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Forint reaches five-year high against euro (Realdeal.hu - 04/07/08 10:11)
Hungary to step up checks on tourist buses (Caboodle.hu - 04/07/08 08:19)
Gastronomy Festival, Buda Castle, 4 - 6 July
“Culinary adventures from the Settlement to our days - the Festival of the first Hungarian white-table order.
Deák Ferenc
Deák Ferenc, (October 17, 1803, Söjtör - January 28, 1876, Budapest), was a Hungarian statesman, known as “The Wise Man of the Nation”. He supported the “Compromise” (Ausgleich, Kiegyezés, 1867) with all his strength, leading the delegation that signed the actual accord, and yielded the premiership of the new dispensation to Gyula Andrássy After 1867 his health weakened; the continuous work and the attacks on him by disappointed radical patriots used up most of his strength. His reformist ideas were often rejected by Parliament. He died on January 28, 1876, and was buried with great pomp. Parliament created a law to remember his excellent service and ordered that a statue should be created from national donations. (wikipedia)
Hungary: Talented Nation, Unfortunate Decisions
“Life is a series of choices, we try to teach our students how to think, how to decide. They will not learn this by accident…” Read more »
Trianon: the Object of Politics
Trianon Anniversary
June 4, 2008 by Eva S. Balogh
It was on June 4, 1920, 88 years ago, that in the Trianon Palace, just outside of Paris, Hungary signed the peace treaty with the Allied and Associated Powers. As a result, Hungary proper (that is, without Croatia-Slavonia) was reduced to less than one-third (32.6%) of its former territories, and it lost almost 60% of its population. However, out of the slightly more than 18 million inhabitants only about 10 million people claimed Hungarian as their mother tongue. Post-war Hungary’s population was reduced to about 7 million, most of them Hungarian-speaking. The rest, over three million, found themselves outside the borders.
Trianon was a national trauma for Hungarians. And it was exploited by a succession of Hungarian governments whose main foreign policy aim was the recovery of some or all of the lost territories and their Hungarian-language brethren who found themselves in Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Yugoslavia.
Read the entire article; very interesting and helps to understand the historical context of Trianon: Trianon: Anniversary (I) »
With the change of regime Trianon again became a topic of conversation and unfortunately the object of politics.
The role of Trianon in today’s Hungary
June 5, 2008 by Eva S. Balogh
Until recently only the extreme right was preoccupied with Trianon. This year, however, even Fidesz politicians have been involved in public demonstrations, unveiling monuments and giving anti-Trianon speeches. This is especially interesting because on June 4, 1990, the small Fidesz parliamentary delegation headed by Viktor Orbán unceremoniously marched out of the chamber when György Szabad, speaker of the house, asked the members to stand up and observe a few minutes of silence in remembrance of the signing of the peace treaty seventy years earlier. In 1990 Fidesz considered this gesture a sign of nationalism that might sow the seeds of mistrust between Hungary and her neighbors.
The Hungarian right hasn’t heeded Orbán’s early warnings. For instance, so far this year at least 150 events have been held in remembrance of Trianon. And then there is the proliferation of monuments over the past few years…
Read the entire article: Trianon: Anniversary (II) »
Trianon treaty, lost territories, nationalism, far right, extreme right, Fidesz, politics
US visa-free program - decision after October 1
The US decision whether Hungary is included in the visa-free program is expected after October 1, when it is verified if the ratio of rejected Hungarian visa applications is below 10 percent, the US Consul General to Hungary told reporters on Thursday.
The consul said that this ratio had been 10.3 percent in 2007 and added that he hoped that this year it would drop below 10 percent, which was a prerequisite for inclusion in the no-visa program.
The United States’ goal is to ensure that citizens of Hungary and other applicants for the program could visit the US without mandatory entry-visas soon, as early as January next year.
On May 20, representatives of Hungary and the United States signed an agreement on bilateral data exchange seeking to help identify terrorists. The agreement is a prerequisite for Hungary’s exemption from US visa requirements.
