BMG Annual Symposium

A  tale of longevity: the background of the program is a photomontage of Germany’s famous suspension railway, the Schwebebahn, built in 1901 by Eugen Langen in Wuppertal. In 1950, Circus Althoff did an advertising stunt and had the 4-year-old Asian elephant cow “Tuffi” take a ride through the city on the 8.3-mile-long route. As soon as the Schwebebahn moved, Tuffi broke through a side door and fell 40 feet into the Wupper river. Tuffi didn’t sustain any serious injuries and lived a full life. The Schwebebahn is operational to this day and Tuffi is Wuppertal’s enduring mascot.