This about the country of Hungary, and why education pays off.
There are so many famous people that hail from Hungary that it is quite overwhelming. In all disciplines you will recognise a name that is familiar.
In the 1900’s there was a huge surge of gifted and talented scientists and mathematicians, many of them from Budapest.
The famous mathematician Stanislaw Ulam writes, “Budapest, in the period of the two decades around the First World War, proved to be an exceptionally fertile breeding ground for scientific talent …… (their names abound in the annals of mathematics and physics of the present time).”
Many credit this phenomenon to exceptionally good teachers and the high value placed on intellectual achievement by the Hungarians. The literacy rate alone in Hungary stands at 99%. This emphasis on education has not abated.
Some things that you might or might now know that were either invented or discovered by Hungarians. They:
– Developed the atomic bomb and nuclear engineering
– Invented the holograph
– Invented the moon and mars rovers
– Engineered the Model T Ford
– Developed Microsoft Office
– Were the designers of the seat belt
– Were developers of the binary code, BASIC and computer programming
– invented matches
– invented the colour television
Just some famous Hungarian that you might recognize:
– Joseph Pulitzer, of “Pulitzer Prize” fame.
– Harry Houdini – illusionist and escapologist
– Zsa Zsa and Eva Gabor – actresses and collectors of wealthy men
– Drew Barrymore – actress
– Ernst Rubik who has kept many occupied on that cube thing
– Franz Lizst – composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor,
– Paul Newman – actor
– Calvin Klein – underwear king
– Gene Simmons – long tongue member of KISS
This is just a tip of the iceberg of talented people from Hungary and of some of their most significant contributions. Just goes to show the value of an invested educational system.
What an impressive list of inventions – shame about the atom bomb though!
I don’t know that it was done by Hungarians exclusively ..I think there were a number of parties involved.
With a name like Barrymore, I wouldn’t have guessed Drew was from Hungary. I would have guessed she was from … Hollywood! This is such a fun post. So creative. Who knew Hungarians invented matches? (Except Drew Barrymore. She probably knew. And maybe Paul Newman.)
Thanks, I thoroughly enjoyed doing it and i also learnt so much
I’m mostly of Hungarian heritage, and I didn’t realize Newman and Barrymore were distant cousins. Of course, my last name isn’t particularly Hungarian either… I fully approve of the comments above me!
I could tell straight away that you were intelligent 🙂
I’m with Corinne…I didn’t realise Paul Newman was Hungarian! Well I never..and Drew Barrymore! From the atomic bomb to the rubik cube, they’ve got it all covered!
I didn’t realise either. The Hungarians seem to be not only intelligent but representative in so many fields.
Wow, Learn something new everyday! Paul Newman?