How to be a Yank – The Language
How to be a Yank – excerpts
by George Mikes
THE LANGUAGE
It was decided almost two hundred years ago that English should be the language spoken in the United States. It is not known, however, why this decision has not been carried out.
- excerpt from How to be a Yank by George Mikes
Legal – Illegal
We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was “legal” and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was “illegal“.
- Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Why We Can’t Wait, 1963
legal, illegal, civil disobedience, Hungarian revolution 1956
Attitude Toward Life
The proverbial Magyar dissension and lack of perseverance are probably the legacy of those Turkic tribes which frequently formed short-lived nomadic empires bent on the conquest of the world and soon in collapse for no apparent reason. The dreamy, unrealistic optimism, the expectation of miracles is, perhaps, a tradition handed over by the stargazing poets of Mesopotamia. Read more »
Forint Strengthens to 3-month High
The forint strengthened to a three-month peak of Ft 253.3 per euro yesterday, riding an upbeat global mood. The forint hit 162.3 per US dollar, an 11-year high. Read more »
Hungarian Culture: Books & Publications
Books and publications I used as resources for the Hungarian Culture – Understanding People – Multicultural Competence articles on this website:
Read more »
Roman Beach (Római Part)
Római part, or Roman bank, runs along the side of the Danube in District III, out by Óbuda. On a hot Sunday afternoon the grassy waterfront is filled with families enjoying the sun. Read more »
Forint Weakens
The forint was trading down more than 1% against the euro at near 254 Wednesday after rumors of a possible downgrade of Hungary by credit-rating agency Standard & Poor’s. Read more »
The legendary Hungarian IQ is efficiently repressed by their lamentable EQ…– this is the Hungarian way of giving a sporting chance in life to other Europeans.
- Ardó Zsuzsanna in Love Blues
Cogwheel
Idea for Fun in Budapest: Ride the Cogwheel train. The cogwheel train is a cute mountain train that climbs up the Buda Hills from the Városmajor Park to Széchenyi hagy, where it connects the Children’s Train. The entire trip takes about 20 minutes. Take the #56 tram from Moszkva tér; only 2 stops for the cog-wheel train. Enjoy!
Plastic Surgery in Budapest
You can take advantage of the very high class cosmetic, surgical and medical treatments in Hungary. These treatments will normally be found at up to 50% less than the cost of similar treatments in other countries. Read more »
Mariott Hotel Lobby
When you can’t take it any more… Stop your life for a couple of hours and become a lobby rat at Marriott Hotel Lobby. The place to pick up a free Budapest Sun. If there aren’t any in the lobby, go up the elevator to the third floor and there will be some at the door. Read more »
Mile Posts of Hungarian History
What are the Hungarian People Like?
The stereotypical Hungarian is pessimistic, historically conscious, pessimistic, cleverly pragmatic, contradictory, pessimistic, and appreciative of the fine arts and good food. Did I mention pessimistic? Read more »
How to Make Hungarians Like You
Give Hungarian people a good chance to get to know you. Do not rush the relationship.
Read more »
Incomes in Hungary
The minimum payable wage in Hungary is 65,500 Ft (€ 258) per month. In fact you have to do a lot of math to make it last until the end of the month. Read more »
Power Distance: How Much Respect there is for Position?
The Hungarian love of freedom and independence often hardens into rugged and proud individualism, which rejects guidance or discipline, military or political. Only leaders with great personal appeal were able to unite Hungarians for any considerable length of time. Read more »
Hungarian Schools vs. American Schools
According to Doug and Lea Coppage, who teach in a Hungarian school and their daughter has been going to Hungarian school for several years now, Hungarian schools are quite different from American schools.
Here are some major differences according to the Coppages:
- American schools value critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. Hungarian schools teach “rote” knowledge.
- American schools value self esteem and other individualistic traits. Hungarian schools value competency and more group-oriented characteristics.
- American schools have trouble teaching actual content, and they make up for this by imposing batteries of minimum achievement tests. Hungarian schools have trouble teaching things that apply to real life, and they do not attempt to compensate.
- In an American school, each student has an individual schedule, and they travel around to different teachers’ classrooms each hour. In a Hungarian schools, each class learns together in its own room, and the teachers come and go according to the class’s schedule.
