Hungarian American
Encyclopedia
Hungarian Americans Hungarian are American
citizens of Hungarian
descent. The constant influx of Hungarian immigrants was marked by several waves of sharp increase.
, with Hungarian Americans such as Michael de Kovats
, the founder of United States Cavalry
, active in the American Revolution
. Hungarians have maintained a constant state of immigration to the United States since then, however are best known for three principle waves of immigration.
Agoston Haraszthy
, who settled in Wisconsin
in 1840, was the first Hungarian to permanently settle in the United States and the second Hungarian to write a book about the United States in his native language. After he moved to California
in 1849, Haraszthy founded the Buena Vista Vineyards in Sonoma
(now Buena Vista Carneros) and imported more than 100,000 European wine
cuttings for the use of California winemakers. He is widely remembered today as the "Father of California Viticulture" or the "Father of Modern Winemaking in California."
The first large wave of Hungarian immigration to the United States occurred in 1849-1850 when the so-called "Forty-Eighters" fled from retribution by Austrian authorities after the defeat of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
. By the turn of the century, the United States saw an immigration boom primarily of Southern and Eastern Europeans. This wave consisted of approximately 650,000-700,000 ethnic Hungarians. Unlike the educated gentry who formed the core of the 1849 wave, the second wave was mostly poor and uneducated immigrants seeking a better life in America.
A certain increase of Hungarian immigration was also observed during the Second World War and The Holocaust
, a significant percentage of whom were Jewish.
The circumstances of the third wave of immigration had much in common with the first wave. In 1956, Hungary was again under the power of a foreign state, this time the Soviet Union
, and again Hungarians rose up in revolution. Like the revolution of 1848, the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
failed and led to the emigration of 200,000 "56-ers" fleeing persecution after the revolution. 40,000 of them found their way to the United States.
According to the 2000 US Census
, there are 1,563,081 persons with Hungarian ancestry in the United States
as of 2006, with − according to 2000 census data
− 1,398,724 of them indicating Hungarian as their first ancestry.
Estimates of the number of Hungarians in the United States go well above 4 million. This number also includes the large number of ethnic Hungarian immigrants most of whom have arrived to the US from Romania, Czechoslovakia, and the former Yugoslavia.
The states with the largest Hungarian American populations include:
The highest percentage of Hungarians in any American town, village or other, is in Kiryas Joel, New York
(The great majority of its residents are Hasidic
Jews belonging to the Satmar Hasidic dynasty
, originated from Hungary) where 18.9% of the total population claimed Hungarian as first ancestry. Other places with over 10% are Fairport Harbor, Ohio
(14.1%) and West Pike Run Township, Pennsylvania
(11.7%). About a hundred other places have >5% of Hungarians, but the highest number of Hungarians living in the same place is in New York City
.
influenced numerous television comedy programs for years to come. The Fox Film Corporation was formed by William Fox
. Actress Vilma Bánky
starred in numerous silent films opposite Hollywood legends such as Rudolph Valentino
and Ronald Colman
. Actress Drew Barrymore
's mother is Hungarian. Actor Tony Curtis
has been in over 100 films, including his iconic roles in Some Like It Hot
and The Defiant Ones
. Actress Jessica Szohr
of Gossip Girl
is of partial Hungarian descent. Actor Peter Lorre
became famous after his role as a murderer in Fritz Lang
's M
and went on to play many antagonist
ic villain roles. Legendary actor Béla Lugosi
played Count Dracula
in the stage version and subsequent film of Bram Stoker
's classic. Academy Award winner Paul Lukas
is perhaps best remembered his acclaimed role in the film Watch on the Rhine
for his Professor Aronnax in Walt Disney
's classic 1954 film version of Jules Verne
's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
. Johnny Weismuller, who formed Tarzan
. Actress Ilona Massey
was frequently billed as "the new Dietrich
" and famously played the role of a femme fatale
in Love Happy
. Sex symbol Zsa Zsa Gabor
was perhaps better known for her status as a socialite than as an actress; she married nine times. Her younger sister Eva Gabor
was known for her role on the television show Green Acres
, and her older sister Magda Gabor famously helped save the lives of 240 Jewish families during the Second World War because of her relationship with a Portuguese
ambassador
. Harry Houdini
, considered by many to be the greatest magician of all time, was an expert escapologist, introducing it as an art form. He was also a major critic and investigator of Spiritualists.
In filmmaking, Vilmos Zsigmond
was nominated for four Academy Awards for Cinematography
(won the Oscar for Close Encounters of the Third Kind
). Laszlo Kovacs
, most famous for his work on Easy Rider
and Five Easy Pieces
, won three Lifetime Achievement Awards for cinematography. Ernest Laszlo
, who worked on over 60 films, won an Academy Award for cinematography for 1965's Ship of Fools
. Andrew Laszlo
, worked first in Television (Ed Sullivan's 'The Beatles at Shea Stadium' and the miniseries 'Shogun' with Richard Chamberlain) and made over 30 films including the cult classic The Warriors (film).
Director Frank Darabont
, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director three times, is most popular for Stephen King
adaptations, including The Shawshank Redemption
, ranked among audience polls as one of the greatest films of all time. Michael Curtiz
was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Directing four times, finally winning for Casablanca
, considered by many critic polls to be one of the greatest films ever made. George Cukor
won an Academy Award for Best Directing for My Fair Lady
. Independent directors and the films that have brought them acclaim include Nimród Antal
for his cult film Kontroll
, Peter Medak
, infamous for his B-movies, and László Benedek
for the Golden Globe Award
-winning film rendition of Death of a Salesman
.