Source: MTI News
USA, visa, US visa-free program, USA entry visa
BKV Strike Called Off
Budapest transport company BKV’s in-house unions and management reached an agreement on Tuesday afternoon, averting a two-day strike planned on Thursday and Friday. BKV management accepted union demands to extend by one year the collective bargain contract, which was due to expire at the end of 2008. Read more »
ZOLTÁN KODÁLY - Composer
December 16, 1882, Kecskemét – March 6, 1967, Budapest
Composer, father of the “Kodaly method”
Kodály began collecting folk music in 1905. In 1907, he became a professor at the Academy of Music, teaching music theory and composition. He published his first composition in 1910. In 1919, he worked in the musical directorate of the short-lived communist government, for which he was banned from teaching.
Isolated, he composed Psalmus Hungaricus, which was acclaimed internationally, followed by Háry János in 1926, popular all over the world. Székely Spinning Room was premiered in 1932. Other Kodály works include Dances of Marosszék (1927–1930), Summer Evening (1927), Dances of Galánta (1933), Te Deum of Budavár - composed to mark the 250th anniversary of the liberation of Buda (1936) and Peacock Variations (1939).
Kodály’s studies in music theory were also particularly significant. A monograph called Hungarian Folk Music was published in 1937.
During World War II Kodály was active in rescuing persecuted people and eventually had to go into hiding himself. He composed Missa Brevis in 1945. He was active in the democratic transformation and became chairman of the board at the Academy of Music. From 1946 to 1949 Kodály was President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. His work, Czinka Panna was premiered in 1948, and the Kállai Duo was first presented in 1951.
A series of books, Modern Music and the Folk Music of Hungary was published between 1951 and 1967, introducing his concepts on music education. In 1948 and 1952, Kodály was awarded the Kossuth Prize for his oeuvre, which included ethnography, music history, music aesthetics, music criticism, history of literature, linguistics and language culture.
Music education was central to his work throughout his lifetime, and included methods of teaching singing, reading and writing music in early education, and promoting choirs based on local tradition. The Kodály Method of Music Education is now recognized and used throughout the world.
Zoltan Kodaly, composer, Kodaly method, music education, ethnography, music history, folk music
JOHN VON NEUMANN - Father of the Computer
December 28, 1903, Budapest – February 8, 1957, Washington
Mathematician, “Father” of the computer
The achievements of John von Neumann (János Neumann) have endured in several scientific areas. He set the foundations for the theory of critical mass, and was the inventor of game theory.
Neumann received a PhD in mathematics in Budapest at the age of 26, and a year later was teaching at Princeton University in the United States. His first decades of work were theoretical, but after 1940, he began studying applications. Neumann played a major role in research to release atomic energy. He was a member of the United States Atomic Energy Commission from 1954 until his death. He published about 150 articles on his research.
In the final years of his life, Neumann was concerned with biological self-reproduction. His name is best known for his work in computer science. His proposal led to redesigning the oscilloscope, originally used for maintenance and construction, turning it into a computer display, making computer operations visible for the first time in the history of technology.
Neumann discovered that computers could not only store data, but also could save operational instructions, in other words programs. He described the theory in 1945 and the first computer based on the Neumann principle was constructed in 1952. Modern computers are designed on that foundation.
John von Neumann, Janos Neumann, computer science, Neumann principle, mathematician, critical mass, game theory, computer display, computer programs
LÁSZLÓ PAPP - Boxer
March 25, 1926, Budapest – October 16, 2003, Budapest
Three-time Olympic champion boxer
In an active sports career from 1945 to 1964, Papp won Olympic championships in 1948, 1952 and 1956, first as a middleweight, and then as a light heavyweight. He also won two European championships.
In 1957, he became a professional, winning 29 fights, and taking the European title in 1962, 1963 and 1964.
The communist leadership of the country did not allow Papp to compete for the professional world championship, so he retired and became a coach. He was appointed head coach in 1970. He served as adviser for the Ferencváros Club from 1964 to 1968, for Budapest Honvéd in 1969, and became chief coach for the national team in 1969. Papp held this position until 1992, also working as a club coach.