Sounds blunt and too black and white to me, and I could bring several examples where a Hungarian school or a Hungarian teacher does not fit this description at all… still, I can not argue with the essence. I know that the short description above comes from many years of experience and I also know that this family loves Hungarians. This is where I decided to share their insight with you.
What are your experiences?
What is Culture? Working cross-culturally
People in every culture are raised with a set of values, beliefs, and attitudes. Some are held deeply, and in many cases, they have never been questioned. Others may be negotiable or debatable. But all affect how a person receives a new message. A cross-cultural worker must ask, “What core values are my listeners assuming as they hear my presentation? Read more »
OVI to Verify Referendum Signatures
The National Election Commission (OVB) on Monday ordered the National Election Office (OVI) to start verifying the signatures submitted in favor of a referendum against the privatisation of health insurance. Read more »
Villamos
Szentendre Day-trip
Go to Szentendre for a day trip! It is a stereotypical cobblestoned European town. Buy a ticket at the Batthyány HÉV/Metro stop and take the HÉV to the end of the line! For a scenic ride home take a boat cruise down the Danube back into Budapest! Read more »
Cog-wheel Railway (Fogaskerekű)
The Cog-wheel Train (Fogaskerekű) is a cute mountain train that climbs u the Buda hills from the Városmajor Park (close to Moszkva tér) to Széchenyi hegy, where it connects with the Children’s Train. Children like the Cog-wheel Train a lot for its steep climb and nice views. Read more »
János hegy
Idea for Fun in Budapest: Hike to János hegy and ride on the Children’s Train or take the Chair Lift to the top.
Family tip: Spend the Day in the Green Hills of Buda
Hang out in Szimpla kert
In the evening of a warm day, hang out in Szimpla kert (“simple yard”).
“Szimpla has been running since October 2001. We keep trying to find out whether it’s possible to support alternative culture on a profit oriented basis, to survive seemingly hopeless construction works, to have one of the best cuisines in town, to screen self distributed movies in our own open-air cinema, to organize animation festivals, and things like this. The answer so far seems to be: yes, it is…”
Smiling, Eye-Contact, Sharing
The Smiling Factor
Hungarians tend to behave reserved, cautious and skeptical in public.
Americans behave alert and confident. Read more »
Spend the Day in the Green Hills of Buda
Buda is hilly and green for serious walking, caving, climbing, biking and riding the Children’s Train! Read more »
Hungarian and International Train Schedules
MAV, the Hungarian Railway Company has a website where you can find out about all train traveling within Hungary. The Hungarian Railway website is www.elvira.hu. Click on ‘English’ and there you go.
Read more »
Get Out of the City
Idea for Fun in Budapest: Get out of the city! Take a day trip to a nearby town: Szentendre, Visegrád, Vác, Gödöllő, Esztergom, etc.
Jazz Clubs
Go check out a Jazz Club. They are listed in the Budapest Sun and Budapest Week each week with scheduled performers and so on. Try these: Read more »
NEVER change money on the street
Keep extra Forints, enough for an unexpected cab ride or a meal – try to not have less than 2,000 HUF on you and your cell phone.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER change money on the street or in train stations! It is illegal and you can be sure to get badly ripped off. The best place to exchange cash is at the small money xchange shops in the big shopping centers, in Mammut or MOM park for example.
And, if someone asks to see your money to check if it’s correct – don’t be a fool to show them!
Shopping at the Great Market Hall
The Great Market Hall (Vásárcsarnok) is one of the best places to buy souvenirs and other typical Hungarian gift type things for family and friends. At the top floor of this interesting building (which, by the way, was designed by Eiffel, the same guy who designed the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris!) is where you find Read more »
Showing Emotions
Showing emotions means being passionate to most Hungarians. It can also be seen as honest devotion, sensitivity, or simply being “real” (as opposed to fake). Read more »
Names & Addresses
When introduced, address your counterparts by their professional or academic title plus family name. Colleagues, friends and relatives address each other by first names.
Read more »
Feedback & Self-Esteem
There is an obvious cultural difference between European and North American cultures, is feedback and in relation to this, the concept of self-esteem.
Read more »
Visit the Great Jewish Synagogue and the Holocaust Museum
Visit the Great Jewish Synagogue and the Holocaust Museum.
