List of Hungarian Nobel laureates
The Nobel Prizes are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." In 1968, a sixth prize, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, was established.
Hungarians have won 15 Nobel Prizes since 1905. Following is a complete list of the Nobel laureates of Hungary, as recognised by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. However, if persons born as hungarian citizens are included, then the number rises to 22 in the scientifical field.
Laureates
Hungarians have received Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Economics – in all fields except Peace.
Year | Winner | Field | Contribution |
---|---|---|---|
1905 | Philipp Lenard | Physics | "for his work on cathode rays" |
1914 | Robert Bárány | Physiology or Medicine | "for his work on the physiology and pathology of the vestibular apparatus" |
1925 | Richard Adolf Zsigmondy | Chemistry | "for his demonstration of the heterogeneous nature of colloid solutions and for the methods he used, which have since become fundamental in modern colloid chemistry" |
1937 | Albert Szent-Györgyi | Physiology or Medicine | "for his discoveries in connection with the biological combustion processes, with special reference to Vitamin C and the catalysis of fumaric acid" |
1943 | George de Hevesy | Chemistry | "for his work on the use of isotopes as tracers in the study of chemical processes" |
1961 | Georg von Békésy | Physiology or Medicine | "for his discoveries of the physical mechanism of stimulation within the cochlea" |
1963 | Eugene Wigner | Physics | "for his contributions to the theory of the atomic nucleus and the elementary particles, particularly through the discovery and application of fundamental symmetry principles" |
1971 | Dennis Gabor | Physics | "for his invention and development of the holographic method" |
1986 | John Polanyi | Chemistry | "for his contributions concerning the dynamics of chemical elementary processes" |
1994 | George Andrew Olah | Chemistry | "for his contribution to carbocation chemistry" |
1994 | John Harsanyi | Economics | "for pioneering analysis of equilibria in the theory of non-cooperative games" |
2002 | Imre Kertész | Literature | "for writing that upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history" |
2004 | Avram Hershko (hungarian Herskó) | Chemistry | |
2023 | Katalin Karikó | Physiology or Medicine | "for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19" |
2023 | Ferenc Krausz | Physics | "for experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter" |
Also included sometimes
Born in the Kingdom of Hungary
- Leopold Ružička, (chemistry 1939) born in Vukovár, Syrmia County, in the Kingdom of Hungary, (mostly 5/8) ethnic Croat
- Ivo Andrić, born in Bosnia, Condominium of Austria-Hungary, ethnic Croat[citation needed]
- Vladimir Prelog,(chemistry 1975) born in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Condominium of Austria-Hungary, (mostly) ethnic Croat[citation needed]
Born abroad
- Elie Wiesel (peace 1986), Hungarian-Jewish, born in Sighet, former Máramaros County, (until 1920 Hungary), Kingdom of Romania
- Alfred Hermann Fried (peace 1911) austrian, parents hungarian-jewish, father from Szigetvár, Baranya County, mother from Budapest.
- Daniel Carleton Gajdusek,(medicine 1976), US-born, parents from the Kingdom of Hungary, father ethnic Slovak from Büdöskő, Nyitra County, mother ethnic Hungarian from Debrecen
- Milton Friedman, (economy 1976), US-born, Hungarian-Jewish, parents from Beregszász, Bereg County, Kingdom of Hungary
- Hugh David Politzer, (physics 2004), US-born, Hungarian-Jewish; father (Aladár) from Nádszeg, Pozsony County (until 1920 Hungary), Kingdom of Hungary His mother was also hungarian-jewish.[better source needed]
Nominees
Year(s) | Nominee | Field | Nominator(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1911, 1914, 1917 | Loránd Eötvös | Physics | Izidor FröhlichRadó von Kövesligethy, Jenő Klupathy , Philipp Lenard | ,
1901 | Vilmos Schulek | Physiology or Medicine | Lajos Thanhoffer | , Antal Genersich
1901 | Endre Hőgyes | Physiology or Medicine | Frigyes Korányi, Antal Genersich |
1901 | Josef von Fodor | Physiology or Medicine | Endre Hőgyes | , Antal Genersich
