If we had to make a list of Hungarians who became world-famous for some achievement, probably the inventor of the Rubik’s Cube mentioned in the title, or the inventor of the match would come to mind first. Perhaps we would also recall the names of Albert Szent-Györgyi, Edward Teller, József Galamb, Bertalan Farkas, and József Bíró, or Katalin Karikó and Tibor Kapu, who have recently received a huge amount of media attention. In other words, those are the few names we learned about in school or came across in the news, but the list is much longer and more colorful than this. It is not by chance that they say how many great minds Hungarians have already given to the world, yet we know justifiably little about people of Hungarian descent who created something epoch-making in some field. In our article, without claiming to be exhaustive, we present a few such individuals, hoping to bring you a few moments of astonishment.
Ferenc Pavlics – Mechanical engineer
He arrived in America in 1956, where, in addition to studying, researching, and teaching at several universities, he participated in the design and construction of the first extraterrestrial vehicle in collaboration with NASA. He worked as the lead engineer in the team designing the lunar rovers used in the Apollo expeditions, playing a major role in the development and research work that preceded this significant achievement. The vehicles are masterpieces of engineering, and they are still “parked” on the Moon today.
Vera Molnár – Media artist, painter, graphic artist
Although she studied traditional art and aesthetics, her innovation lies in the fact that she was among the first to use the computer in the field of fine arts. She went to Rome on a scholarship, then settled in France, where she learned several programming languages and became a co-founder of the Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel (GRAV). With such foundations, she began experimenting with creating algorithmic paintings based on various geometric shapes and themes. Besides Budapest and Paris, she had exhibitions throughout Europe, including in major cities such as Berlin, London, and even Brussels.
Mária Telkes – Scientist, chemist, biophysicist, inventor
Most of her patents are related to the utilization of solar energy, for which she is often referred to as the “Sun Queen.” One of her greatest inventions was the house heated exclusively by solar energy, which – since she was also living and working in America by then – was first built in Dover, near Boston. The inventor received numerous awards and recognitions, among which her permanent place in the National Inventors Hall of Fame, commemorating the most renowned engineers and inventors, is worth mentioning. She was the only scientist to be included on the list of eleven of “America’s most successful and interesting women,” compiled by the New York Times, the Cleveland Press, and the Detroit Press in 1943. Her name is even preserved by an asteroid.
László Damu – Pizza master, restaurant manager
His passion is gastronomy: he creates his dishes from quality ingredients with immense love and creativity. His humility towards his profession and his knowledge took him to the home of pizza, Italy, where he outcooked the Italians: he won a world championship title at the Pizza Senza Frontiere competition in Rimini in 2025. Since then, he has bagged numerous other awards; for example, he created “Europe’s best pizza” at the Pizza Europa League competition in Nuremberg. But let us not just talk about it: if you can, visit his restaurant in Budapest (Forni di Napoli) and taste his pizzas. Those sensitive to gluten should not despair either, as he is also at home when it comes to the “free-from” selection.
Albert Wettstein, Bence Zwecker, Botond Zsoldos, and Kirill Perepelica – Munch
We present the following young men to you with a particularly inspiring purpose, as they have created something unique as university students. Solving the ever-growing issue of food waste is a matter close to the hearts for all four of them, which is why they founded Munch. The startup specializing in food rescue was also recognized on the show Cápák között (the Hungarian edition of Shark Tank) in 2021, thus allowing the creation of the system. The essence of the site is to provide cheaper access to food that is left over at the end of the day, would otherwise be thrown away, but is still in a perfectly consumable condition. The guys also developed an application for the system, and today there is an extensive network of Munch restaurants and shops. If you have not tried it yet, it is worth it, especially as a university student…
+1: With particular reference for Pécs
Tibor Hernádi – Animation film director, graphic artist
Many of the favorites of Hungarian childhoods bear his hallmark, including The Mézga Family (Mézga Család), Kérem a következőt!, a story of an anthropomorphic owl doctor, The Seventh Brother (A hetedik testvér), or Felix the Cat (Félix, a macska). Besides these, he also worked on international animated films such as Pettson and Findus, or Babar the Elephant. The real curiosity, however, is that the legendary cartoon commercials for the Red Bull energy drink were created in his workshop in Pécs – one might say, under his wing.