The Budapest Synagogue is the second biggest Synagogue in the world. Unique for its architectural style and recently restored, it has been an important center for Jewish life in Budapest and Europe Read more »
No Public Transportation in Budapest on Friday!
Talks Fail to Avert Daylong BKV Strike. Public transport in Budapest will not be running on Friday as BKV management and unions failed to reach agreement yesterday. No talks are scheduled for today.
If the walkout goes ahead, the 22 BKV unions will be on strike Read more »
Out alone at night
Women (in general) should not walk alone at night and should avoid public transportation alone at night. DO NOT make direct eye contact with men – it is seen as an invitation or as a challenge. Read more »
Museums Worth a Visit in Budapest
Museums and exhibitions of interest – Find hours and special exhibits in any of the numerous guidebook or Budapest city information guide. Most museums are closed on Mondays. Many museums have a day that is free for the public. Read more »
Woody Allen and the Hungarian Psyche
Hungarians easily identify with Woody Allen who said:
“I have a persecution complex – because I’m persecuted.”
Read more »
Horseback Riding & Horse Summer Camps!
Providing children, teens and adults with fun-filled opportunities to build cross-cultural friendships, practice English, and learn horsemanship the natural way in a Christian setting: Read more »
Europe of Frontiers
It helps to understand the differences in European values and attitudes by thinking in geographical terms, what Richard Hill calls the ‘Macro-Divides’. There are at least three: the Island-Continent Divide, the East-West Divide and, for want of a better description, the ‘South-North Incline’. Read more »
Conversation Soft Spots
Business is not usually discussed at the ‘business dinner’, which is reserved for relaxing and getting to know one another. Read more »
Meeting People
Informal greetings between men and women friends and relatives are often a kiss on the cheeks, first left, then right. Kisses on the cheeks are not appropriate between men, except for close relatives and certain groups. Read more »
Conversation: Misunderstandings, Hidden Expectations
Language is often indirect and imprecise, and purposely so. Hungarians are almost always less direct than Americans and depend on nuances of meaning in many cases. Read more »
No Chance of Contagion
I found this picture on the internet a couple of years ago – I’m sorry about not remembering the source. I love it, however, pretty expressive…
Body Language, Nonverbal Communication
Differences in the way people communicate often cause misunderstandings, which is why business visitors should have some understanding of the basics of Hungarian nonverbal behavior. Of course, as with any business culture, you will find plenty of individual variation. Read more »
Best Restaurants
There are McDonald’s and Burger Kings on almost every street corner. For those who want to try something new and different, there are Turkish (gyros, falafel) and oriental fast food joints on all the main streets, which serve delicious food (lots of veggies!). For a good Hungarian meal, try one of the Hungarian restaurants we recommend Read more »
The Use of Humor
Sarcasm is one of the many intellectual weapons Hungarian people love to use.
Read more »
How They Tell You’re Smart
Cross cultural comparisons in the areas of geography, national history, values, faith and religion, adaptability to change, making a difference, the measures of success, wearing social walls, signs of bright-mindedness, behavior toward foreigners.
Read more »
Children’s Train (Gyermekvasút) in the Buda Hills
Riding the Children’s Train and getting out at fun spots is a true nature experience in a city of 2 million people! The Children’s Train is named after its station and ticket controllers: the Budapest children! The single track mountain train Read more »
Attitude to the New and the Unknown
Cultures with a high level of uncertainty-avoidance prefer stable rules and long-lasting relationships. Any uncertainty can express itself in higher anxiety than those from low uncertainty avoidance cultures. Read more »
American Missionaries in Hungary
An interesting approach from a Hungarian Journalist, Norbert Izsák
Wherever we may go, we always find people living in other countries. Sometimes they do business in another culture, sometimes they are involved in charity, but no matter what their purposes are, they try to find a home in a foreign land.
Read more »
Holidays in Hungary
Hungarian Public Holidays and Special Events are listed and explained here.
