1. Johann Löwenthal (1810)

Hungarian Chess Player

An early professional chess master who has also contributed to chess writing as an editor.

2. Isidor Philipp (1863)

French Musician

Heralded musician who had a reputation as a remarkable pedagogue. He consulted with and edited the works of many famous composers.

3. Harry Houdini (1874)

Magician Escapologist And Stunt

Iconic magician and escape artist whose most difficult stunt entailed escaping from handcuffs that took a locksmith five years to build.

4. Theodore Hardeen (1876)

American Magician

Brother of the legendary magician who was a noted escape artist in his own right.

5. Jean Schwartz (1878)

Songwriter

Best known for writing countless songs for Broadway shows, often with William Jerome.

6. Michael Curtiz (1886)

Hungarian-american Film Director

Won an Academy Award in 1943 for directing the classic film Casablanca.

7. Fritz Reiner (1888)

Orchestra Conductor

Hungarian orchestra conductor famous for serving as the music director at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He appeared onscreen conducting the New York Philharmonic in the 1947 film Carnegie Hall.

8. Imre Schlosser (1889)

Footballer

Striker who scored 59 goals in 68 appearances for the Hungarian national team from 1906 to 1927. He led Ferencvaros to seven league titles and then won another six with...

9. Paul Lukas (1891)

Actor

Academy Award-winning film actor best known for his performances in films from the '30s and '40s. He appeared in The Lady Vanishes, which was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, as well...

10. Albert Szent-Györgyi (1893)

Hungarian Biochemist

Physiologist from Hungary who won the 1937 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. His best-known accomplishment is his discovery of vitamin C.

11. Vilmos Aba-Novák (1894)

Hungarian Painter And Graphic Ar

Hungarian modern artist remembered for his paintings, frescoes, and graphic art. He was the recipient of the Grand Prize at the 1937 Paris World Exhibition.

12. Jolie Gabor (1896)

Hungarian-american Socialite Ent

Jewelry business owner who mothered successful actresses Magda, Zsa, and Eva Gabor.

13. József Révai (1898)

Hungarian Politician

Hungarian politician who served as Minister of Culture from 1949 to 1953 and was a founder of the Communist Party of Hungary.

14. Leó Szilárd (1898)

Physicist And Biologist

Hungarian-US scientist who, in 1933, patented the idea of a nuclear reactor. He also conceived the cyclotron, the linear accelerator, and the electron microscope.

15. László Bíró (1899)

Hungarian Inventor

Hungarian journalist who invented the first ballpoint pen.

16. Mária Telkes (1900)

American Physicist

Notable for her work in the field of solar energy, this prominent scientist invented the thermoelectric generator; the debut solar heat system; and a thermoelectricity-operated refrigerator.

17. Eugene Ormandy (1899)

American Conductor

Violin prodigy and former conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

18. Jules White (1900)

Film Director

Hungarian-American director who is known for directing short films that starred the popular Three Stooges.

19. Dennis Gabor (1900)

Nobel Prize-winning Physicist An

British physicist and nobel laureate who invented holography - three dimensional representation of images - in the 1950s. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1971.

20. Lili Kraus (1903)

Hungarian Musician

Musician known for her mastery of Beethoven and Mozart. She was the artist-in-residence at Texas Christian University from 1967 until 1983.

21. Ilona Staller (1951)

Actress

Adult film actress who was elected to Italy's parliament in 1987. She is famous for delivering political speeches with one breast exposed.

22. Arthur Koestler (1905)

Philosopher

Hungarian-British author and journalist who was not allowed by the Soviet authorities to publish his book on the Soviet Five-Year Plan.

23. Edward Teller (1908)

Nuclear Physicist And Father Of

Father of the hydrogen bomb who raised the bar for warfare's destructive capabilities.

24. Ilona Massey (1910)

Actress

Remembered best for her roles in such 1930s and '40s films as Rosalie and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, this Hungarian-born actress also performed on Broadway in the Ziegfeld Follies.

25. Georg Solti (1912)

Orchestral And Operatic Conducto

Remembered for his work with the Bavarian State Opera, the Frankfurt Opera, the Covent Garden Opera Company, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, this notable conductor produced a series of famous...

26. György Sárosi (1912)

Footballer

Versatile attacker who played striker and center to help his Hungarian national team reach the 1938 World Cup Finals. He spent his entire 18-year career with Ferencvaros, scoring 351 goals...