Joe Eszterhas
wrote the screenplay for Basic Instinct
, dubbed a cult classic. Andrew G. Vajna produced the Die Hard
, Rambo
and The Terminator
sequels. Ladislas Farago
wrote numerous books on World War II
espionage, including a screenplay for the film Tora! Tora! Tora!
. Animator Gábor Csupó
created the Rugrats
series, an increasingly popular children's show.
Animator George Pal
was known for producing landmark science fiction films, considered to be first to introduce the genre to film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
founded the "George Pal Lecture on Fantasy in Film" series in his memory.
In music, Miklós Rózsa
composed numerous film scores; perhaps his most recognizable score was for the 1959 epic Ben-Hur
. In classical music, Eugene Ormandy
, music director for the Philadelphia Orchestra
, was appointed an honorary Knight of the British Empire by the Queen of England
and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
. In rock, Tommy Ramone
co-founded the legendary punk band The Ramones.
In sports, Monica Seles
won nine Grand Slam
singles titles and is the former No. 1 professional tennis player in the world. Former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay
hit the spotlight when he married Jayne Mansfield
. Al Hrabosky
was a popular Major League Baseball
player, nicknamed the Mad Hungarian, but he was not actually Hungarian. Gene Mako
won four Grand Slam doubles titles in the 1930s.
In physics, Edward Teller
acquired the title of "the father of the hydrogen bomb," for his work in the Manhattan Project
. His colleague on the project, physicist Leó Szilárd
conceived the idea of a nuclear chain reaction
and helped implement it. It was Szilard who persuaded Albert Einstein
to write his infamous letter to Franklin Roosevelt concerning atomic warfare. Theodore von Kármán
was responsible for a number of key theories in aeronautic and astronautics
research and development. Eugene Wigner laid the foundation for several important theories pertaining to the atomic nucleus
, and won the Nobel Prize in Physics
in 1963. László Bíró
made "biro" the ballpoint pen
.
In computer science, John George Kemeny
co-developed the BASIC programming language in 1964 with Thomas Eugene Kurtz
. Computer software businessman Charles Simonyi
oversaw the creation of Microsoft Office
and invented the concept of "intentional programming
." Leslie L. Vadász
and Andrew Grove
were key leaders in the history of the Intel Corporation
.
In sociology, Thomas Szasz
is a prominent figure in the antipsychiatry movement, as well as a vocal critic of state control over medicine
.
In astronomy, Victor Szebehely
became a leading figure in NASA
's Apollo program.
In biology and chemistry, Albert Szent-Györgyi
won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
in 1937 for discovering the biological process of Vitamin C
in the human body. Georg von Békésy
won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
for his research on the mammalian ear. George Andrew Olah
won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
for his research on carbocations, and later hydrocarbons and their applicability to ethanol
fuel. Ernő László
, a prominent dermatologist, found the Erno Laszlo Institute for cosmetic research. Andor Szentivanyi discovered "The Beta Adrenergic Theory of Asthma."
In mathematics, Paul Halmos
contributed significantly to probability theory
, statistics
, and logic
. László Lovász
made pioneering developments in the study combinatorics
, winning both the Wolf Prize and Knuth Prize
in 1999. Cornelius Lanczos
developed numerous technics for mathematical calculations, of which the Lanczos algorithm
and Lanczos approximation are named after him. John von Neumann
, acknowledged as one of the foremost mathematicians of the 20th century, contributed to a wide variety of fields, including computer science
, economics
, quantum theory
, statistics
, and hydrodynamics. Neumann's work on nuclear physics
was influential in the Manhattan Project
. The John von Neumann Theory Prize
and the IEEE John von Neumann Medal
are named in his honor.
In art, Bauhaus
artist Marcel Breuer
became known as one of the first modernists for his modular construction and simple forms. Another Bauhaus
artist László Moholy-Nagy
, highly influenced by Russian
constructivism
, helped introduce the movement to the United States
; he was a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry
into the arts. Lajos Markos
was a significant portrait artist, having created portraits for iconic celebrities such as John Wayne
. Photographer Sylvia Plachy
published several photobooks detailing her personal history in Central Europe
.
In politics, Tom Lantos
was a US Representative for San Francisco, being the only Holocaust survivor to serve in the US Congress. The father of former New York
governor George Pataki
is ethnic Hungarian; he still speaks some Hungarian
today. Peter R. Orszag
, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Obama has Hungarian roots. Besides US Representative Lantos there were other Hungarians in the Congress, like Ernest Istook
, Joseph M. Gaydos
, Eugene Jerome Hainer
or Ernie Konnyu
.
Others include famous Holocaust survivor Nobel Peace Prize
winner Elie Wiesel
known for his activism
and for writing the critically acclaimed Night
. Agoston Haraszthy
, a famous traveller and writer, became known as the "Father of California Viticulture" and perhaps one of the most accomplished viticulturists
in US history. Joseph Pulitzer
, a journalist famous for helping create "yellow journalism
" and posthumously establishing the Pulitzer Prize
s. Csaba Csere
was Editor-in-Chief of Car and Driver
from 1993 to 2008. In the world of business, billionaire aircraft leasing, philanthropist Steven F. Udvar-Házy
, billionaire-philanthropist-political actvist George Soros
are notable Hungarian Americans.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizens of Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
descent. The constant influx of Hungarian immigrants was marked by several waves of sharp increase.