Public holidays (when shops and schools are closed) are marked red. Read more »
Budapest Windows
Family Housing Expenses
Rental prices
- 4 bedroom single standing home outside of Budapest city limits start at 250,000 Ft / 1,000 EUR monthly + utilities
- 4 bedroom single standing home in district 12: 750,000 – 1,500,000 Ft / 3,000 – 6,000 EUR monthly + utilities
Key Questions for Your Effectiveness
Key questions in the areas of Individualism, Power-distance and Uncertainty avoidance. Read more »
Student’s Basic Budget in Budapest
Survival budget – This is how much money you will need to have in order to survive in Budapest as a student:
- Accommodation: 40,000-60,000 Ft + utilities
- Food and drink: 30,000 – 40,000 Ft
- Mobility: 3,250 Ft (student pass)
- Insurance: 15,000 Ft
- Leisure activity / recreation: 2,000-12,000 Ft (one movie ticket costs approx. 1,000 Ft)
- Other (phone, internet, clothing, medical expenses, etc.): 15,000-30,000 Ft
Total: 85,000-150,000 Ft
To survive on your own in Budapest, and if you must pay your rent, want to go out only once or twice a month, and have the odd meal at a cheap restaurant, you need the bare minimum of 100,000 Ft monthly as a limited student’s budget.
Convert Ft to your own currency
student’s budget in Budapest, cost of living, Hungary
Go to the Budapest Citadel on Gellért Hill
Go to the Budapest Citadel on Gellért hill. The Citadella is an impressive fortress built originally in the mid 19th century by the Habsburgs.
The Freedom Monument is a statue of a lady with a palm, representing Read more »
The Little Prince and the Fox
It was then that the fox appeared.
“Good morning,” said the fox.
“Good morning,” the little prince responded politely, although when he turned around he saw nothing.
“I am right here,” the voice said, “under the apple tree.”
“Who are you?” asked the little prince, and added, “You are very pretty to look at.” Read more »
Parenting Completed…
You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round
will wave at his parents every time around – and why his parents will always wave back. Read more »
Outdoor Markets
Idea for Fun in Budapest: Take pictures at outdoor markets.
You Know You’re a Hungarian…
1. When you use sour cream more than ketchup.
2. When your parents come to visit for 3 weeks and you all stay in a one bedroom apartment.
3. When feeding your guests is your main priority even if they claim they’re not hungry and in which case you get slightly upset that they don’t want your hospitality.
When You Feel Inadequate…
For the LORD your God is a merciful God, He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.
- Deuteronomy 4:31
But You, O LORD, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
- Psalm 3:3
My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
- Psalm 5:3
Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.
For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.
- Psalm 27:3,5
It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
- Psalm 118:8
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
- Isaiah 40: 29-31
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
- Isaiah 41:10
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
- Isaiah 43:2
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
- John 14:18
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,
Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
Receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
- 1 Peter 1: 6-9
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
bible, quotes, encouragement, when you feel inadequate
New Playhouse and Summer Camp in Diósd
Szülők Háza (Home for Parents) will run theme Summer day-camps throughout this summer, and is opening a new day-care center / nursery school (óvoda) in Diósd in September, 2008 for ages 3-7. Read more »
Look-out Tower (Kilátó) on Top of János hegy
Take the 101 step spiral staircase, and you reach the highest point of Budapest (529 m) where Erzsébet look-out tower (Erzsébet kilátó) was built. On very clear days it is possible to see the high Tatra hills in Slovakia to the North; the ‘normal’ view is also excellent. Read more »
Hungarian Quote
Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.
- Albert Szent-Györgyi, Hungarian Biochemist, 1937 Nobel Prize for Medicine, 1893-1986
Task and People-Orientation Compared
The West is, by in large, a goal-oriented society while the East is relationship-oriented. In other words, a Westerner gains value from the product, while the Easterner gains value from the relationship. Read more »
How to Cope with Culture Shock
Culture shock is a normal response to immersion in an unfamiliar culture. The more unexpected and subtle the difference, the stronger our reaction can be. You can overcome culture shock by Read more »
Formal or Casual?
How you dress mostly depends on the purpose of the meeting or presentation. It may be more formal the first day of your visit and casual the other days: it would go from a business suit to a more creative ensemble. Read more »
Business Entertaining in Hungary
Food and drink is an important part of everyday life, but the real purpose of the occasion is that Hungarians need to cultivate the personal relationships that are crucially important in a business relationship. We want to know what sort of person you are and whether we can do business with you before talking about it. Read more »
How to be a Yank – The American Century
How to be a Yank – excerpts
by George Mikes
THE AMERICAN CENTURY
The position of the American in his own estimation. The curvature of the earth’s surface renders it impossible to observe this position without some distortion of perspective. The possible margin of error in the above diagram is about the width of the Atlantic Ocean.
