Short History of the Weirdly Awesome Microcars of Hungary
December 26, 2015 7:23 PM Subscribe
Hungarian inventions that have shaped the modern world: Laszlo Biro's ballpoint pen, the telephone exchange and holography, and the Magyar microcar, "how Hungary circumvented Stalin and also had a bit of fun." This is just one of a number of weirdly awesome microcars of Hungary from the 1940s and '50s.
Wouldn't that be square root hectares?
posted by Confess, Fletch at 7:51 PM on December 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Confess, Fletch at 7:51 PM on December 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
PUT IT IN H!
posted by SansPoint at 7:56 PM on December 26, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by SansPoint at 7:56 PM on December 26, 2015 [5 favorites]
oh my god i thought my dad made up laszlo biro
posted by poffin boffin at 8:19 PM on December 26, 2015 [14 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 8:19 PM on December 26, 2015 [14 favorites]
I have never solved a Rubik's cube. I also imagine there is a landfill somewhere where the mountain of Bic lighters are blocking out the sun. They are monsters.
most of those lighters were mine
posted by adept256 at 8:45 PM on December 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
most of those lighters were mine
posted by adept256 at 8:45 PM on December 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
Glass-reinforced plastic was not available, so Szabadi, together with his technical guru Dezső Olly, came up with a novel idea: a resin made out of pig’s blood, chicken feathers and nitro shellac! It had quite a smell, but it worked.
As I said. Monsters. Though I am reminded of this recent post.
posted by adept256 at 8:59 PM on December 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
As I said. Monsters. Though I am reminded of this recent post.
posted by adept256 at 8:59 PM on December 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
From the Economist article: "Saying anything in Hungarian demands an instantaneous series of mental calculations before a sentence can be constructed and a clear meaning communicated." - that's a sentence to make linguists shudder... and anyway, what's with not specifying an author? Could this shamelessly Hungo-idolizing peace be a paid feature? The boring clichés about the specialness of Hungarians have been around since the 40's at least...
posted by holist at 9:45 PM on December 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by holist at 9:45 PM on December 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
What have Bic lighters got to do with Hungary, adept256? Everyone knows that the Turin born son of a baron bought the rights to make ballpoint pens from an Argentinian company that was set up by an... oh, a Hungarian born man called László Bíró, before he (the baron's son) went on to make other moulded plastic disposable items.
I guess some might call the link tenuous. ;)
posted by ambrosen at 9:48 PM on December 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
I guess some might call the link tenuous. ;)
posted by ambrosen at 9:48 PM on December 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
poffin boffin, possibly your father was referencing an Alas Smith & Jones comedy sketch I remember where Mr Biro having just come up with his invention is worried that someone might steal it and is assured there's no-one in the house except Parker the chauffeur, Bic the butler and Pentel the maid. Unfortunately, I can't find it on YouTube.
posted by drnick at 9:58 PM on December 26, 2015
posted by drnick at 9:58 PM on December 26, 2015
Fun post! I wonder if there is any Hungarian historical fiction or historical fiction set in Hungary that focuses on these inventions, so fascinating.
posted by yueliang at 11:16 PM on December 26, 2015
posted by yueliang at 11:16 PM on December 26, 2015
poffin boffin, possibly your father was referencing an Alas Smith & Jones comedy sketch
this is about as likely as my dad having secretly been an irl pokemon trainer tbh
posted by poffin boffin at 11:57 PM on December 26, 2015 [6 favorites]
this is about as likely as my dad having secretly been an irl pokemon trainer tbh
posted by poffin boffin at 11:57 PM on December 26, 2015 [6 favorites]
So, highly likely then?
posted by Literaryhero at 1:36 AM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Literaryhero at 1:36 AM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Alas Smith & Jones
...I knew them, Horatio.
posted by fairmettle at 3:44 AM on December 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
...I knew them, Horatio.
posted by fairmettle at 3:44 AM on December 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
anyway, what's with not specifying an author?
The Economist does not do bylines.
posted by srboisvert at 4:43 AM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
The Economist does not do bylines.
posted by srboisvert at 4:43 AM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Glass-reinforced plastic was not available, so Szabadi, together with his technical guru Dezső Olly, came up with a novel idea: a resin made out of pig’s blood, chicken feathers and nitro shellac! It had quite a smell, but it worked.
As I said. Monsters. Though I am reminded of this recent post.
This is exactly how cars are made in my techo-magical D&D setting.
Seriously, though, now I'm wondering if all that eye-of-newt stuff witches allegedly got up to brewing was just a weird recipe for semiconductor substrate or something.
posted by tobascodagama at 4:50 AM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
As I said. Monsters. Though I am reminded of this recent post.
This is exactly how cars are made in my techo-magical D&D setting.
Seriously, though, now I'm wondering if all that eye-of-newt stuff witches allegedly got up to brewing was just a weird recipe for semiconductor substrate or something.
posted by tobascodagama at 4:50 AM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Just bought a Scion IQ. Now I'm wondering why I need such a huge car.
posted by crazylegs at 5:23 AM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by crazylegs at 5:23 AM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
oh my god i thought my dad made up laszlo biro
Let's not forget the famous Soviet cybernetician Anatoly Miksin, who invented the mixin object-oriented design pattern. Or, indeed, Count Laszlo Banofyi, an Austro-Hungarian nobleman who created the banoffee pie, and with that, gave the name to the banana (which, until then, was known by a panoply of names, such as the “ladyfinger” or the “Guinea cucumber”).
posted by acb at 5:25 AM on December 27, 2015 [3 favorites]
I am impressed by the Angry Birds car they called a Bataton.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 5:28 AM on December 27, 2015
posted by Kirth Gerson at 5:28 AM on December 27, 2015
“Guinea cucumber”
Artisanal bananas from Brooklyn should be sold this way.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:29 AM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Artisanal bananas from Brooklyn should be sold this way.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:29 AM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
While calling shenanigans on banoffee pie origins, the Google told me the sad news that the true inventor passed away in July
posted by condesita at 6:21 AM on December 27, 2015
posted by condesita at 6:21 AM on December 27, 2015
Never heard of the world famous banoffee pie. Not sure I'm happy to have done so now. As to banana, the origins appear to be African.
posted by BWA at 7:01 AM on December 27, 2015
posted by BWA at 7:01 AM on December 27, 2015
This is a fine looking car. And that's even before the pig's blood/chicken feathers/shellac construction is taken into account, which makes it astounding.