History
Europeans have settled the New WorldNew World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, with Hungarian Americans such as Michael de Kovats
Michael de Kovats
Michael Kovats de Fabriczy was a Hungarian cavalry officer who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, in which he was killed in action....
, the founder of United States Cavalry
United States Cavalry
The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, is the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army. The role of the U.S. Cavalry is reconnaissance, security and mounted assault. Cavalry has served as a part of the Army forces in every war in which the United States has participated...
, active in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. Hungarians have maintained a constant state of immigration to the United States since then, however are best known for three principle waves of immigration.
Agoston Haraszthy
Agoston Haraszthy
Agoston Haraszthy was a Hungarian-American traveler, writer, town-builder, and pioneer winemaker in Wisconsin and California, often referred to as the "Father of California Viticulture," or the "Father of Modern Winemaking in California"...
, who settled in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
in 1840, was the first Hungarian to permanently settle in the United States and the second Hungarian to write a book about the United States in his native language. After he moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1849, Haraszthy founded the Buena Vista Vineyards in Sonoma
Sonoma, California
Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic...
(now Buena Vista Carneros) and imported more than 100,000 European wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
cuttings for the use of California winemakers. He is widely remembered today as the "Father of California Viticulture" or the "Father of Modern Winemaking in California."
The first large wave of Hungarian immigration to the United States occurred in 1849-1850 when the so-called "Forty-Eighters" fled from retribution by Austrian authorities after the defeat of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848
Hungarian Revolution of 1848
The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...
. By the turn of the century, the United States saw an immigration boom primarily of Southern and Eastern Europeans. This wave consisted of approximately 650,000-700,000 ethnic Hungarians. Unlike the educated gentry who formed the core of the 1849 wave, the second wave was mostly poor and uneducated immigrants seeking a better life in America.
A certain increase of Hungarian immigration was also observed during the Second World War and The Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, a significant percentage of whom were Jewish.
The circumstances of the third wave of immigration had much in common with the first wave. In 1956, Hungary was again under the power of a foreign state, this time the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and again Hungarians rose up in revolution. Like the revolution of 1848, the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
1956 Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution or Uprising of 1956 was a spontaneous nationwide revolt against the government of the People's Republic of Hungary and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956....
failed and led to the emigration of 200,000 "56-ers" fleeing persecution after the revolution. 40,000 of them found their way to the United States.
Demographics
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, there are 1,563,081 persons with Hungarian ancestry in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as of 2006, with − according to 2000 census data
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
− 1,398,724 of them indicating Hungarian as their first ancestry.
Estimates of the number of Hungarians in the United States go well above 4 million. This number also includes the large number of ethnic Hungarian immigrants most of whom have arrived to the US from Romania, Czechoslovakia, and the former Yugoslavia.
The states with the largest Hungarian American populations include:
| Ohio Hungarian Ohioans The Hungarian Ohioans are Hungarian Americans living in Ohio. Their number was 193,951 in 2006. Fairport Harbor, Ohio is 11.8 % Hungarian American. In Cleveland and its neighboring areas there live more than 130,000 Hungarians. Some resources stated that there was time when Cleveland was the second... |
193,951 | New York | 137,029 | California | 133,988 | Pennsylvania | 132,184 | New Jersey | 115,615 | Michigan | 98,036 | Florida | 96,885 |
The highest percentage of Hungarians in any American town, village or other, is in Kiryas Joel, New York
Kiryas Joel, New York
Kiryas Joel is a village within the town of Monroe in Orange County, New York, United States...
(The great majority of its residents are Hasidic
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...
Jews belonging to the Satmar Hasidic dynasty
Satmar (Hasidic dynasty)
Satmar is a Hasidic movement comprising mostly Hungarian and Romanian Hasidic Jewish Holocaust survivors and their descendants. It was founded and led by the late Hungarian-born Grand Rebbe Yoel Teitelbaum , who was the rabbi of Szatmárnémeti, Hungary...
, originated from Hungary) where 18.9% of the total population claimed Hungarian as first ancestry. Other places with over 10% are Fairport Harbor, Ohio
Fairport Harbor, Ohio
Fairport Harbor is a village in Lake County, Ohio, United States, along Lake Erie at the mouth of the Grand River. The population was 3,180 at the 2000 census....
(14.1%) and West Pike Run Township, Pennsylvania
West Pike Run Township, Pennsylvania
West Pike Run Township is a township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,925 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
(11.7%). About a hundred other places have >5% of Hungarians, but the highest number of Hungarians living in the same place is in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Famous Hungarian Americans
In entertainment, the comic style of Ernie KovacsErnie Kovacs
Ernie Kovacs was a Hungarian American comedian and actor.Kovacs' uninhibited, often ad-libbed, and visually experimental comedic style came to influence numerous television comedy programs for years after his death in an automobile accident...
influenced numerous television comedy programs for years to come. The Fox Film Corporation was formed by William Fox
William Fox (producer)
William Fox born Fried Vilmos was a pioneering Hungarian American motion picture executive who founded the Fox Film Corporation in 1915 and the Fox West Coast Theatres chain in the 1920s...