But can we trust them as leaders? . . . When I was a small boy we used to play football every Saturday afternoon in the field (it would be called the village green in England). Our centre forward was always the same little boy, let’s call him Sammy. There was always a great deal of argument as to who should be in the team and what position one or another boy should occupy. But there was never any argument about the position of the centre-forward. It had to be Sammy. He was not a very good player; he could not use his left foot at all. But he wanted to play centre-forward and centre-forward he played. The ball belonged to him.
- excerpt from How to be a Yank by George Mikes
Canoes
Idea of Fun in Budapest: Rent canoes on the Danube (off the HÉV).
Ethnicity
On the map Hungary appears as a non-Slavic wedge separating the southern Slavs (Bulgarians and the peoples of the former Yugoslavia) from those of the north – the Czechs, Slovaks and Poles. As a non-Slavic people surrounded mostly by Slavs, Hungarians sometimes feel like lonely outsiders. Read more »
Hungary Drops in Competitiveness
Hungary slipped back three places to 38 in the World Competitiveness Yearbook survey compiled by Swiss economic institute IMD. The report covers 55 countries and measures competitiveness based on some 300 criteria. Read more »
Shepherd’s Food: Pörkölt and Gulyás
The finest Hungarian food comes out of the shepherd’s cauldron. Shepherds are actually famous for several different dishes, of which probably the best are the Hungarian stew (pörkölt) and goulash (gulyás). Read more »
Gyurcsány Vows Moderate Reforms
A moderate reform policy that can be implemented is worth more than failed radical reforms, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány told an international press conference on Friday. Read more »
International Schools in Budapest
Budapest has a number of educational opportunities in the English language. There are three schools that offer instruction in the English language and use an essentially American curriculum: Read more »
Intercultural Competence
‘Oh the Hungarians, they are so arrogant! So ignorant! So proud, but of what?! And sooo depressed!’
When people get together from different cultures, they are often not as happy or content as they could be. Read more »
Used Bookstores
Idea for Fun in Budapest: Go to galleries, museums and especially used bookstores along Museum krt. Have lunch at a table on the street in Ráday utca.
Missions: Misreading Each Other
Following the flood of Western evangelical missions into Hungary, many young Hungarians were trained with superficial methods of evangelism which tended to ignore Hungarian culture and promote a “cold turkey” approach without building trust. Read more »
Yahoo Buys Hungarian Software Maker
US internet company Yahoo announced that it had agreed to buy Hungarian firm Tensa, known as IndexTools, a producer of web marketing analytics software. Read more »
The Language of Business
People who are very good in reading and writing a foreign language, might encounter hardships in verbal communication. They may not understand as well as you think they do. Read more »
Libraries with English Books
Budapest Christian Library
Address: Gellert ter 1, 1111
Phone: +36 (1) 365 2483
Email: budapestlibrary@cs.com
Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library
- it now has the collection of the British Council Library
Address: 1088 Budapest, Szabó Ervin tér 1.
A great place to get books in English.
Website: www.fszek.hu
library, English books, reading, Budapest Christian Library, British Council Library, Ervin Szabo Library
Pay Your Parking Fees Via Your Cell Phone
New Mobile phone parking system in Budapest and 20 other cities in Hungary.
You may pay your parking fees via your Hungarian mobile phone (Pannon or T-Mobile) without registration. There is no need for pre-payment, (to have a credit account with a parking company), and you don’t pay by the hour, but only for the time you actually park your car.
How does it work Read more »
Knowledge: Quality of Life
Knowledge means quality of life (the life we can only live once), gives the person a feeling of competence, and carries the hope of future.
Knowledge is highly valued is Hungarian society, but in the young generation, a materialistic value-system is developing due to the social and existential crisis in Central-Eastern Europe.
Knowledge is also seen as a tool for Hungarian society to be able to compete in the world arena. Science is the 4th element of power in the world today (after military power / force, economy / money, and media / information).