In 1982 Papp was presented with the International Olympic Committee Order of Merit, and in 1989 he received the World Boxing Commission’s belt for “the world’s best amateur and professional middleweight boxer.” He has been a member of the Hungarian Immortals’ Club since 1991. He received an International Fair Play award in 1993.
In 2001 Papp was voted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In 2001, he was voted the third best Hungarian male athlete of the 20th century in a contest run by the newspaper Nemzeti Sport under the patronage of the Hungarian Olympic Committee.
Laszlo Papp, Olympic champion boxer
FERENC PUSKÁS - Soccer player
April 2, 1927, Budapest – November 16, 2006, Budapest
Soccer player, captain of the “Golden Team”
As a striker, Puskás was a dominant personality in Hungary’s legendary Golden Team. In 1952, he was a member of the team that took gold in the Helsinki Olympics, in November 1953 he scored two goals in Wembley Stadium London, when Hungary beat England on its home ground by 6:3 in a game remembered in both countries to this day, and in 1954 he and his team took the silver medal at the world championships in Switzerland. He played 85 games with the national team and scored 84 goals.
In October 1956, Puskás was traveling abroad for a Champion Teams’ European Cup match with his club, Budapest Honvéd, when revolution broke out in Hungary. When the revolution was crushed, he resettled in Spain and did not return home.
Playing for Real Madrid from 1958 to 1967, Puskás started in 372 games and scored 324 goals, also helping to win the Champion Teams’ European Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. He played on the Spanish national side four times and also played for the all-European selected eleven. Puskás began working as a coach in 1969. His best coaching results were with Panathiniakos of Greece in 1970–1971, which came in second in the Champion Teams’ European Cup under his leadership.
In 1993, Puskás was head coach of the Hungarian national team for four months. In 1997, he was awarded the Olympic Order of Merit of the International Olympic Committee. In early 1997 he received an award at the Soccer Player of the Century Gala, based on data of the German organization that focuses on soccer history and statistics, because as a player for Kispest, Budapest Honvéd and Real Madrid, Puskás scored more goals than anyone else in the world in division one soccer games: 489. In 1999, he was appointed honorary consul of Hungarian sports.
In 2001, Puskás was voted best Hungarian male athlete of the 20th century in a contest run by the newspaper Nemzeti Sport under the patronage of the Hungarian Olympic Committee.
Ferenc Puskas, Soccer player, captain of the Golden Team, 6:3 Wembley Stadium London, division one soccer
ERNŐ RUBIK - creator of the Rubik Cube
July 13, 1944, Budapest –
Engineer, inventor, creator of the Rubik Cube
Rubik graduated college as an architectural engineer, and then studied interior design. He worked as an architect and designer, and was a professor at the Academy of Applied Arts from 1970 to 1988. He was awarded a senior professorship in 1987.
In 1975, Ernő Rubik designed the Rubik Cube, which conquered the world. It was Toy of the Year in many nations in 1980–1981, and there was even a Rubik Cube world championship at the time. He set up his own workshop, called Rubik Studio in 1983, and it has been in operation under his leadership ever since.
Rubik has designed several other successful toys, such as the Rubik snake, but none were as groundbreaking as the cube. In 1988, Rubik established the Rubik International Foundation, in 1990 he became president of the Academy of Hungarian Engineers, and he has been its honorary president since 1996. Rubik received the State Prize in 1983, and the Dennis Gabor prize for his innovations in 1995.
Ernő Rubik is currently interested in computers. He is seeking interfaces to change the relationship between the computer and the user.
Erno Rubik, inventor, designer, Rubik Cube
HANS SELYE - Physician, designer of stress theory
January 26, 1907, Vienna – October 16, 1982, Montreal
Physician, designer of stress theory
Hans (János) Selye studied medicine at the German university in Prague, and then in Paris and Rome. He became a physician in 1929 and chose a career in research. In 1929, he joined the staff of the Institute of Pathology in Prague, and then moved to the United States in 1931 on receiving a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship. Later, he moved to Canada where he taught biochemistry at McGill University in Montreal.
He was a professor at the Institute of Experimental Medicine and Surgery at the University of Montreal from 1945 to 1976, also serving as general adviser for surgery to the United States Armed Forces. In 1976, he became president of the International Institute for Stress Research.