. Actress Vilma Bánky
Vilma Bánky
Vilma Bánky was a Hungarian-born American silent film actress, although the early part of her acting career began in Budapest, spreading to France, Austria, and Germany...
starred in numerous silent films opposite Hollywood legends such as Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
and Ronald Colman
Ronald Colman
Ronald Charles Colman was an English actor.-Early years:He was born in Richmond, Surrey, England, the second son and fourth child of Charles Colman and his wife Marjory Read Fraser. His siblings included Eric, Edith, and Marjorie. He was educated at boarding school in Littlehampton, where he...
. Actress Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
's mother is Hungarian. Actor Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
has been in over 100 films, including his iconic roles in Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot
Some Like It Hot is an American comedy film, made in 1958 and released in 1959, which was directed by Billy Wilder and starred Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and George Raft. The supporting cast includes Joe E. Brown, Pat O'Brien and Nehemiah Persoff. The film is a remake by Wilder and I....
and The Defiant Ones
The Defiant Ones
The Defiant Ones is a 1958 drama film which tells the story of two escaped prisoners, one white and one black, who are shackled together and who must co-operate in order to survive. It stars Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Theodore Bikel, Cara Williams, Charles McGraw, and Lon Chaney, Jr...
. Actress Jessica Szohr
Jessica Szohr
Jessica Karen Szohr is an American actress. Szohr began her screen career starring on television shows such as CSI: Miami and What About Brian...
of Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
is of partial Hungarian descent. Actor Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre was an Austrian-American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner.He caused an international sensation in 1931 with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film M...
became famous after his role as a murderer in Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang
Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
's M
M (1931 film)
M is a 1931 German drama-thriller directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou. It was Lang's first sound film, although he had directed more than a dozen films previously....
and went on to play many antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
ic villain roles. Legendary actor Béla Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
played Count Dracula
Count Dracula
Count Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
in the stage version and subsequent film of Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker
Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...
's classic. Academy Award winner Paul Lukas
Paul Lukas
Paul Lukas was an Austrian-Hungarian-born actor.-Biography:Born Pál Lukács in Budapest, he arrived in Hollywood in 1927 after a successful stage and film career in Hungary, Germany and Austria where he worked with Max Reinhardt. He made his stage debut in Budapest in 1916 and his film debut in 1917...
is perhaps best remembered his acclaimed role in the film Watch on the Rhine
Watch on the Rhine
Watch on the Rhine is a 1943 American drama film directed by Herman Shumlin. The screenplay by Dashiell Hammett is based on the 1941 play of the same title by Lillian Hellman.-Plot:...
for his Professor Aronnax in Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
's classic 1954 film version of Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne published in 1870. It tells the story of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus as seen from the perspective of Professor Pierre Aronnax...
. Johnny Weismuller, who formed Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
. Actress Ilona Massey
Ilona Massey
Ilona Massey was a film, stage and radio performer.-Early life and career:...
was frequently billed as "the new Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
" and famously played the role of a femme fatale
Femme fatale
A femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
in Love Happy
Love Happy
Love Happy was the 14th and last starring feature for the Marx Brothers. The film stars Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, and, in a smaller role than usual, Groucho Marx, plus Ilona Massey, Vera-Ellen, Paul Valentine, Marion Hutton, Raymond Burr, Bruce Gordon , and Eric Blore, with a walk-on by Marilyn Monroe...
. Sex symbol Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor is a Hungarian-born American stage, film and television actress.She acted on stage in Vienna, Austria, in 1932, and was crowned Miss Hungary in 1936. She emigrated to the United States in 1941 and became a sought-after actress with "European flair and style", with a personality that...
was perhaps better known for her status as a socialite than as an actress; she married nine times. Her younger sister Eva Gabor
Eva Gabor
Eva Gabor was a Hungarian-born socialite and actress. She was widely known for her role on Green Acres as Lisa Douglas, the wife of Eddie Albert's character, Oliver Wendell Douglas, Duchess in the 1970 Disney film The Aristocats, and Miss Bianca in Disney's The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under...
was known for her role on the television show Green Acres
Green Acres
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
, and her older sister Magda Gabor famously helped save the lives of 240 Jewish families during the Second World War because of her relationship with a Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
. Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
, considered by many to be the greatest magician of all time, was an expert escapologist, introducing it as an art form. He was also a major critic and investigator of Spiritualists.
In filmmaking, Vilmos Zsigmond
Vilmos Zsigmond
Vilmos Zsigmond, A.S.C. is a Hungarian-American cinematographer.In 2003, a survey conducted by the International Cinematographers Guild placed Zsigmond among the ten most influential cinematographers in history.-Biography:...
was nominated for four Academy Awards for Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
(won the Oscar for Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
). Laszlo Kovacs
László Kovács (cinematographer)
László Kovács, A.S.C. was a Hungarian cinematographer who was influential in the development of American New Wave films. Most famous for his award-winning work on Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces, Kovács was the recipient of numerous awards, including three Lifetime Achievement Awards...
, most famous for his work on Easy Rider
Easy Rider
Easy Rider is a 1969 American road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. It tells the story of two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South with the aim of achieving freedom...
and Five Easy Pieces
Five Easy Pieces
Five Easy Pieces is a 1970 American drama film written by Carole Eastman and Bob Rafelson, and directed by Rafelson. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, and Susan Anspach. The cast also includes Billy 'Green' Bush, Fannie Flagg, Ralph Waite, Sally Struthers, Lois Smith, Toni Basil, and...
