Home of the best-selling toy of all time – the Rubik’s Cube
Hungary ranks 33rd in Global Innovation Index 2018. It stands out on a global scale with its successful effort to translate investments on education; a high number of qualified researchers and high R&D expenditures converted into high-quality innovation outputs.
In early 2019, Hungarian Government determined a new innovation strategy, helping companies innovate and encouraging universities and research institutes to strengthen ties with industry: “The Hungarian government is planning to revamp its research and innovation system, saying the country needs to direct more funding to applied sciences, at the expense of humanities and social science.” – Science | Business.
Hungarian Inventions, Discoveries, and Innovations
- The Rubik’s Cube
In 1974, a young architecture professor Erno Rubik in Budapest created a cube, labeling the sides with colorful stickers so he could keep track of them. This way he tried to explain how geometry worked in three dimensions. Eventually, this invention would go on to be called the “Rubik’s Cube”, and become the best-selling toy of all time.
- The Helicopter
1928 Hungarian Oszkar Asboth and his team, who are often seen as pioneers of modern aviation, created an early prototype of the helicopter that managed to take off.
Hungarian-born British scientist, Dennis Gabor, in 1947 developed the holography theory, while working to improve an electron microscope’s resolution. He coined “hologram” from two Greek words: Holos meaning “whole” and gramma meaning “message”.
- Vitamin C
Hungarian doctor Albert Szent-Gyorgyi discovered that ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) gives the body the ability to efficiently use proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. This effectively eliminated scurvy and redefined the way we look at nutrition.
- The Modern Computer
John von Neumann, a Hungarian-born mathematician, was the originator of the “von Neumann architecture,” the basic principle of computer design. The von Neumann computers are considered the ancestors of modern desktop and laptop computers.