When he created the iconic "Count Dracula" accent that endures today, Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi had a secret weapon: simply not speaking English well. The myth is that he memorized sentences he couldn't understand. However, the truth is more of a grey area.
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Millions of people worldwide wear contact lenses every day. However, not many of these people know the origin story of this simple-looking yet genius invention.
András Arató, a “silver” model for stock photos, became an internet phenomenon
One of the many passions of Gregor Johann Mendel, an Augustinian monk,
In one famous photo, a woman dines in her house at the table together with a half-ton wild boar. The same woman grieved the loss of her lynx as if it was her daughter. Am I talking about a fictional character from children’s books? No. In fact, I am recalling an actual Polish larger-than-life zoopsychologist.
The disputed identity of the famous Medieval monk, scholar, astronomer, manager, and economist was made clear after the recent exhumation of his supposed tomb.
There aren’t many cities visually influenced by one man. However, every so often, a genius is born who leaves such a mark to the point of it being recognized as a world heritage site. Meet Jože Plečnik (1872-1957), the man who changed Ljubljana.
The Independent called him “the most influential cell biologist ever.” He was the first Romanian to win the Nobel Prize. George Emil Palade, the founder of modern molecular biology, was not just a genius - he was a very lucky man, too.
Harry Houdini, son of a Rabbi from Budapest, was not only a pioneer in his discipline of entertainment but also a master in breaking the chains of countries’ boundaries as he gained truly international fame.
For thousands of years, at least since Icarus, man dreamed of flying. Only recently, we’ve been lucky enough to see the world from above, with taking a plane almost as easy as taking a bus these days. But that didn’t happen overnight – it took innovators like Edvard Rusjan.
Every now and again, a genius is born. A person of so many talents that during their lifetime they come to invent several everyday items later generations cannot imagine their lives without. One of such people came from Croatia.
How high is too high? For Oradea-born pianist Thurzó Zoltán, there is no such height. Zoltán, internationally renowned for his out-of-this-world attempts to enter the Guinness World Book of Records, has finally made it with his concert atop Mount Everest.
A bob. The symbol of strong femininity. Famously used in a short story of innocence lost, written by an American writer. However, Fitzgerald’s tale would never have been without that iconic haircut. And it so happens that a Pole wielded the scissors.
Tomáš Baťa, a businessman from the Moravian city of Zlín, inspires entrepreneurs from all around the world to this day. Not only entrepreneurs but also politicians. Have you ever heard the expression "To run a country as a company"? Take a seat then - the journey starts in Zlín.
Almost a century ago, Slovenian engineer Herman "Noordung" Potočnik published his innovative concept for long-term human habitation of space. As is often the case with visionaries, hardly anyone took him seriously at first.
The frustration that boils your blood when a computer crashes just as you were to save the work you have been sweating over the past hour is known to all. Our great grandfathers could relate, as an inkblot could ruin a carefully written page of a letter. Someone had to put an end to it!
Have you ever thought about how what you eat or drink may influence your perception? Had a cup of coffee this morning? Maybe a cigarette? Chances are, these could make you produce a piece of art different from what you would have created after a cup of tea with a biscuit. At least in theory.
A NASA engineer and inventor who developed heart-monitoring equipment and originated the first-ever digital wristwatch. These are just some of the accomplishments used to describe Bulgarian inventor Petar Petroff. But, before becoming one of the twentieth century's most productive inventors, Petroff led an eventful and adventurous life that few know about.
Ernő Rubik, the inventor of the world’s famous Rubik’s Cube, with a background in building and furniture design, is now a STEM promotor, game designer, and an acclaimed symbol of Hungary.
In 1905, novelist and journalist Bertha von Suttner was the first person ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Latvia's second-largest city, Daugavpils, is home to the Mark Rothko Art Center, named after one of the most famous artists in the world, who was born in the city in 1903.
"Tytus, Romek i A'Tomek" was the longest-running Polish comic book series. But its creator's biography extended beyond the adventures of a monkey born from an inkblot.
A corpse found on the border between Austria and Italy seemed so fresh that the tourists who found it called the police. But it was archeologists would eventually dispute the nationality of the ice man.
While Józef Piłsudski worked on his leading role in the politics of future Poland, his brother Bronisław became an ethnographer. He is credited with the only remaining recordings of a lost spoken Japanese language.
With the advent of modern science, there also came modern detectives. One of the first was Juan Vučetić, born in Hvar, Croatia, who pioneered dactyloscopy and was the first person in history to identify a killer based on a bloody fingerprint.
"The Art of Love," a guide to satisfactory sex, effective conception, and contraception, was a scandal – and an immediate success – in Poland in the 1970s.
When speaking about certain prolific figures in Hungarian science in the early 1900s, some of their western colleagues suggested that they might as well be from Mars with their heavily accented English and superhuman intellect.
On 18 July 1976, history was made. And it was made by Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, who achieved the first perfect 10 in the history of the Olympics. A score so high, the scoreboard couldn't even display it.
Artist and minority activist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas's work has taken the Polish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale of Art 2022 by storm. Her exhibition shows tapestries, attempting to weave the history and contribution of the Roma community back into European art history.
His sculpture La Jeune Fille Sophistiquée is the fifth most expensive sculpture ever sold. His work is adored and coveted all over the world. Discover the life of Constantin Brâncuși, a pioneer of modernism and one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century.
Famed Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban has created a novel solution to grant refugees dignity and privacy. His work has been successfully introduced in Poland during the Russian war on Ukraine.
By combining lessons learned from his time in Sweden and Japan, Péter Árvai returned to Hungary and took the position as CEO of what would become one of the world’s largest visual communications software companies.
Jaan Tallinn did not just create Kazaa and Skype; he could also save humanity from terminators.
On April 24, known as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, Armenians in Bulgaria will pay their respects to the victims of the systematic murder of up to 1.5 million Armenians, which took place in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century.
With two million people, Slovenia is among the smallest nations in Central and Eastern Europe. However, when it comes to internationally recognized cuisine, it is one of the biggest powerhouses. What is the recipe for their amazing culinary success?
Have you ever wondered to whom you owe the fact that you can write every day with that tool that you call a pen? The answer might just surprise you.
The success of Polish eCommerce delivery provider InPost has rewritten the map for deliveries in Poland and beyond, with Automated Parcel Machines becoming the go-to choice for people who want to be able to receive packages at all times and without having to pay a fortune.
Look closer at this monument in a village in southern Bulgaria, and an inevitable question arises. Why is Prof. John Atanasoff, the American-born scientist credited with the invention of the first electronic digital computer, being honored here of all places?
Moving to a new country can be a daunting but enlightening experience. We've asked expats from around the Three Seas countries the same five questions to give us a bit of insight into the good, bad and unexpected aspects of their new homes.