Famous Hungarian Inventors & Discoverers

Vote for Your Favourite Hungarian Inventors & Discoverers

Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

 1 
Erno Rubik
(Inventor)
Erno Rubik
9
Birthdate: July 13, 1944
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Budapest

A professor of design and architecture, Erno Rubik is the man behind the Rubik’s Cube. The Hungarian inventor himself took a month to solve his Rubik’s Cube puzzle, before marketing it worldwide as a popular game. He later also invented Rubik’s Magic and now promotes problem solving and mathematics. 

 2 
László Bíró
(Inventor)
László Bíró
4
Birthdate: September 29, 1899
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Budapest
Died: October 24, 1985

Starting his career as a journalist, László Bíró also tried his hand at Surrealist painting in his early days. Trying to come up with a writing device that would use a fast-drying ink type, he invented the ballpoint pen. Invited by the Argentine government, he set up his pen manufacturing company there.

 3 
John von Neumann
(Great Mathematician Who Were Equally at Home in Pure and Applied Mathematics)
John von Neumann
2
Birthdate: December 28, 1903
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: February 8, 1957
Hungarian-American scientist John von Neumann contributed to the development of game theory and the concept of self-replication. His work covered vast areas including math, economics, physics, and computer science. His research on nuclear physics led him to be part of the advisory committee of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
Recommended Lists:
 4 
Dennis Gabor
(Father of Holography)
Dennis Gabor
6
Birthdate: June 5, 1900
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Budapest
Died: February 8, 1979

Dennis Gabor was a Hungarian-British physicist and electrical engineer best remembered for inventing holography. His invention earned him the prestigious Nobel Prize in Physics in 1971. Gabor won several awards during his lifetime. After his demise, many awards are given in his honor. The Dennis Gabor Award and Gabor Medal are some of the awards that are named after him.

 5 
Wolfgang von Kempelen
(Hungarian Author and Inventor Known for His Chess-Playing “Automaton” Hoax the Turk and for His Speaking Machine)
Wolfgang von Kempelen
2
Birthdate: January 23, 1734
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Bratislava, Slovakia
Died: March 26, 1804

Known as an eccentric thinker, Wolfgang von Kempelen is best remembered for his automatic chess-playing machine The Turk and his speaking machine. The Turk eventually turned out to be a hoax, designed by Kempelen to impress Maria Theresa, the Austrian Empress, and had human chess players operating it.

 6 
Anyos Jedlik
(Inventor)
Anyos Jedlik
2
Birthdate: January 11, 1800
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Szimő, Kingdom of Hungary
Died: December 13, 1895

A Benedictine priest, Anyos Jedlik also taught physics and is often termed the unknown inventor of the first electric car, though Carl Benz later patented the motorcar for producing the first automobile series. His invention of the dynamo, which he didn’t speak of for years, was later credited to Werner von Siemens.

 7 
Peter Carl Goldmark
(Engineer, Physicist)
Peter Carl Goldmark
2
Birthdate: December 2, 1906
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Budapest
Died: December 7, 1977

Hungarian-American engineer Peter Carl Goldmark contributed to many pathbreaking inventions, of which the most notable was the commercial color TV and the LP record. Known for his stint with Columbia Records, he also developed a scanning system used by the US to relay photos from the Moon to the Earth.

 8 
Ottó Bláthy
(Hungarian Electrical Engineer, Inventor and Chess Player)
Ottó Bláthy
0
Birthdate: August 11, 1860
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Tata, Hungary
Died: September 26, 1939

In his 20s, Hungarian inventor Otto Blathy co-invented the transformer and various other engines and motors that are used in AC technology. In spite of being born into an affluent merchant family, he pursued science. Apart from his interest in electrical engineering, he was also known for authoring various chess problems.

 9 
Kalman Tihanyi
(Physicist)
Kalman Tihanyi
0
Birthdate: April 28, 1897
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Zbehy, Slovakia
Died: February 26, 1947

Hungarian physicist and engineer Kalman Tihanyi had initially been part of the Hungarian Royal Army. He later made significant contributions to the development of the cathode ray tube with his invention Radioskop and was thus a pioneering figure in the development of the electronic TV.

 10 
David Schwarz
(Inventor known for creating an airship with a rigid envelope made entirely of metal)
David Schwarz
0
Birthdate: December 20, 1850
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Keszthely, Hungary
Died: January 13, 1897
 11 
Imre Bródy
(Hungarian Physicist Who Invented the Krypton Electric Bulb)
Imre Bródy
0
Birthdate: December 23, 1891
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Gyula, Hungary
Died: December 20, 1944

Imre Bródy was a Hungarian physicist best remembered for inventing the krypton electric bulb in 1930. Along with Michael Polanyi, Bródy also developed the technology to produce krypton bulbs. The research institute of Tungsram, a General Electric wing, is named after Imre Bródy.