Janos Selye’s work included numerous areas of physiology. He was concerned with endocrinology, cardiac cell death, the problem of steroid anaesthesia and hormone regulation. Selye is best known for his stress theory.
Hans Selye held honorary doctorates at 18 universities, was a member of the Canadian Academy of Sciences and 43 scientific societies, was declared an honorary citizen of many cities and countries, and held many high-ranking awards. He wrote a number of books including The Stress of Life, From Dream to Discovery, In Vivo: The Case for Supramolecular Biology, and Stress without Distress.
Janos Selye, Hans Selye, physician, stress theory
SIR GEORG SOLTI - Conductor
October 21, 1912, Budapest - September 5, 1997, Antibes
Conductor
Georg Solti studied at the Budapest Academy of Music, as a disciple of Arnold Székely (piano) and Albert Siklós (composition). In 1930 his instructors included Béla Bartók, Ernst von Dohnányi and Zoltán Kodály. From 1930 to 1937 he was the conductor for the Budapest Opera House. In 1937-1938, he worked as an assistant to Arturo Toscanini at the Salzburg Festival.
Solti moved to Switzerland in 1939. From 1946 to 1952 he was the music director of the Bavarian State Opera, and from 1952 to 1961, he was chief music director in Frankfurt. From 1961 to 1971 he was music director of Covent Garden Opera, and from 1969 he was chief conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He served as musical advisor to the Paris Opera from 1971 to 1973.
In 1979, Sir Georg Solti became chief conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and in 1990 he became chief music director of the Salzburg Festival.
In 1942 he won first prize at the Geneva international piano competition.
Solti was knighted by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in 1972, in recognition of his excellence as a conductor. His recordings have won numerous prizes throughout the world. Sir Georg Solti received the Bartók Award in 1990 and the Leonard Bernstein Prize in 1995.
ISTVÁN SZABÓ - Film director
February 18, 1938, Budapest –
Film director
Szabó is a graduate of the Academy of Theatre and Cinematic Arts. He began his career with personal poetic short films such as Concert, Variations on a Theme, and You. His first feature film was Age of Daydreaming. He followed with descriptions of generations of people (Father, A Love film, and 25, Fireman’s Street), followed by Budapest Tales, an allegorical study.
In 1979 he filmed, Confidence, which was nominated for an Academy Award, and in 1981 his film Mephisto, based on a novel by Klaus Mann won the Academy Award for the best foreign film. Two other Szabó films were nominated for Academy Awards, Colonel Redl, and Hanussen.
Szabó also regularly directed television films and even directed an opera. He has been vice-president of the European Academy of Cinematic Arts since 1991, and is a member of several domestic and international cinematic institutions. He holds the Kossuth Prize. He received the Joseph Pulitzer Memorial Award in 1996, for a series of programs called A Century of Movies broadcast by Hungarian public television. In 1997, he won the Corvinus Prize of the Europa Institute of Budapest. This prize is awarded to persons with outstanding merits in culture, science and politics in promoting a relationship between the Hungarian government and other nations of Europe.
He has also worked extensively as a teacher. He has instructed at the Academy of Theater and Cinematic Arts since 1985.
His film, Sunshine, premiered in 1999, received the European Film Award and in 2000 the U.S. National Board of Reviewed selected it as one of the top ten films of the year.
Istvan Szabo, director, Age of Daydreaming, Father, A Love film, 25, Fireman’s Street, Budapest Tales, Confidence, Mephisto, Colonel Redl, Hanussen, Sunshine
JÁNOS SZENTÁGOTHAI - Biochemist, neuroscientist
October 31, 1912, Budapest - September 8, 1994, Budapest
Biochemist, neuroscientist
János Szentágothai received his degree in medicine from the Budapest University of Medicine in 1936. He advanced quickly as a university instructor, becoming certified as a professor or neurological anatomy in 1942. Szentágothai became a professor of anatomy at the Pécs (South Hungary) University of Medicine, and director of the university’s Institute of Anatomy in 1946. From 1963 to 1977, he headed the Institute of Anatomy at the Semmelweis University of Medicine in Budapest, where he also chaired the department of anatomy. From 1973 to 1977 Szentágothai was vice-president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and from 1977 to 1985 he was its president.