Roots of Hungarian Character
The Hungarian Character
We shall find it easier to understand the history and civilization of the Hungarians, if we look at first at some interesting traits of their national character.
Read more »
Onions and Paprika
Of the various vegetables and spices used in Hungarian dishes, Makó onions and ground red paprika from Kalocsa or Szeged must be listed as genuine hungaricum. Read more »
Public Transportation in Budapest
Budapest has an excellent, thorough and efficient system of public transportation, which includes buses, trams, three subway lines called Metro, and electric trains called HÉV, which travel to suburbs such as Szentendre. Read more »
Forint Rises Again
The forint strengthened to a four-month high of 251.46 per euro in intense trading yesterday afternoon, due to closing of stop-loss positions and the successful government bond auction, according to a trader with ING bank. The currency closed at 158.82 per dollar, a new 11-year high. Read more »
Hungarian Culture: Why it is as it is?
Hungarian culture (due to its location and history) has always been at the crossroads between eastern and western cultures, has functioned as a bridge between East and West, integrating characteristic features of both. What is Hungarian culture like? Read more »
TIVADAR PUSKÁS – invented the predecessor of radio
September 17th, 1844, Pest – March 16th, 1893, Budapest
Tivadar Puskás invented the telephone exchange and the telephone newsreader, the predecessor of the wired radio.
In the legend, Tivadar Puskás said “hallo” into the telephone receiver for the first time on April 2, 1878, or rather he said “hallom” (that is to say “I hear” in Hungarian), so the world “HALLO” originated from this Hungarian word. It was the first long-distance call, which was established between Puskás and Edison having overcame the distance of 107 miles between New York and Philadelphia.
Puskás also built Europe’s first telephone exchange in 1879. In Budapest, the world’s fourth exchange commenced operating in 1881.
Puskás received his higher education in Theresianum, then at the Technical University in Vienna. However, he was not able to complete his studies due to his father’s death. Later he undertook work in London and in Transylvania, and then he traveled to the United States and made some business. In 1876 Puskás returned to Europe for a short time, and began to build the telegraph network in London and Brussels. His concept was to create a telegraph apparatus that on its switchboard the lines of the factories and offices in the city could be connected to it and to each other, as well. However, the idea was considered too expensive.
Having heard that A.G. Bell presented his new invention, the telephone, Puskás traveled there at once, and realized that he should build a telephone exchange.
He visited and convinced Edison that the telephone is a novel device which needed to be made available to the public. From the autumn of 1876 to the summer of 1877 Puskás worked with Edison on the idea of the telephone exchange at the Edison’s laboratory in Menlo Park.
In the summer of 1877, Puskás as Edison’s European agent moved to London and in 1878 to Paris, where he directed the installation of the first telephone network and exchange. In October 1879 Tivadar Puskás became a member of the board of directors in the Edison Company.
Meanwhile, Puskás trained his brother, Ferenc, who with Edison’s consent, obtained exclusive rights to build telephone exchanges on the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The two brothers returned home and began to install a telephone exchange in Budapest, which started to operate with twenty five subscribers on May 1st, 1881 as the sixth telephone exchange in Europe. Three months after opening the first exchange Puskás set up the second one, then, by setting up another one in Buda the number of telephone exchanges in Budapest increased up to three.
In 1881 at the World Fair in Paris Puskás presented Jumbo, a giant 27-ton dynamo of Edison’s company, the phonograph and electric lighting. Jumbo supplied electricity to 1,000-1,200 light bulbs with tremendous success.
Puskás was also interested in the telephone newsreader, i.e. the idea of transmission to several stations at the same time.
When on the exhibition Puskás has shown the General Telephone Company of Paris he organized the first “live broadcast”. He broadcast a performance from the Paris Opera to a room at the exhibition where 16 listeners were able to hear the performance on earphones.
On February 14th, 1882, at the spring festival organized in the building of the Vigadó (Municipal Concert Hall) of Pest Puskás broadcasted Erkel’s opera “László Hunyadi” from the National Theatre through his “songtelephone”. At this time only a limited number of listeners could enjoy the broadcast. In order to make it possible to listen to it on innumerable receivers at the same time, the sound had to be amplified. Puskás’s sound multiplicator, a forerunner of today’s amplifying valve served for this purpose.