1901, 1931, 1937 | Sándor Korányi | Physiology or Medicine | Ottó PertikLouis Nékám, Emil Grósz , Zoltán Vámossy , József Frigyesi , István Tóth , Géza Illyés , László Kétly , Tibor Verebélÿ , Philipp Schwartz, Lajos Ádám | , Pál Hári ,
1904 | István Apáthy | Physiology or Medicine | Willem Rommelaere |
1928, 1940 | Géza Mansfeld | Physiology or Medicine | László RhorerIstván Rusznyák | ,
1943 | Ladislas J. Meduna | Physiology or Medicine | Jakob Klaesi |
1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953 | Hans Selye | Physiology or Medicine | ... |
1950 | Miklós Jancsó | Physiology or Medicine | József Frigyesi | , Béla Issekutz , Sándor Mozsonyi
1901, 1902 | Ferenc Kemény | Literature | Imre Pauer | , Gusztáv Heinrich
1925, 1926, 1927 | Ferenc Herczeg | Literature | Members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences |
1935 | Dezső Szabó | Literature | Björn Collinder |
1936, 1937 | Cécile Tormay | Literature | János HankissFredrik Böök | , Károly Pap , János Horváth , Jenő Pintér ,
1965, 1966 | Gyula Illyés | Literature | John Lotz |
1965-1970 | George Popják | Chemistry | |
1967 | György Lukács | Literature | Erik Lindegren |
1969, 1970 | László Mécs | Literature | Watson Kirkconnell |
1970, 1971 | Sándor Weöres | Literature | Áron Kibédi Varga |
1911, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932 | Albert Apponyi | Peace | 19 Professors of Law, Members of the Faculty of Law at the University of Pécs, Members of the Faculty of History and Philosophy at the University of Szeged, Members of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Pécs, Members of the Faculty of Law at the University of Debrecen (József Tisza ), The Hungarian Inter-Parliamentary Group (Albert Berzeviczy), The professors at the Faculty of Law at the Elisabeth University of Pécs, 3 professors at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Pécs, Professors at the Faculty of History and Philosophy at the University of Szeged |
One parent hungarianborn
- George Stigler, (economy 1982), US-born, hungarian mother from the Kingdom of Hungary[better source needed]
- Douglas Osheroff, (physics 1996), US-born, Mother's father (Ondo) lutheran priest born in Felvidék, (until 1920 in the Kingdom of Hungary)
- Louise Glück, (literature 2020), US-born, Hungarian-Jewish father (grandparents from Érmihályfalva, Bihar County , Partium, Transsylvania, Kingdom of Hungary)
- Robert F. Furchgott, (medicine 1998), US-born, Hungarian-Jewish father; grandfather from Sarlóska, Nyitra county, Kingdom of Hungary,[better source needed] grandmother from Nyitra (now Nitra), Kingdom of Hungary[better source needed]
=See also
- Friedrich Hayek, (economy 1974) Austrian, grandfather from Arad, Kingdom of Hungary Josef Juraschek married Magyar Elisabeth Bartha (born around 1738). F. H. was around 1/16 Italian (Patuzzi) 1/16 Magyar (Bartha), 1/32 Slovenian (Tschermell), had also many Czech (1/16 Zwierzina, Hayek, 1/16 Juraschek etc) ancestors.
- Christian Zembsch was born 1707 in Eger, Kingdom of Hungary.
- Erwin Schrödinger, (physics 1933) Austrian, grandfather from Mosonmagyaróvár, Kingdom of Hungary
- Elfride Jelinek, (literature 2004), austrian, grandmother Olga-Ilona Buchner born 1882 in Stájerlakanina in Krassó-Szörény County Kingdom of Hungary
- Herta Müller, (literature 2009) ethnic German, born 1953 in Niczkyfalva in former Temes County (until 1920 in Hungary) , Mother Gion born 1928 (french name), grandparents (most probably) born in the Kingdom of Hungary[citation needed]
- Stefan Hell, (chemistry 2014) ethnic German born in Arad in former Arad County (until 1920 in Hungary), grandparents born in the Kingdom of Hungary[citation needed]
- Carl Ferdinand Cori Austrian, Hungarian ancestry on mother's side: Grandfather: Lippich(whose mother was daughter to Kastenholz Honorius Vilmos[circular reference] and Terézia Zsitkovszky) 13 June 1799 in Igló, Szepes county
- David Gross, (physics 2004), US-born, father had ancestry from Hungary/Czechoslovakia
- Patrick Modiano, (literature 2014), French, grandmother on mother's side was Hungarian-Jewish: Cecile Burdej from Budapest
- Karl von Frisch, (medicine 1973), austrian, 1/8-hungarian-jewish