Szentágothai continued his research projects throughout his life. He was particularly interested in eye movement, balance, the mechanisms of the central nervous system, reflex mechanisms of the brain stem, and the structures of neural inhibitors and of higher-level neuronal centers. Szentágothai made significant discoveries about the gray matter in the temporal regions of the cerebellum. Eventually, his research became focused primarily on neural synapses. One volume he wrote was entitled, The Brainstem as a Neural Machine.
Szentágothai was a popular speaker at international congresses, and played leading roles in numerous domestic and international organizations.
Szentágothai, biochemist, neuroscientist, eye movement, balance, central nervous system, reflex mechanisms of the brain stem, neural inhibitors, neuronal centers, gray matter in the temporal regions of the cerebellum, neural synapses, The Brainstem as a Neural Machine
ALBERT SZENT-GYÖRGYI - Biochemist
September 16, 1893, Budapest – October 22, 1986, Woods Hole, MA
Nobel Prize Winning biochemist
Szent-Györgyi received a degree in medicine in Budapest in 1917. He spent the next ten years traveling around the world, and received a PhD in chemistry at Cambridge. He returned to Hungary and became a professor and faculty head at Szeged University in 1928, where he established a research base in biology.
While studying cellular respiration, Szent-Györgyi isolated Vitamin-C from green peppers in 1930, naming it ascorbic acid. He was the only Hungarian to receive the Nobel Prize for scientific work actually done in Hungary, being awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1937 “for his discoveries in connection with the biological combustion processes, with special reference to vitamin C and the catalysis of fumaric acid.”
During World War II, Szent-Györgyi played a significant role in assisting Hungary’s efforts to reach a separate peace, participating in several rounds of secret negotiations. From 1945 to 1947, he taught at the Budapest University of Science.
Szent-Györgyi moved to the United States in 1947, continuing his research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. He was particularly interested in cellular respiration, cellular oxidation, the biochemistry of muscles, bioelectronics, biogenetics and the inception and treatment of cancer. Szent-Györgyi taught at Dartmouth College from 1962 to 1971. He always maintained contacts with Hungary, and regularly returned for visits, starting in the 1960s.
Since 1987, the Szeged University of Medicine bears his name. Szent-Györgyi’s publications include The Living State and Cancer, Bioelectronics, Biogenetics, Introduction of Sub-molecular Biology, and Intrinsic Cardiac Rate Regulation.
Albert Szent-Györgyi, biochemist, isolated vitamin C, received Nobel Prize for Medicine
LEO SZILARD - Physicist, biophysicist, nuclear scientist
February 11, 1898, Budapest – May 30, 1964, La Jolla, CA
Physicist, biophysicist, nuclear scientist
Leo Szilard (Leó Szilárd) received his PhD in Berlin, and for a time worked alongside Einstein. After Hitler came to power, he moved to Vienna, London, and finally, the United States. In 1939, together with Enrico Fermi, he began studying ways to achieve uranium fission, and then helped create the first nuclear reactor. Fermi and Szilard patented the nuclear reactor, but after the war they sold the patent to the United States of America for a symbolic one dollar.
While still in Berlin Szilard wrote an article on the relationship between information theory and thermodynamic entropy, which, today, is the foundation of information theory and brain research.
In the hope that it could be used against Hitler, in 1939 Szilard, together with Fermi, Eugene Wigner, Einstein and Edward Teller, wrote a letter to U.S. President Roosevelt on the possibility of using uranium fission as a military weapon. The U.S. government initiated the Manhattan Project, which was aimed at creating an atomic bomb. After World War II ended, Szilard and Einstein warned the U.S. government that there was no need to use the bomb, and called on U.S. and Soviet scientists to cooperate to prevent an arms race. At this time, he began applying methods of physics research to biology.
When he taught in Chicago and California, it was as a professor of biology. He is often described as the creator of biophysics.
In 1960, he received the Ford Foundation’s Atoms for Peace Award for efforts in the peaceful use of atomic energy.