Also, Economist's Disease should be a term: presenting a few facts to establish credibility, and then making a ridiculous leap that's purest fantasy if you know anything about the subject. Bonus points if that conclusion is used to plan real-world policy.
Oh, and here's the EN-V that the Economist couldn't be arsed to link.
posted by underflow at 7:38 AM on December 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Also, Economist's Disease should be a term: presenting a few facts to establish credibility, and then making a ridiculous leap that's purest fantasy if you know anything about the subject. Bonus points if that conclusion is used to plan real-world policy.
Oh, and here's the EN-V that the Economist couldn't be arsed to link.
posted by underflow at 7:38 AM on December 27, 2015 [4 favorites]
Seriously, though, now I'm wondering if all that eye-of-newt stuff witches allegedly got up to brewing was just a weird recipe for semiconductor substrate or something.
The same thing could probably be achieved with a fresh egg and two small sticks, but then it wouldn't be a proper way to do witchcraft.
posted by Ender's Friend at 7:53 AM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
The same thing could probably be achieved with a fresh egg and two small sticks, but then it wouldn't be a proper way to do witchcraft.
posted by Ender's Friend at 7:53 AM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I travelled through Hungary in the late 80s with my grandmother and while I don't remember anything unusual about the cars, I remember how the roads and highways were as smooth as glass. In Eastern Europe and in North America, travelling by bus always left me a bit carsick from all the potholes, but not in Hungary.
At the time, I felt like I had entered a strange world where even the waiters spoke every Eastern European language and dialect, as well as French and German - but no English.
I also still remember the taste of the butter.
posted by A hidden well at 8:05 AM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
At the time, I felt like I had entered a strange world where even the waiters spoke every Eastern European language and dialect, as well as French and German - but no English.
I also still remember the taste of the butter.
posted by A hidden well at 8:05 AM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
Don't forget the nuclear reactor. Leo Szilard was the first person recorded to have conceived the possibility of the fission chain-reaction, and he co-patented the nuclear reactor (with Enrico Fermi).
I don't know that it powers any microcars, though.
posted by Sunburnt at 8:10 AM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I don't know that it powers any microcars, though.
posted by Sunburnt at 8:10 AM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
now i am outraged all over again that banoffe pie is named thusly because of its unholy union of bananas and toffee.
posted by poffin boffin at 8:46 AM on December 27, 2015
posted by poffin boffin at 8:46 AM on December 27, 2015
Is Jalopnik where jalopy originated? I love the beetle attempt. Nice appearance.
posted by Oyéah at 10:59 AM on December 27, 2015
posted by Oyéah at 10:59 AM on December 27, 2015
Look, these little Shriner-type cars are cute, but I'm not really convinced that the Magyars breed geniuses because of the particular weirdnesses of their languages. You stuck it to Stalin by putting bodies on go-karts, great, but let's not oversell it. And the article failed to answer the most pressing question: where the fuck did they put their legs? (I'm not fully convinced that the couple in the "Shoe" actually have legs.)
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:21 AM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Halloween Jack at 11:21 AM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Is Jalopnik where jalopy originated?
The word jalopy was in use long before there was an Internet, so I'd say the causation was in the other direction.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:29 AM on December 27, 2015
The word jalopy was in use long before there was an Internet, so I'd say the causation was in the other direction.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:29 AM on December 27, 2015
Without Sputnik, there'd have been no beatniks (etymology -- Herb Caen coined the term in 1958, six months after the first launch). Maybe no jalopniks, either?
Another awesome Hungarian inventor -- well, artist: Victor Vasarely, Leader of the Op Art Movement.
posted by Rash at 11:50 AM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
Another awesome Hungarian inventor -- well, artist: Victor Vasarely, Leader of the Op Art Movement.
posted by Rash at 11:50 AM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
I thought the Slavic “-nik” suffix got into American English via Yiddish and the work of various borscht-belt comedians.
posted by acb at 12:27 PM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by acb at 12:27 PM on December 27, 2015 [2 favorites]
I feel like a good half of the comments in this thread are nonsense, but I am having trouble discerning which half.
posted by Literaryhero at 10:21 PM on December 27, 2015
posted by Literaryhero at 10:21 PM on December 27, 2015
It's the other half.
posted by flabdablet at 11:22 PM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by flabdablet at 11:22 PM on December 27, 2015 [1 favorite]
One half always lies, one half always tells the truth.
posted by DaveP at 2:47 AM on December 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by DaveP at 2:47 AM on December 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Could this shamelessly Hungo-idolizing peace be a paid feature?
Come for the sertesporkolt, stay for the bitter resignation!
posted by Meatbomb at 2:51 AM on January 4, 2016
Come for the sertesporkolt, stay for the bitter resignation!
posted by Meatbomb at 2:51 AM on January 4, 2016
Oh, and a small point of order: the Messerschmitt Kabinenroller is a German vehicle.
posted by Meatbomb at 2:58 AM on January 4, 2016
posted by Meatbomb at 2:58 AM on January 4, 2016
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posted by Metroid Baby at 7:43 PM on December 26, 2015 [5 favorites]