Day of Hungarian Science – This is how Hungarian inventions have changed the world
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On 3 November, 1825, Count István Széchenyi donated the full annual income of his estates that year to establish the Learned Society, or the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, as it was renamed after 1845. In 1997, the government declared this date as the Day of Hungarian Science to commemorate the significant event.
Hungary has given many great scientists, philosophers, and inventors to the world. Inventions such as the ballpoint pen by László Bíró, the telephone exchange by Tivadar Puskás, the helicopter by Oszkár Asbóth, and the dynamo by Ányos Jedlik have made our lives considerably easier. These inventions left their mark on the technologies we use today.
Today, we celebrate the most creative and groundbreaking Hungarian inventions and achievements. We have collected 6 facts that demonstrate how Hungarian scientists have changed the world.
World Science Day for Peace and Development
The introduction of World Science Day was initiated by the Hungarian members during the first UNESCO World Conference on Science which was held in 1999 in Budapest. This was the first time when the world’s governments and the international scientific community gathered together to prepare a new “social contract” between science and society at large.
World Science Day for Peace and Development was proclaimed by UNESCO on 3 November, 2001. It was first celebrated worldwide on 10 November, 2002.
13 Nobel Laureates
In the last two centuries, a remarkably large number of Hungarian scientists have contributed to the development of various branches of natural science. This is also reflected by the impressive number of Nobel Laureates of Hungarian origin.
Fülöp Lénárd (Philipp E. A. von Lenard) was the first Hungarian-born Nobel Prize Winner. He conducted experiments on cathode rays and their properties.
His results led to the discovery of electrons and X-rays. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1905 for his work on cathode rays.
The list of Hungarian Nobel Prize Winners also includes:
Róbert Bárány – Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1914 “for his work on the physiology and pathology of the vestibular apparatus”
Albert Szent-Györgyi − Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1937 “for his discoveries in connection with the biological combustion processes, with special reference to vitamin C and the catalysis of fumaric acid”
Imre Kertész − Nobel Prize in Literature 2002 “for writing that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history”