27. György Sándor (1912)

Hungarian Musician

Friend of Béla Bartók and advocate of his work whose own musicality was characterized as Lisztian. He possessed a wide-ranging repertoire.

28. Enver Čolaković (1913)

Bosnian Writer

The author of the The Legend of Ali-Pasha, he also served as a cultural adviser to the Croatian Embassy in Budapest. He received the Petofi Award for his 1970 Translations...

29. Robert Capa (1913)

Hungarian Photographer

Hungarian war photographer who documented the Battle of Normandy on Omaha Beach and the liberation of Paris during World War II.

30. Paul Erdős (1913)

Mathematician

Hungarian mathematician who became one of the most prolific of the twentieth century, having writing more than 1,500 mathematical articles during his career. He was famous for his eccentric personality...

31. Andor Földes (1913)

American Musician

Hungarian-born pianist who relocated to America. He was known for his mastery of Viennese classical composers.

32. Annie Fischer (1914)

Classical Pianist

Classical musician whose musicality was praised for its "childlike simplicity, immediacy, and wonder," in the words of one expert.

33. Egon Ronay (1915)

Hungarian Writer

A Hungarian-British culinary critic, Ronay published several popular restaurant guides during the 1950s and 1960s.

34. Zsa Zsa Gabor (1917)

Hungarian-american Actress And S

Hungarian-born celebrity and actress who many came to know as the sister of Eva Gabor. Her credits include A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and The Naked Gun...

35. Eva Gabor (1919)

Actress And Businesswoman

Played Lisa Douglas, the wife of Oliver Wendell Douglas, on the hit TV show Green Acres. She also voice acted for The Aristocats and The Rescuers.

36. Ágnes Keleti (1921)

Gymnast

Hungarian artistic gymnast who won 10 Olympics medals including 5 golds at the 1952 Helsinki and 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

37. Hannah Szenes (1921)

Hungarian Resistance Fighter

World War II hero who helped the British Army rescue fellow Hungarian Jews who were en route to the Auschwitz concentration camp. She was subsequently arrested and executed.

38. Géza Anda (1921)

Pianist Musicianconductor

One of the most admired artists of his day. He became known for his Classical and Romantic-era interpretations, especially of Mozart.

39. Noémi Ban (1922)

Non-fiction Author

Hungarian Jew who survived her internment at the Buchenwald concentration camp during World War II. She has since become a renowned lecturer and author, publishing books like 2003's Sharing Is...

40. Yona Friedman (1923)

Hungarian-born French Architect

Architect and urban planner who published the manifesto Mobile Architecture in 1958.

41. Mickey Hargitay (1926)

American Actor

Mr. Universe winner who married Hollywood's leading sex symbol of the 1950s and '60s. His hit movies include The Loves of Hercules, Promises! Promises! and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?

42. Barbara Palvin (1993)

Hungarian Fashion Model

Hungarian fashion model who has modeled for the likes of Vogue and Victoria's Secret. She became Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue's Rookie of the Year in 2016. She was also known...

43. Tom Lantos (1928)

American Politician

Politician who represented the Democratic Party and served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California from 1981 until 2008 and was the Chairman of the...

44. Imre Kertész (1929)

Hungarian Writer

Nobel Prize-winning author and Holocaust survivor. His best-known works include Fatelessness, Liquidation, and Kaddish for a Child Not Born.

45. George Soros (1930)

Speculator Investor Philanthropi

Hungarian-born entrepreneur, philanthropist, and investor who served as chairman of Soros Fund Management.

46. Ervin László (1932)

Hungarian Musician And Philosoph

Later became known as a philosopher of science, systems theorist, and integral theorist.

47. Peter Frankl (1935)

British Musician

Classical, Romantic, and Modern specialist and chamber musician. He recorded both Debussy and Schumann's complete solo piano music.

48. Imre Makovecz (1935)

Hungarian Architect

Founder of the Hungarian Academy of the Arts and proponent of organic architecture. The philosophy behind his design was anti-Communist; when Communism capsized in 1989, his design philosophy became a...

49. Andrew Grove (1936)

Co-founder Of Intel

Innovator and business leader who helped grow the Intel Corporation into one of the largest and most influential technology companies in the world. He was named Time's Person of the...

50. Attila Till (1971)

Director

Former MTV VJ turned filmmaker and television presenter known best for hosting game shows like Okosabb vagy, mint egy 5.-es?, Big Brother, Stars on Ice, and countless other shows.