Leo Szilard (Leó Szilárd), physicist, biophysicist, nuclear scientist, nuclear reactor, information theory, brain research, biophysics, use of atomic energy
EDWARD TELLER - Physicist, father of the H-bomb
January 15, 1908, Budapest – September 9, 2003, Stanford, CA
Physicist
Edward (Ede) Teller studied at Budapest Technical University, at the chemical engineering faculty of Karlsruhe University, and then at the physics faculties of universities in Munich and Leipzig, receiving at PhD at the age of 22. He began working in Göttingen, and then moved to London University and to Copenhagen.
He arrived in the United States in 1935, where he was already well known. He became a professor at George Washington University in Washington DC, and became increasingly interested in nuclear physics. He taught at Columbia University in 1941 and 1942.
At this time, research to develop an atomic bomb had begun the United States, in the hope that it would put an early end to World War II. He joined the staff of the National Laboratory at Los Alamos in February 1943, eventually becoming its deputy director. In 1952 and 1953 he was a consultant at the Radiation Laboratory of the University of California, and then became a professor of physics, a post he held from 1953 to 1970. Since 1975, he has been a senior staff member at the Hoover Institute.
He played a major role in designing the American hydrogen bomb and became known as “the father of the H-bomb.”
The most significant areas of his research were in nuclear physics, and the theory of thermonuclear processes. He published a book, The Legacy of Hiroshima.
In December 1997, he received the award for Famous Hungarians, and in 2001 he was the first person to receive Hungary’s Corvin Chain Award, presented by the prime minister to recognise outstanding achievement in science, the arts, education and culture.
Edward Teller - Physicist, father of the H-bomb, nuclear physics, theory of thermonuclear processes
TAMÁS VÁSÁRY - Pianist, conductor
August 11, 1938, Debrecen -
Pianist, conductor
Vásáry’s exceptional talent was recognised while he was still a student at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. He won the Liszt Piano Competition in 1948. In 1955, he won the Long Competition in Paris, and the Chopin Competition in Warsaw. He moved to Switzerland in 1956, and lived in London since the early 1960s. He regularly performs throughout the world, and has often appeared as a conductor since 1971.
He has recorded almost all of Chopin’s and Liszt’s compositions for piano.
He was chief conductor with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and chief conductor of the Hungarian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra since 1993. He is a Swiss citizen.
In 2001, he received the Chavalier des Arts et Lettres, the highest arts award in France.
Tamás Vásáry, pianist, conductor
BKV Budapest Transport Strike Dates Set for May 29 - 30
The Budapest Transport Company union’s strike committee set the dates for a two-day strike at May 29 and 30, two days later than originally planned, to leave more time for negotiations with management, said strike committee chair Gabor Nemes on Friday. Read more »
Orbán’s Future Government Plans
Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán is reportedly ready to halt the ongoing major state investment projects such as the fourth metro line project and would freeze motorway construction payments if he regains power. Read more »
Hungarian Nobel Prize Winners
PHILIPP E. A. VON LENARD
June 7, 1862, Pozsony – May 20, 1947, Messelhausen
Philippe Lenard (Fülöp Lénárd) received 1905 Nobel Prize in Physics for “his work on cathode rays.” He lived in Germany and did not consider himself a Hungarian.
ROBERT BÁRÁNY
April 22, 1876, Vienna – April 8, 1936, Uppsala
Robert (Róbert) Bárány received the Nobel Prize in Medicine “for his work on the physiology and pathology of the vestibular apparatus.” He lived in Sweden.
RICHARD A. ZSIGMONDY
April 1, 1865, Vienna – September 23, 1929, Göttingen
Richard (Richárd) Zsigmondy received the 1925 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for his demonstration of the heterogeneous nature of colloid solutions and for the methods he used, which have since become fundamental in modern colloid chemistry.” He lived in Germany.
ALBERT SZENT-GYÖRGYI
September 16, 1893, Budapest – October 22, 1986, Woods Hole, MA
Albert Szent-Györgyi received the 1937 Nobel Prize for Medicine “for his discoveries in connection with the biological combustion processes, with special reference to vitamin C and the catalysis of fumaric acid.” He was a professor at Szeged University in Hungary from 1928 to 1945, and moved to the United States in 1947.