After several unsuccessful businesses Tivadar Puskás, poor and ill, returned to Budapest, where, the Budapest Telephone Company, Puskás Tivadar and Co. almost went bankrupt. Fortunately the Minister of Industry and Trade who comprehended the potentialities of the telephone, took the telephone network into public ownership, and rented it to Puskás. Further enhancement, therefore, was supported by the state.
After Puskás founded the telephone exchange of the city of Budapest, he invented the forerunner of the radio, the telephone broadcaster. On February 15th, 1893, for the first time in the world, the telephone newsreader began to broadcast in Budapest, Hungary. In the first period the telephone newsreader did not have independent wires, the subscribers requested connection from the telephone exchange and they could listen to permanent broadcasting from 9 in the morning till 9 in the evening on the telephone. Later individual wires were laid down for the telephone newsreader.
This is how W. B. Forster Bovill writes about it in Hungary and the Hungarians, (1908, pages 111-112):
“You may be seated as I was in the reading-room of one of the hotels, or in a large coffee-house, when suddenly a rush is made for a telephone-looking instrument which hangs from the wall. In time perhaps you will become one of these “rushers.” It is the Telephon Hirmondo, a kind of newspaper which telephones its news instead of printing it. Budapest is the only city in the world which possesses such an instrument. All day long a clear-toned elocutionist announces news just as it arrives, it commences in the morning at nine by sending the correct time, which is repeated every hour. At twelve o’clock the news of the day, home and abroad, is sent out to thousands of homes, etc. Sometimes a raconteur will make the luncheon hour pass easily by telling a few good stories. The latest rise and fall “on ‘Change,” programme of events, meetings, Parliament, horseraces, these are a few of the items one may receive. From 4.30 to 6.30 one may listen to a famous Honvéd military band, and after seven in the evening, for five nights of the week, the subscriber sitting at home may listen to grand opera. On the two remaining evenings the strains of a gipsy band coming from a distant café adds to the enjoyment. The Magyar loves pleasure.”
Today’s wired radios are based on the structural elements of Tivadar Puskás’s telephone newsreader.
A month later the telephone newsreader broadcast (telephonograph) released the sad news that Tivadar Puskás died of heart attack, at the age of 49.
Tivadar Puskas, telephone newsreader, telephone exchange, radio, inventor, Edison, Bell, telephonograph, songtelephone
Hofstede’s Dimensions of National Cultures
Cultural differences manifest themselves in a culture’s choices of symbols, heroes/heroines, rituals, and values: essential patterns of thinking, feeling and acting that are well-established by late childhood. Read more »
Presentation Styles & Challenges
In what way should presentations and seminars in Hungary be different from those in the US? In America, you usually talk for ten minutes and then start everyone in an exercise. In Budapest, however, if you don’t give your Hungarian audience a 40 minute background of history, philosophy, and theory, they will think what you are about to say is probably not established. Read more »
Verbal Behavior
Hungarians are almost always less direct than North Americans, and depend on nuances of meaning in many cases. Humor, sometimes sarcastic, may be used to convey a message. Read more »
Formality, Status & Hierarchy
Hungarians are more formal than Danes, Australians or North Americans – more like the French and Germans, for instance. Read more »
Vizsla
The vizsla is a breed of sporting dog. It can generally work both as a pointer and a retriever. Developed on the open plains of Hungary, the vizsla was bred to be a swift and cautious hunter, wary of alerting its quarry. Read more »
Boat Trips on the Danube River
Boat companies provide boat trips along the Danube in the Summer season. Here are some short regular boat trips for you to try: Read more »
Take a Look at the Hand of István in the Basilica
Visit Saint Stephen’s Basilica (Szent István Bazilika) and take a look at his preserved right hand.
The Basilica is the biggest church in Budapest, named after István, the first king of Hungary. Read more »
Fish Soup
Everyone coming to Hungary and finding themselves by the Danube, Tisza or Balaton shore will come across the local version of the Hungarian fish soup. Read more »
Zwack Unicum
Joseph II, emperor of Austria and Hungary, unwittingly came up with the name for Hungary’s most famous liqueur in 1790. “Das ist ein Unicum” he commented after sampling the tonic created by court physician Dr. Zwack to treat a stomach disorder troubling his majesty. Read more »
