Schlenk flask, Schlenk equilibrium, and the Schlenk hydrocarbon are terms familiar to almost every chemist, but who was the man after whom they were all named? Wilhelm Schlenk by the age of 47 was Professor in Berlin, President of the German Chemical Society, and a serious candidate for the Nobel prize, and was known for his innovative experimental techniques and glassware. Within less than a decade he was exiled from Berlin and excluded from research, and his personal history has been largely forgotten. The story of his rise and fall is not only that of a brilliant scientist but also of a man of ethical principles and moral courage.