, won three Lifetime Achievement Awards for cinematography. Ernest Laszlo
Ernest Laszlo
Ernest Laszlo, A.S.C. was a Hungarian-American cinematographer for over 60 films, and was known for his frequent collaborations with directors Robert Aldrich and Stanley Kramer...
, who worked on over 60 films, won an Academy Award for cinematography for 1965's Ship of Fools
Ship of Fools (film)
Ship of Fools is a 1965 film drama which tells the overlapping stories of several passengers aboard an ocean liner bound to Germany from Mexico in 1933...
. Andrew Laszlo
Andrew Laszlo
Andrew Laszlo A.S.C. was a Hungarian-American cinematographer. He earned Emmy nominations for The Man Without a Country in 1973 and Shōgun in 1980.-Life:...
, worked first in Television (Ed Sullivan's 'The Beatles at Shea Stadium' and the miniseries 'Shogun' with Richard Chamberlain) and made over 30 films including the cult classic The Warriors (film).
Director Frank Darabont
Frank Darabont
Frank Darabont is a Hungarian-American film director, screenwriter and producer who has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe. He has directed the films The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist, all based on stories by Stephen King...
, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director three times, is most popular for Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
adaptations, including The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont and starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman....
, ranked among audience polls as one of the greatest films of all time. Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz was an Academy award winning Hungarian-American film director. He had early creditsas Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész...
was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Directing four times, finally winning for Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
, considered by many critic polls to be one of the greatest films ever made. George Cukor
George Cukor
George Dewey Cukor was an American film director. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , David Copperfield , Romeo and Juliet and...
won an Academy Award for Best Directing for My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
. Independent directors and the films that have brought them acclaim include Nimród Antal
Nimród Antal
Nimród E. Antal is a Hungarian American film director, screenwriter and actor.-Life and career:...
for his cult film Kontroll
Kontroll
Kontroll is a Hungarian comedy-thriller released to theatres in 2003. Shown internationally, mainly in art house theatres, the film is a darkly comic thriller set in a Hungarian Metro system....
, Peter Medak
Peter Medak
Peter Medak is a Hungarian-born film director of British and American films.-Early life:He was born in Budapest, Hungary to a Jewish family, but in 1956 fled his native country for England due to the Hungarian Revolution...
, infamous for his B-movies, and László Benedek
László Benedek
László Benedek, sometimes credited as Laslo Benedek , was a Hungarian-born film director.- Biography :Born in Budapest, he worked as a writer and editor in Hungarian cinema until World War II. Louis B...
for the Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
-winning film rendition of Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman
Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It was the recipient of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. Premiered at the Morosco Theatre in February 1949, the original production ran for a total of 742 performances.-Plot :Willy Loman...
.
Joe Eszterhas
Joe Eszterhas
József A. "Joe" Eszterhas is a Hungarian-American writer, best known for his work on the pulp erotic films Basic Instinct and Showgirls. He has also written several non-fiction books, including an autobiography entitled Hollywood Animal.-Early life:Eszterhas was born in Csákánydoroszló, Hungary,...
wrote the screenplay for Basic Instinct
Basic Instinct
Basic Instinct is a 1992 erotic thriller directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas, and starring Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone....
, dubbed a cult classic. Andrew G. Vajna produced the Die Hard
Die Hard
Die Hard is a 1988 American action film and the first in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It is based on a 1979 novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, which...
, Rambo
Rambo
Rambo is an action film series based on the David Morrell novel First Blood and starring Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled Vietnam War veteran and former Green Beret who is skilled in many aspects of survival, weaponry, hand to hand combat and guerrilla warfare...
and The Terminator
The Terminator
The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Orion Pictures, and filmed in Los...
sequels. Ladislas Farago
Ladislas Farago
Ladislas Farago was a military historian and journalist who published a number of best-selling books on history and espionage, especially concerning the World War II era....
wrote numerous books on World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
espionage, including a screenplay for the film Tora! Tora! Tora!
Tora! Tora! Tora!
is a 1970 American-Japanese war film that dramatizes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to the extent these facts were known at the time of production. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and stars an all-star cast, including So Yamamura, E.G...
. Animator Gábor Csupó
Gábor Csupó
Gábor Csupó is a Hungarian-born animator, writer, film director and music producer. He is co-founder of the animation studio Klasky Csupo, which has produced shows like Rugrats, Duckman, and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.-Career:...
created the Rugrats
Rugrats
Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on August 11, 1991, and aired its last episode on June 8, 2004....
series, an increasingly popular children's show.
Animator George Pal
George Pál
George Pal , born György Pál Marczincsak, was a Hungarian-born American animator and film producer, principally associated with the science fiction genre...
was known for producing landmark science fiction films, considered to be first to introduce the genre to film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
founded the "George Pal Lecture on Fantasy in Film" series in his memory.
In music, Miklós Rózsa
Miklós Rózsa
Miklós Rózsa was a Hungarian-born composer trained in Germany , and active in France , England , and the United States , with extensive sojourns in Italy from 1953...
composed numerous film scores; perhaps his most recognizable score was for the 1959 epic Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
. In classical music, Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born conductor and violinist.-Early life:Born Jenő Blau in Budapest, Hungary, Ormandy began studying violin at the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music at the age of five...
, music director for the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
, was appointed an honorary Knight of the British Empire by the Queen of England
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
. In rock, Tommy Ramone
Tommy Ramone
Tommy Ramone, also known as Thomas Erdelyi , is a Hungarian American record producer and musician...
co-founded the legendary punk band The Ramones.
