombing attack Rudolph and his family got to the bomb shelter first. When Adi and his family arrived Adi said, “The dirty bastards are back” referring to the enemy fighters but Rudolph thought he was talking about his family. Nothing could change his mind.
After the War a Town Divided
It was time to split up the company in 1948. Adi formed “Adidas” and Rudolph took his half of the business to the other side of the Aurach River and opened Ruda shoes later calling it “Puma”. This also split the town in half with each side of the river supporting their respective companies. The two companies became the dominate employers of the town with nearly everyone working for one company or the other. The town was divided into warring factions that lasted 60 years. This went so far as bakeries, bars, and sports clubs. The towns’ people were always looking down at people’s shoes to tell which brother they supported. This also affected the people and their interpersonal relationships. Dating and marrying across company lines was forbidden.
The Brothers Die
Rudolf was the first to die in 1974. Younger brother Adolf died in 1978 and requested in his Will to be buried as far away from his brother as possible. Sibling rivalry lasts to the end.
The Town and Companies Live on
In 1987, Horst Dassler sold Adidas to the French industrialist Bernard Tapie. Rudolph’s sons sold 72% of the Puma Company to Cosa Liebermann. Without the two brothers, the town has slowly outlived the sibling rivalry. The feud died in 2009 when employees of both companies played a friendly soccer match.
For more information about Birth Order, specifically Double Birth Order buy my Book Life’s Fingerprint: How Birth Order Affects Your Path Throughout Life, by Dr. Robert V.V. Hurst or the Audio book on USB for your computer at: www.mybirthorder.com or www.lifesfingerprint.com