GEORGE DE HEVESY
August 1, 1885, Budapest – July 5, 1966, Freiburg im Breisgau
George de Hevesy (György Hevesy) received the 1943 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for “for his work on the use of isotopes as tracers in the study of chemical processes.” He lived in Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
GEORG VON BÉKÉSY
June 3, 1899, Budapest – June 12, 1972, Honolulu, HI
Georg von Békésy (György Békésy) received the 1961 Nobel Prize in Medicine “for his discoveries of the physical mechanism of stimulation within the cochlea.” He lived in the United States.
EUGENE P. WIGNER
November 17, 1902, Budapest – January 1, 1995, Princeton, NJ
Eugene Wigner (Jenő Wigner) received the 1963 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his contributions to the theory of the atomic nucleus and the elementary particles, particularly through the discovery and application of fundamental symmetry principles.” He lived in the United States.
DENNIS GABOR
June 5, 1900, Budapest, – February 9, 1979, London
Dennis Gabor (Dénes Gábor) received the 1971 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his invention and development of the holographic method.” He lived in Great Britain.
JOHN C. POLANYI
January 23, 1929, Berlin –
John Polanyi (János Polányi) is the son of natural scientist Mihály Polányi. He shared the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for their contributions concerning the dynamics of chemical elementary processes.” He lives in Canada.
GEORGE A. OLAH
May 22, 1927, Budapest –
George Olah (György Oláh) received the 1994 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for “for his contribution to carbocation chemistry.” He lives in the United States.
JOHN C. HARSANYI
May 29, 1920, Budapest – August 9, 2000, Berkeley, CA
John Harsanyi (János Harsányi) shared the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economics for “pioneering analysis of equilibria in the theory of non-cooperative games.” Relying on the theory designed by his fellow prize-winners, he showed how to analyse games when information was incomplete, creating the foundation for “information economics”. He lived in the United States.
IMRE KERTÉSZ
November 9, 1929, Budapest –
He received the 2002 Nobel Prize for Literature “for writing that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history.” His books centre on the horrors of the 20th century: hatred, genocide and the inhumanity in human souls.
famous Hungarians, known Hungarians, Hungarian Nobel Prize winners in Physics, Medicine, Chemistry, Economics, Literature
EIU Survey Ranks Hungary as a Peaceful Country
The London-based Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a leading center of global economic and political analysis, ranked Hungary among the most peaceful nations of the world in its Global Peace Index released on Tuesday. Read more »
Summer Camps, 2008
Summer Camps in English are available this summer again in Hungary and nearby; here is our list. Read more »
Central Europe’s Greatest Water Theme Park!
Aquaworld (Ramada Resort – Aquaworld Budapest) is set to open its doors in the fall of 2008. The Aquaworld water empire will be Central Europe’s biggest indoor water theme park: 11 slides, 17 pools, surf pool, which is extraordinary even in Europe and further amusement elements will make the complex unique Read more »
Rail Strike May Happen Anytime
Railway workers may go on strike again at any time, as the positions of MÁV management and the Free Union of Railway Workers did not move any closer in Wednesday talks. Read more »
Budapest Social Groups, Clubs & Events
A wide selection of groups, places, clubs and programs to meet other English speakers in Budapest: Read more »
IWCA ‘From Budapest With Love’ - May 17
The International Women’s Club Association of Budapest (IWCA) annual ball is always a great night to remember. The date this year is 17 May, the festivities include live entertainment, dancing, French wine and a 3 course dinner. Read more »
Word of Life Summer Camp, Tóalmás, Hungary
Word of Life Summer Camp is one of the most exciting places to be for the summer… Read more »
Hungarian Wine Online
In terms of European cultural frontiers or divides, a broad division can be made regarding drinking patterns or habits in Europe. There are beer drinking cultures and wine drinking cultures. Read more »
Budapest Playrounds: Margaret Island (Margitsziget)
One of the best playgrounds in Budapest is the large, modern playground on a hilly area of Margaret Island. There are many different play corners according to age: from 0 to at least 14. Read more »
Hungarians Unaware of Retirement Risks
Nearly two-thirds of Hungarian workers stop working before the official retirement age, 80% of them voluntarily, a GFK survey commissioned by French insurance group AXA found. Hungary came second in both these categories among the 26 countries surveyed. Read more »
Tour Guide in Budapest: Paivi Taskinen
Paivi Taskinen - licensed (and great!) tour guide of Budapest, Hungary
Paivi has lived in Budapest for more than 10 years and speaks fluent Hungarian. She has a deep and balanced understanding of Hungary’s past and present. She is familiar with the Hungarian culture and people. She can help you to discover the sights of the beautiful Hungarian cities and towns. If you are ready for a memorable Hungary experience with a personal touch, spiced with humor, Paivi is the one to go with.