In sports, Monica Seles
Monica Seles
Monica Seles is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was born in Novi Sad, Serbia, former Yugoslavia to Hungarian parents. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1994 and also received Hungarian citizenship in June 2007...
won nine Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
singles titles and is the former No. 1 professional tennis player in the world. Former Mr. Universe Mickey Hargitay
Mickey Hargitay
Miklós "Mickey" Hargitay was an actor and Mr. Universe 1955. Born in Budapest, Hungary, he was married to Jayne Mansfield, and the father of actress Mariska Hargitay...
hit the spotlight when he married Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was an American actress working both in Hollywood and on the Broadway theatre...
. Al Hrabosky
Al Hrabosky
Alan Thomas "Al" Hrabosky is a former Major League Baseball player from - for the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves and is currently the color commentator on Cardinals regular season broadcasts on FSN Midwest...
was a popular Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player, nicknamed the Mad Hungarian, but he was not actually Hungarian. Gene Mako
Gene Mako
Constantine Mako is a former American tennis player and is also an art gallery owner. He was born in Budapest, capital of Hungary. He won four Grand Slam doubles titles in the 1930s...
won four Grand Slam doubles titles in the 1930s.
In physics, Edward Teller
Edward Teller
Edward Teller was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist, known colloquially as "the father of the hydrogen bomb," even though he did not care for the title. Teller made numerous contributions to nuclear and molecular physics, spectroscopy , and surface physics...
acquired the title of "the father of the hydrogen bomb," for his work in the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
. His colleague on the project, physicist Leó Szilárd
Leó Szilárd
Leó Szilárd was an Austro-Hungarian physicist and inventor who conceived the nuclear chain reaction in 1933, patented the idea of a nuclear reactor with Enrico Fermi, and in late 1939 wrote the letter for Albert Einstein's signature that resulted in the Manhattan Project that built the atomic bomb...
conceived the idea of a nuclear chain reaction
Nuclear chain reaction
A nuclear chain reaction occurs when one nuclear reaction causes an average of one or more nuclear reactions, thus leading to a self-propagating number of these reactions. The specific nuclear reaction may be the fission of heavy isotopes or the fusion of light isotopes...
and helped implement it. It was Szilard who persuaded Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
to write his infamous letter to Franklin Roosevelt concerning atomic warfare. Theodore von Kármán
Theodore von Karman
Theodore von Kármán was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer and physicist who was active primarily in the fields of aeronautics and astronautics. He is responsible for many key advances in aerodynamics, notably his work on supersonic and hypersonic airflow characterization...
was responsible for a number of key theories in aeronautic and astronautics
Astronautics
Astronautics, and related astronautical engineering, is the theory and practice of navigation beyond the Earth's atmosphere. In other words, it is the science and technology of space flight....
research and development. Eugene Wigner laid the foundation for several important theories pertaining to the atomic nucleus
Atomic nucleus
The nucleus is the very dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom. It was discovered in 1911, as a result of Ernest Rutherford's interpretation of the famous 1909 Rutherford experiment performed by Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden, under the direction of Rutherford. The...
, and won the Nobel Prize in Physics
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
in 1963. László Bíró
László Bíró
László József Bíró was the inventor of the modern ballpoint pen.Bíró was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1899. He presented the first production of the ball pen at the Budapest International Fair in 1931...
made "biro" the ballpoint pen
Ballpoint pen
A ballpoint pen is a writing instrument with an internal ink reservoir and a sphere for a point. The internal chamber is filled with a viscous ink that is dispensed at its tip during use by the rolling action of a small sphere...
.
In computer science, John George Kemeny
John George Kemeny
John George Kemeny was a Hungarian American mathematician, computer scientist, and educator best known for co-developing the BASIC programming language in 1964 with Thomas E. Kurtz. Kemeny served as the 13th President of Dartmouth College from 1970 to 1981 and pioneered the use of computers in...
co-developed the BASIC programming language in 1964 with Thomas Eugene Kurtz
Thomas Eugene Kurtz
Thomas Eugene Kurtz is an American computer scientist who co-developed the BASIC programming language during 1963 to 1964, together with John G. Kemeny....
. Computer software businessman Charles Simonyi
Charles Simonyi
Charles Simonyi is a Hungarian-American computer software executive who, as head of Microsoft's application software group, oversaw the creation of Microsoft's flagship Office suite of applications. He now heads his own company, Intentional Software, with the aim of developing and marketing his...
oversaw the creation of Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
and invented the concept of "intentional programming
Intentional Programming
In computer programming, intentional programming is a collection of concepts which enable software source code to reflect the precise information, called intention, which programmers had in mind when conceiving their work...
." Leslie L. Vadász
Leslie L. Vadász
Leslie L. Vadász is a Hungarian-American engineer and manager, one of the founding members of Intel Corporation. He holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from McGill University and completed AMP studies at Harvard University .He moved to the United States in 1961, first working for...
and Andrew Grove
Andrew Grove
Andrew Stephen Grove , is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American Businessman/ Engineer, Author & a science pioneer in the semiconductor industry. He escaped from Communist-controlled Hungary at the age of 20 and moved to the U.S., where he finished his education...
were key leaders in the history of the Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...
.
In sociology, Thomas Szasz
Thomas Szasz
Thomas Stephen Szasz is a psychiatrist and academic. Since 1990 he has been Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry at the State University of New York Health Science Center in Syracuse, New York. He is a well-known social critic of the moral and scientific foundations of psychiatry, and of the social...
is a prominent figure in the antipsychiatry movement, as well as a vocal critic of state control over medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
.
