Did you know who invented…?

What has Hungary given to the world?

Wherever we go in the world, we bump into Hungarians. If not personally, then through their inventions and life achievements. There are many ordinary objects used all over the world that have been invented or made popular by Hungarians, even if most people do not realize this.

Whether you are in Budapest for business or pleasure, for a long stay or short city break, Fraser Residence Budapest will cater for your every need.

If you live in the neighboring countries around Hungary, you can easily reach Fraser Residence Budapest by car. In fact cars are the most common form of transportation, getting people from place to place. However you would not have been able to do that if the first automobile, the Ford Model T had not been designed by Henry Ford, Childe Harolde Wills and two Hungarian men named József Galamb and Eugene Farkas. The Ford Model T had a 177 cubic inch (2.9 L) four-cylinder engine producing 20 horsepower (15 kW) for a top speed of 45 miles per hour (72 km/h). The engine had side valves and three main bearings. Fuel economy was 14 to 21 miles per gallon (6 to 9 km/l), an excellent number even today’s standards.

If you visit us from a country that is not easily accessible by car, the airplane is your best choice. Did you know it was Dávid Schwarz from Hungary who invented the flyable rigid airship, which became well-known later as the Zeppelin. Unfortunately the Hungarian inventor did not live to see the day when the first test flight was held, and it was claimed that  the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin bought the plans from Schwarz’s widower and made this method of transport world famous.

When you arrive at Fraser Residence Budapest, you will be asked to fill in a registration form. How will you do it? With a ballpoint pen obviously! Ballpoint pens are widely referred to as “biro” in many English-speaking countries, including the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. László Bíró noticed that the ink used in newspaper printing dried quickly, leaving the paper dry and smudge-free. He tried using the same ink in a fountain pen but found that it would not flow into the tip, as it was too viscous. Working with his brother György, a chemist, he developed a new tip consisting of a ball that was free to turn in a socket, and as it turned it would pick up ink from a cartridge and then roll to deposit it on the paper. Bíró subsequently patented the invention in Paris in 1938.

All of our Fraser Residence Budapest’s apartments are non-smoking. Some apartments however have a balcony, where you may smoke. If you run out of fire, you can ask for a lighter or matches at the reception. Did you know that the noiseless match was invented in 1836 by the Hungarian János Irinyi, who was a student of chemistry.  An unsuccessful experiment by his professor, Meissner, gave Irinyi the idea to replace potassium chlorate with lead dioxide in the head of the phosphorus match. He liquefied phosphorus in warm water and shook it in a glass vial, until it became granulated.

He then mixed the phosphorus with lead and gum arabic, poured the paste-like mass into a jar, and dipped the pine sticks into the mixture and let them dry. When he tried them that evening, all of them lit evenly. Irinyi thus invented the noiseless match. He sold the invention to István Rómer, a match manufacturer. Rómer, a Hungarian pharmacist living in Vienna, bought the invention and production rights from Irinyi for 60 forints. Rómer became rich and Irinyi went on to publish articles and a textbook on chemistry, and founded several match factories.

Falling ill during a trip whether for business or pleasure is always a downer but take comfort in the fact that in Budapest, there are plenty of preventive options. Vitamin C supplements are readily available in any of the chemists in Budapest. Where are we going with this exactly? Well, Albert Szent-Györgyi was a Hungarian physiologist who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937.  He is credited with discovering vitamin C and the components and reactions of the citric acid cycle.

In today’s world of smart phones, laptops and other tech gadgets, the plasma flat screen television is up there among the ‘must-have’ tech products. Did you know that in 1936 Kálmán Tihanyi, a physicist, electrical engineer and inventor described the principle of “plasma television” and conceived the first flat-panel television system. Needless to say, he is also Hungarian. The flat panel system involved a single “transmission point” being moved at great speed behind a grid of cells arranged in a thin panel display, which would be excited to different levels by varying the voltages to the point.

Finally did you know that semi-automatic cameras and film-cameras were also designed by a Hungarian. József Mihályi’s Super Kodak Six 20 camera was first presented in the New York World Expo in 1939, and is accepted as being the first camera with automatic exposure! We could go on and on but we will stop here for now. So the next time while you’re using something, you never know it might have been invented by a Hungarian!

Book your stay with us at Fraser Residence Budapest today! Our central Budapest hotel is located in Pest, off lively Corvin Promenade. Also conveniently located close to our serviced apartment in Budapest’s city centre are dozens of businesses, restaurants, shops and cafés.

Enjoy the space, privacy and self-catering convenience of serviced apartments in Budapest, with all the advantages of a top hotel – including state-of-the-art technology and friendly, multilingual staff. Guests of Fraser Residence Budapest also enjoy discounted rates at a nearby fitness centre with swimming pool, jacuzzi, saunas and day care for children. Fraser Residence Budapest boasts contemporary, light, airy design and state-of-the-art technology throughout its 51 guest suites. Choose from spacious studios, fully equipped one- or two-bedroom apartments, or magnificent three-bedroom penthouse suites with a private roof terrace and soaring views over the city.

Fraser Residence Budapest
Nagytemplom u. 31.H-1082 Budapest
HUNGARY

Tel: +361 872 5900
Fax: +361 872 5901
Email: sales.budapest@frasershospitality.com

This article is written by Gabor, the front office supervisor for Fraser Residence Budapest.  A Graduate  from Budapest Business School, Faculty of Hotel and Tourism, Gabor enjoys travelling, reading, cooking, fishing and loves dogs.