15 Most Famous people From Budapest

Krisztina Egerszegi fortepan 40687-by Fortepan donor TAMÁS URBÁN-Wikimedia Commons

15 Most Famous People From Budapest

Want to know more about the well-known Hungarians who have influenced the history of the nation? You can find a list of the most significant Budapest residents in this article. Numerous well-known individuals who left their imprints in numerous fields are part of Budapest’s lengthy and rich history. They had an impact on the world beyond their time, in addition to the nation where they lived and they continue to inspire younger generations. These well-known individuals and their contributions have greatly influenced Budapest, from the time it was ruled by the Romans to the Republic’s establishment to modern-day Budapest. This article will introduce you to some of the most significant figures in Budapest’s history, whether you want to learn more about their contributions to the nation or simply gain a deeper understanding of their life.

Read more on the; Top 10 Most Famous Hungarian people

Most Famous Scientists from Budapest

1. János Irinyi

Janos Irinyi-by Daviis-Wikimedia Commons

János Irinyi, a Hungarian chemist and the creator of the silent, non-explosive match, was born on May 18, 1817, and died on December 17, 1895. By switching out the calcium chlorate in match heads for lead dioxide, this chemist managed to make matches both safer and quieter all at once. Irinyi also contributed significantly to the development of technical chemical words in Hungarian and published a textbook for use in schools, both of which helped expand understanding of chemistry outside of professional communities.

2. Ignaz Semmelweis

Ignaz Philipp Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician, and scientist who lived from 1 July 1818 to 13 August 1865 was a pioneer in the development of antiseptic techniques. He was hailed as the “savior of mothers” when he realized that compulsory hand washing in obstetrical clinics may significantly lower the prevalence of puerperal fever, also known as “childbed fever.”In mid-19th-century hospitals, puerperal fever was a prevalent and frequently fatal condition. While working in Vienna General Hospital’s First Obstetrical Clinic, where doctors’ wards had three times the mortality of midwives’ wards, he recommended the practice of washing hands with chlorinated lime solutions. His research was collected in a book titled Etiology, Concept, and Prophylaxis of Childbed Fever.

3. Tivadar Puskás

Tivadar Puskás-by Unknown author-Wikimedia Commons

Tivadar Puskás de Ditró, often known as Theodore Puskás in older English technical literature, was a Hungarian inventor, telephone pioneer, and creator of the telephone exchange. He lived from 17 September 1844 to 16 March 1893. Puskás invented the telephone switchboard and, while working for Thomas Edison, constructed the first telephone exchange in Europe in Paris in 1879. In his hometown of Budapest, four years later, he implemented another of his inventions; the “speaking newspaper,” a precursor to the radio that provided subscribers with up-to-the-minute stock information and sports scores, live music, and even children’s programming by the telephone.

4. Albert Szent-Györgyi

Albert Imre Szent-Györgyi, a Hungarian biochemist who was born on September 16, 1893, and died on October 22, 1986, was awarded the 1937 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He is credited with finding the elements and reactions of the citric acid cycle as well as isolating vitamin C for the first time. 

5. Léo Szilárd

Leo Szilard-by U.S. Department of Energy-Wikimedia Commons

Leo Szilard, sometimes known as Leó Spitz, was a Hungarian-German-American physicist and inventor who lived from February 11, 1898, until May 30, 1964. In 1933, he came up with the idea for the nuclear chain reaction; in 1934, he filed a patent for the nuclear fission reactor; and in late 1939, he prepared the letter for Albert Einstein’s signature that led to the Manhattan Project, which resulted in the development of the atomic bomb. He was one of the Hungarian physicists known as The Martians, according to György Marx. This creative mind turned its attention to biology in the late 1940s, working on both practical biological issues and more ambitious plans, such as the proposal to build a molecular biology laboratory in Europe, which eventually became the EMBL.

Most Famous Athletes from Budapest

6. Ferenc Puskás

Ferenc Puskás, a Hungarian football player and manager who was born on 1 April 1927 and passed away on 17 November 2006, is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time and the first international football celebrity. Puskás won an Olympic gold medal and a silver medal with the renowned Golden Team at the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland, making him without a doubt the best player in Hungarian football. During his club career, he played for Budapest Honvéd and Real Madrid, winning nearly everything that was possible at the time, making him one of the most decorated players in the world as well as Hungary.

7. Alfréd Hajós

Hajos-by Unkown author-Wikimedia Commons

Alfréd Hajós was a Hungarian swimmer, football player, manager, and architect who lived from 1 February 1878 to 12 November 1955. He was both Hungary’s first Olympic champion and the first swimming champion in contemporary times. At one Olympic Games, no other swimmer has ever won such a significant portion of all competitions. He played football with Budapest TC from 1898 to 1904, winning two Hungarian League titles(1901,1902) during that time. He began working as an architect in 1907 after completing his education at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. He was highly successful in his line of work as well, taking home a silver medal in architecture at the Paris Olympics in 1924 as well as the Ybl Miklós Award. 