In astronomy, Victor Szebehely
Victor Szebehely
Victor G. Szebehely was a key figure in the development and success of the Apollo program.Szebehely was born in Budapest, Hungary. He went to the United States in 1947 and became a naturalized citizen in 1956...
became a leading figure in NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Apollo program.
In biology and chemistry, Albert Szent-Györgyi
Albert Szent-Györgyi
Albert Szent-Györgyi de Nagyrápolt was a Hungarian physiologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937. He is credited with discovering vitamin C and the components and reactions of the citric acid cycle...
won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
in 1937 for discovering the biological process of Vitamin C
Vitamin C
Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress...
in the human body. Georg von Békésy
Georg von Békésy
Georg von Békésy was a Hungarian biophysicist born in Budapest, Hungary.In 1961, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research on the function of the cochlea in the mammalian hearing organ.-Research:Békésy developed a method for dissecting the inner ear of human...
won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
for his research on the mammalian ear. George Andrew Olah
George Andrew Olah
George Andrew Olah is an American chemist. His research involves the generation and reactivity of carbocations via superacids. For this research, Olah was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1994...
won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
for his research on carbocations, and later hydrocarbons and their applicability to ethanol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
fuel. Ernő László
Erno Laszlo
Erno Laszlo, Ernő László was a Hungarian-born American dermatologist and cosmetic businessman who founded The Erno Laszlo Institute.-Early life:...
, a prominent dermatologist, found the Erno Laszlo Institute for cosmetic research. Andor Szentivanyi discovered "The Beta Adrenergic Theory of Asthma."
In mathematics, Paul Halmos
Paul Halmos
Paul Richard Halmos was a Hungarian-born American mathematician who made fundamental advances in the areas of probability theory, statistics, operator theory, ergodic theory, and functional analysis . He was also recognized as a great mathematical expositor.-Career:Halmos obtained his B.A...
contributed significantly to probability theory
Probability theory
Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with analysis of random phenomena. The central objects of probability theory are random variables, stochastic processes, and events: mathematical abstractions of non-deterministic events or measured quantities that may either be single...
, statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
, and logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
. László Lovász
László Lovász
László Lovász is a Hungarian mathematician, best known for his work in combinatorics, for which he was awarded the Wolf Prize and the Knuth Prize in 1999, and the Kyoto Prize in 2010....
made pioneering developments in the study combinatorics
Combinatorics
Combinatorics is a branch of mathematics concerning the study of finite or countable discrete structures. Aspects of combinatorics include counting the structures of a given kind and size , deciding when certain criteria can be met, and constructing and analyzing objects meeting the criteria ,...
, winning both the Wolf Prize and Knuth Prize
Knuth Prize
The Donald E. Knuth Prize is a prize for outstanding contributions to the foundations of computer science, named after Donald E. Knuth.-History:...
in 1999. Cornelius Lanczos
Cornelius Lanczos
Cornelius Lanczos Löwy Kornél was a Hungarian-Jewish mathematician and physicist, who was born on February 2, 1893, and died on June 25, 1974....
developed numerous technics for mathematical calculations, of which the Lanczos algorithm
Lanczos algorithm
The Lanczos algorithm is an iterative algorithm invented by Cornelius Lanczos that is an adaptation of power methods to find eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a square matrix or the singular value decomposition of a rectangular matrix. It is particularly useful for finding decompositions of very...
and Lanczos approximation are named after him. John von Neumann
John von Neumann
John von Neumann was a Hungarian-American mathematician and polymath who made major contributions to a vast number of fields, including set theory, functional analysis, quantum mechanics, ergodic theory, geometry, fluid dynamics, economics and game theory, computer science, numerical analysis,...
, acknowledged as one of the foremost mathematicians of the 20th century, contributed to a wide variety of fields, including computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, quantum theory
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
, statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
, and hydrodynamics. Neumann's work on nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
was influential in the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
. The John von Neumann Theory Prize
John von Neumann Theory Prize
The John von Neumann Theory Prize of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciencesis awarded annually to an individual who has made fundamental and sustained contributions to theory in operations research and the management sciences.The Prize named after mathematician John von...
and the IEEE John von Neumann Medal
IEEE John von Neumann Medal
The IEEE John von Neumann Medal was established by the IEEE Board of Directors in 1990 and may be presented annually "for outstanding achievements in computer-related science and technology." The achievements may be theoretical, technological, or entrepreneurial, and need not have been made...
are named in his honor.
In art, Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
artist Marcel Breuer
Marcel Breuer
Marcel Lajos Breuer , was a Hungarian-born modernist, architect and furniture designer of Jewish descent. One of the masters of Modernism, Breuer displayed interest in modular construction and simple forms.- Life and work :Known to his friends and associates as Lajkó, Breuer studied and taught at...
became known as one of the first modernists for his modular construction and simple forms. Another Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
artist László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy
László Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.-Early life:...
, highly influenced by Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
constructivism
Constructivism (art)
Constructivism was an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1919, which was a rejection of the idea of autonomous art. The movement was in favour of art as a practice for social purposes. Constructivism had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th...