We recommend her services if you are
- a travel agent bringing groups to Hungary,
- an individual traveler visiting Hungary only for a few days; or
- an expatriate who just moved to Budapest, ready to become familiar with the place.
Paivi Taskinen
e-mail: pktaskinen@yahoo.com
phone: +36 (30) 320-2401
web: http://saaratours.com
Paivi Taskinen guides in Finnish (her mother tongue), English and Swedish. She also speaks fluent Hungarian.
tour guide, Budapest, Paivi Taskinen
Cabinet Allocates Ft 10bn to GPs, Dentists
To compensate for the shortfall of revenues following the March 9 referendum in which doctor visiting fees and hospital fees were cancelled, the cabinet is ready to allocate Ft 10 billion to GPs, pediatricians and dentists. Read more »
“Hello Turist” video
Making fun of promotional tourist videos…
Hungarian Forint: More Rate Hikes on Way
London analysts forecast more rate hikes from the National Bank (MNB). JP Morgan expects the MNB to raise the base rate by 25-basis points on Monday, followed by a similar hike a month later, bringing the two-week lending rate to 8.5%.
Other major banks and financial groups in London also predict Read more »
What’s that Trash?
In Budapest, districts provide an opportunity for everyone to get rid of all their unwanted furniture, electrical devices, magazines, books, records and whatever else they don’t need any more. People can leave these items two previously announced times a year, out on the street. Dates vary district to district. After a few days of exposition, the district will clean up the trash from the street. Read more »
New Tuition Fee Proposal
The Conference of Hungarian Rectors approved an alternative tuition fee proposal behind closed doors at Károly Róbert College in Gyöngyös yesterday. According to plans in the possession of Magyar Hírlap, a broader sphere of college and university students would be obliged to pay tuition fees. Read more »
Cultural Tax on Clothing
Socialist MP János Schiffer has proposed expanding the 0.8% “cultural” revenue tax to include clothing. The government supports the idea, because clothing represents cultural values through design, Cultural Ministry undersecretary Márta Schneider said. Read more »
Drinking & Driving: ‘Zero-tolerance’ Law
Drivers under the influence of alcohol can have license seized on the spot! As of January 20th, 2008, drivers in Hungary who have consumed even the tiniest amount of alcohol can have their driver’s license seized on the spot. Read more »
Residential Property Prices in Hungarian Cities
Gyor, Debrecen, Pecs and Veszprem have the most expensive residential property in Hungary after Budapest, according to data from ingatlanmenedzser.hu. Debrecen and Veszprem took the top two positions, but Pecs and Kecskemet were also high up the list. Read more »
Work Visa Rules & Regulations in Hungary
Rules governing the issuance of work visas to EEA citizens and other nationals working in Hungary
As of January 1, 2008, citizens of the member states of the European Economic Area (E.U. plus Norway, Lichtenstein, Switzerland and Iceland) who are in possession of the requisite qualifications for a specific job, no longer need a work permit to take up employment in Hungary. Read more »
Fidesz and the Elections
A few days before the decisive run-off elections, the defeat of the conservative opposition party Fidesz seems ever more likely. Former supporters of the party blame its leader Viktor Orban and believe they have discovered leftist populism behind his arch-conservative, Euro-sceptical facade. Read more »