8. Krisztina Egerszegi

Krisztina Egerszegi, a former world record-holding swimmer from Hungary and one of the greatest Olympic champions of the contemporary period, was born on August 16, 1974. She is one of only four people to have ever won the same swimming event at three consecutive Summer Olympics. She has competed in three Summer Olympics (1988, 1992, and 1996) and won five times. Egerszegi is the first female swimmer to win five Olympic gold medals in an individual competition. For almost 17 years, Egerszegi held the long course 200 m backstroke world record. 

Read more on the; Top 10 Most Inspiring Hungarian Women

9. Kornél Dávid 

Hungarian-born former professional basketball player David Kornél was born on October 22, 1971. He is the sole NBA player from Hungary. David made 127 appearances for the Hungarian national team, and today he serves as chairman of Alba Regia, the team he once played for in his own country. The Chicago Bulls selected him in the 1997 draft, but he was later sent to the CBA team Rockford Lightning and then to Alba Székesfehérvár (now Alba Regia). In 1998, he and they both took home the Hungarian Championship. He also participated in basketball for the Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, and Cleveland Cavaliers. With 109 NBA games under his belt, he returned to Europe, but he was only a starter 11 times with a 5-point average and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Most Famous Artists from Budapest

10. László Moholy-Nagy

László Moholy-Nagy -by Hugo Erfurth-Wikimedia Commons

László Moholy-Nagy, a painter and photographer from Hungary who was also a professor at the Bauhaus school, was born on July 20, 1895, and passed away on November 24, 1946. He was a big supporter of the incorporation of technology and business into the arts and was greatly influenced by constructivism. Because of his groundbreaking work in painting, drawing, photography, collage, sculpture, film, theater, and literature, the art critic Peter Schjeldahl described him as “relentlessly experimental.”The School of Design in Chicago, which is still operating today as a part of the Illinois Institute of Technology, has been referred to as “his overarching work of art” by art historian Elizabeth Siegel. His work embodies the spirit of the interwar avant-gardes, where the fusion of shapes, angles, and media opened up fresh expressive possibilities that were later exploited by succeeding generations of artists.

11. Victor Vasarely

Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely, who was born on April 9, 1906, and who passed away on March 15, 1997, is regarded as the “grandfather” and founder of the Op art movement. The 1937 piece Zebra, now regarded as the first example of the new style, was one of his early efforts. Vasarely was educated in a typical academic setting, but like many of his contemporaries, he went away from the academic manner of learning and toward the optical illusions, which he would continue to create over many years. In 1987, a Budapest museum devoted to the painter opened, with around 150 pieces, including paintings and other artifacts.

Read further on; Pari’s best exhibitions of 2019

12. Marcel Breuer

Marcel Breuer-by Polygon Dutch News-Wikimedia Commons

Modernist architect and furniture designer Marcel Lajos Breuer was born in Hungary and lived from 21 May 1902 to 1 July 1981. He created the Wassily Chair and the Cesca Chair at the Bauhaus, two of the most significant chairs of the 20th century, according to The New York Times. At the height of 20th-century design, Breuer transformed the sculpting language he had established in the Bauhaus carpentry shop into a unique style of architecture that made him one of the most well-known in the world. His designs can be found in art galleries, libraries, office buildings, college buildings, and homes. Many of them, notably the former IBM Research and Development building that gave rise to the first personal computer, is built in the Brutalist architectural style. He is regarded as one of the most important representatives of the International Style and one of the greatest creators of modern furniture design.

Most Famous Actors from Budapest

13. Iván Kamarás 

Ivan Kamaras, a Hungarian actor who was born on December 22, 1972, initially gained international recognition for his performance as Agent Steel in Guillermo del Toro’s 2008 superhero fantasy thriller Hellboy II: The Golden Army. He played the Anti-Christ in The Mark (2012), a film starring Christopher Lamber, and he appeared in A Good Day To Die Hard (2013), a film starring Bruce Willis that was shot in Hungary.

14. Iván Fenyő

Actor Iván Feny was born in Hungary on June 15, 1979. He received good fortune in 2005 when he was cast in the Sam Mendes-directed film Jarhead. Although it appeared that nothing could stop him from becoming famous on a global scale, several of his moments were removed from the finished film, so we only got to see him briefly. Additionally, he appeared alongside Jeremy Irons in the HBO Special series The Borgias (2011–2013) and A Good Day To Die Hard (2013).

15. Nimród Antal

Antal Nimród (10678805246)-by Anna Hanks-Wikimedia Commons

Nimród E. Antal, a Hungarian-American film director, screenwriter, and actor, was born on November 30, 1973. In any event, Antal’s direction of the star-studded films Vacancy (2007), Armored (2009), and Predators (2010) earned him recognition in Hollywood after the success of Kontroll (2003). Some actors that have appeared in his films include Luke Wilson, Danny Trejo, Kate Beckinsale, and Adrien Brody. He was given the opportunity to perform by his close friend Robert Rodriguez in the 2010 film Machete, in which he played a security guard and even spoke in Hungarian.