, helped introduce the movement to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; he was a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
into the arts. Lajos Markos
Lajos Markos
Lajos Markos was a Hungarian American artist trained at the Royal Academy of Budapest. He came to the United States following World War II and worked as a portraitist in New York City, painting such celebrities as John Wayne and Robert Kennedy, The Royal Family of King Hassan II and Pablo Casals....
was a significant portrait artist, having created portraits for iconic celebrities such as John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
. Photographer Sylvia Plachy
Sylvia Plachy
Sylvia Plachy is a Hungarian/American photographer.Plachy was born in Budapest, Hungary. Her Czech Jewish mother was in hiding in fear of Nazi persecution during World War II. Her father was a Hungarian Roman Catholic aristocrat and she was raised in his faith.Plachy's family moved to New York...
published several photobooks detailing her personal history in Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
.
In politics, Tom Lantos
Tom Lantos
Thomas Peter "Tom" Lantos was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until his death, representing the northern two-thirds of San Mateo County and a portion of southwest San Francisco...
was a US Representative for San Francisco, being the only Holocaust survivor to serve in the US Congress. The father of former New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
governor George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
is ethnic Hungarian; he still speaks some Hungarian
Hungarian language
Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe....
today. Peter R. Orszag
Peter R. Orszag
Peter Richard Orszag is an American economist who is a Vice Chairman of Global Banking at Citigroup. He is also a columnist at Bloomberg View...
, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Obama has Hungarian roots. Besides US Representative Lantos there were other Hungarians in the Congress, like Ernest Istook
Ernest Istook
Ernest James Istook Jr. is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 5th congressional district. He held his congressional seat for 14 years, completing seven terms in the House...
, Joseph M. Gaydos
Joseph M. Gaydos
Joseph Matthew Gaydos was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.Joe Gaydos was born in Braddock, Pennsylvania. His Hungarian father was born in Northern Hungary which today is Slovakia after it was annxed by Czechoslovakia following WWI and the Treaty of Trianon...
, Eugene Jerome Hainer
Eugene Jerome Hainer
Eugene Jerome Hainer was a Nebraska republican politician.Born in Pécs, Hungary in 1851, he immigrated to the United States with his parents settling in Columbia, Missouri in 1854. He later moved with them in 1861 to the Hungarian settlement of New Buda founded by George Pomutz. He spent his...
or Ernie Konnyu
Ernie Konnyu
Ernest Leslie Konnyu is a former Republican U.S. Representative from California's 12th congressional district....
.
Others include famous Holocaust survivor Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
winner Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
known for his activism
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
and for writing the critically acclaimed Night
Night (book)
Night is a work by Elie Wiesel about his experience with his father, Shlomo, in the Nazi German concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald in 1944–1945, at the height of the Holocaust and toward the end of the Second World War...
. Agoston Haraszthy
Agoston Haraszthy
Agoston Haraszthy was a Hungarian-American traveler, writer, town-builder, and pioneer winemaker in Wisconsin and California, often referred to as the "Father of California Viticulture," or the "Father of Modern Winemaking in California"...
, a famous traveller and writer, became known as the "Father of California Viticulture" and perhaps one of the most accomplished viticulturists
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
in US history. Joseph Pulitzer
Joseph Pulitzer
Joseph Pulitzer April 10, 1847 – October 29, 1911), born Politzer József, was a Hungarian-American newspaper publisher of the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the New York World. Pulitzer introduced the techniques of "new journalism" to the newspapers he acquired in the 1880s and became a leading...
, a journalist famous for helping create "yellow journalism
Yellow journalism
Yellow journalism or the yellow press is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism...
" and posthumously establishing the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
s. Csaba Csere
Csaba Csere
Csaba Csere is a former technical director and editor-in-chief of Car and Driver magazine.Csere is an American of Hungarian descent. He earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1975. He went on to join Ford Motor Company's Advanced...
was Editor-in-Chief of Car and Driver
Car and Driver
Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. Its total circulation is 1.31 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011...
from 1993 to 2008. In the world of business, billionaire aircraft leasing, philanthropist Steven F. Udvar-Házy
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy
Steven Ferencz Udvar-Házy is the CEO of Air Lease Corp. He is the former Chairman and CEO of International Lease Finance Corporation , one of the two largest aircraft lessors in the world...
, billionaire-philanthropist-political actvist George Soros
George Soros
George Soros is a Hungarian-American business magnate, investor, philosopher, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Soros Fund Management. Soros supports progressive-liberal causes...
are notable Hungarian Americans.
See also
- Hungarian CanadiansHungarian CanadiansHungarian-Canadians are persons in Canada of Hungarian ancestry. According to Canada 2001 Census, there are 315,510 Canadians of Hungarian ancestry. The Hungarian minority is the 23rd largest ethnic group of Canada...
- Hungarian diasporaHungarian diasporaHungarian diaspora is a term that encompasses the total ethnic Hungarian population located outside of current-day Hungary.There are two main groups of the diaspora...
- Hungarian OhioansHungarian OhioansThe Hungarian Ohioans are Hungarian Americans living in Ohio. Their number was 193,951 in 2006. Fairport Harbor, Ohio is 11.8 % Hungarian American. In Cleveland and its neighboring areas there live more than 130,000 Hungarians. Some resources stated that there was time when Cleveland was the second...
- Hyphenated AmericanHyphenated AmericanIn the United States, the term hyphenated American is an epithet commonly used from 1890 to 1920 to disparage Americans who were of foreign birth or origin, and who displayed an allegiance to a foreign country. It was most commonly used to disparage German Americans or Irish Americans who called...
- List of Hungarian Americans