How Hungarians Revolutionized the Computer Industry
John von Neumann, Mathematician and Computer Scientist
John von Neumann was one of the leading figures in early 20th-century mathematics. He received his Ph.D from the University of Budapest at the age of 20 and would go on to study under Albert Einstein at Princeton University. He applied mathematical problem-solving to the fields of quantum mechanics, hydrodynamics, ballistics, meteorology, game theory and statistics, providing significant new insights in all of these fields.
During World War II, he played an important role in atomic research on the Manhattan Project by designing the implosion detonation system. By 1950, he had helped develop the hydrogen bomb under Enrice Fermi at the Los Alamos Laboratory.
As part of the Electronic Computer Project, he envisioned a way to use computers as more than a calculating machine by modeling the human brain. He created von Neumann Architecture to include: external mass storage, memory with data storage, a control and processing unit and input and output mechanisms. He later led teams that developed computers to use in weather forecasting and flight simulation for the US Air Force. In 1956, he wrote The Computer and the Brain.
Von Neumann died at the age of 54 in 1957. He was one of the most highly decorated scientists of the time.
Andrew Grove, Founder of Intel
Andy Grove is a pioneer in the semiconductor industry. He escaped from communist-controlled Hungary after the Revolution of 1956 when he was 20. He later became CEO of Intel and helped transform it into the world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductors. He was named Time Magazine’s Man of the Year in 1997.
Charles Simonyi, Software Architect – Creator of MS Word
At Microsoft, Simonyi led the creation of their most successful product, Microsoft’s Office suite of applications.
FUN FACT: In April 2007, Charles Simonyi became the world’s 5th space tourist and 2nd Hungarian in space, aboard the Russian Soyuz TMA-10. In March 2009, he made a second trip to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz TMA-14.
Hungarian Success Stories
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, Entrepreneur
Steven Udvar-Hazy, born in Hungary in 1946, is executive chairman of Air Lease Corporation and co-founder of International Lease Finance Corporation, one of the two largest aircraft lessors in the world. His estimated net worth is $4 billion. In 1958, the Udvar-Hazy family moved to the US after fleeing the failed 1956 Revolution in Hungary.
He donated $66 million to the Smithsonian Institution to create The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, a part of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, VA. It displays thousands of aviation and space artifacts, including the Enola Gay and Space Shuttle Discovery.
George E. Pataki, Former Governor of New York
George Pataki grew up on his Hungarian Grandfather’s farm in Peekskill, NY. He went on to become the 53rd Governor of New York, serving three consecutive 4-year terms (1995-2006), including during the infamous 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001. He led the rebuilding of Ground Zero, including the 9/11 Memorial, Freedom Tower and the transformation of lower Manhattan into a 24/7 work-live community. Pataki established The Governor George E. Pataki Leadership Center in New York, “to empower college-aged students to be future leaders, all while providing temporary homes, heaters and electric generators for the people of Ukraine.” He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 for his humanitarian efforts in Ukraine.
George Soros, Financier
Born György Schwartz in Hungary in 1930, Soros became an uber-successful hedge fund manager and investor, building a net worth of more than $8.6 billion. He created the Open Society Foundation, an international grantmaking network, which he has funded over the years with $32 billion. According to Forbes, Soros has donated 64% of his original fortune, which makes him the most generous giver when measured against his net worth. Soros is a polarizing figure due to his deep involvement in progressive and liberal politics.
Thomas Peterffy, Businessman
Thomas Peterffy (born September 30, 1944) is a Hungarian-born American billionaire businessman. He is the founder, chairman, and the largest shareholder of Interactive Brokers. Peterffy worked as an architectural draftsman after emigrating to the United States, and later became a computer programmer. In 1977, he purchased a seat on the American Stock Exchange and played a role in developing the first electronic trading platform for securities. Forbes’s 2023 list of The World’s Billionaires estimated his net worth at US$25.3 billion, making him the 57th richest man in the world.
Eugene Fodor, Travel Writer
Eugene Fodor was a Hungarian-American writer of travel literature. Fodor’s approach to travel writing and guidebooks was laid out in his book “1936…On the Continent.” He believed that the joy of travel came from far more than just seeing the sights, instead it came from mingling with locals and experiencing traditions and customs. In 1964, Fodor began compiling travel books. There are now 140 titles.
Fashion & Beauty Icons
Hungarian women are known for their style and beauty...when you add in brains and business smarts, you get these Magyar Mavens:
Estée Lauder, Cosmetics
She got her first taste of business by working in the family’s hardware store, but became intrigued by her uncle’s work creating beauty products as a chemist at New Way Laboratories.
After co-founding Estée Lauder Companies, she was the only woman on Time Magazine’s list of the 20 Most Influential Business Geniuses of the 20th Century.
Adrienne Vittadini, Designer
This Coty-Award winning fashion designer escaped Budapest in 1956 when she was 12 years old. She went on to start her multi-million-dollar fashion business.
Judith Leiber, Designer
Once referred to as the “Bag Lady of Park Avenue,” Leiber’s purses are on permanent display at the Smithsonian and the Met.
