Famous Hungarian Physicists

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 1 
Dennis Gabor
(Father of Holography)
Dennis Gabor
3
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.

 2 
Paul Nemenyi
(Physicist)
Paul Nemenyi
2
Birthdate: June 5, 1895
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Rijeka
Died: March 1, 1952

Hungarian mathematician Paul Nemenyi is best remembered for his contribution to fluid dynamics through his inverse or semi-inverse approach. The continuum mechanics specialist taught in Berlin and the US. In 2002, an investigation revealed he was the biological father of chess legend Bobby Fischer and not Hans-Gerhardt Fischer.

 3 
Loránd Eötvös
(Physicist)
Loránd Eötvös
2
Birthdate: July 27, 1848
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: April 8, 1919

Remembered for his research on molecular surface tension, physicist Loránd Eötvös also invented the torsion pendulum. Born to a famous Hungarian author and minister, Eötvös initially aspired to become a lawyer but later deviated to physics. The University of Budapest, where he taught, was later named after him.

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 4 
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.

 5 
Georg von Békésy
(Hungarian-American Biophysicist)
Georg von Békésy
1
Birthdate: June 3, 1899
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Budapest, Hungary
Died: June 13, 1972

Nobel Prize-winning biophysicist Georg von Békésy revolutionized medical science with his discovery of how the cochlea, a part of the inner ear, affects sound reception. His initial research at the Hungarian Telephone System gave way to more intense studies at Harvard and the Karolinska Institute. He later taught at the University of Hawaii.

 6 
Johann Andreas Segner
(Hungarian Scientist Known for Developing and Construction of the First Water-Jet)
Johann Andreas Segner
1
Birthdate: October 9, 1704
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Bratislava, Slovakia, Hungary
Died: October 5, 1777

Hungarian physicist and mathematician Johann Andreas Segner is largely remembered for introducing the concept of surface tension of liquids. Initially a physician, he later became the University of Göttingen’s first professor of math. His inventions include the Segner wheel, a form of water turbine resembling the modern-day lawn sprinkler.

 7 
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.

 8 
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.