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“They’re heeeeerrrrreeeeee”: Alien-ation
One of the most enduring and entertaining images of Hungarians during the second half of the 20th century is the idea of Hungarians as aliens or Martians. Much of this is tongue-in-cheek and not intended to be pejorative. It has been exploited by Hungarians themselves, to the point of their likely having been behind its origination. There are multiple descriptions of how this started, with the belief that it came out of the circles of émigré nuclear scientists, physicists, and mathematicians who came to the US during the 1930s and 1940s, many of whom were at Los Alamos, New Mexico for the Manhattan Project.

The Martians’ Vision of the Future
George Marx, a Hungarian professor of atomic physics in Budapest, questions why only Hungarians gained the association of being “alien” even though there were Austrians, Germans, and Italians involved in scientific breakthroughs. Marx tells the story of Italian Enrico Fermi speculating about the possibility of life on other planets, and Hungarian Leo Szilard responding with the idea that they are already among us, but they call themselves Hungarians. According to Marx, Francis Crick also believes in this version of the myth.

Marx describes the birth of the legend, suggesting that it originated in Los Alamos. Leon Lederman, director of Fermilab, reported possible hidden intentions of Hungarian scientists. The production of scientists and mathematicians in the early 20th century was so prolific that many believed Budapest was settled by Martians intending to infiltrate and take over Earth.

At a top-secret meeting of the Manhattan Project, General Groves left the room and Szilard suggested continuing the conversation in Hungarian. This led to suspicions, particularly because of frequent telephone conversations in Hungarian by Neumann and Wigner. The “thick Hungarian accent” was often heard, even in the corridors of the Pentagon.

Marx discusses the arrival of the Martians-cum-Hungarians on Earth, mentioning how many influential scientists were born in the same quarter of Budapest. The idea that a Martian spaceship crash-landed in Europe over one thousand years ago is presented as proof of their extraterrestrial origins. Hungarians are known to wander like gypsies, speak a simple and logical language different from their neighbors, and generally be intelligent.

In a more serious vein, the alien connotation has been explained as a way to reduce social tensions. Hungarians stood out from the rest at Los Alamos, maintaining their own cliques and speaking their own language, which made others uncomfortable. The alien label allowed them to sublimate these tensions and make light of communication difficulties.

From Teller to Talleah…Zsa Zsa and Her Sisters
Hungarians gained notoriety in the United States when Imre Nagy’s reburial in 1989 garnered significant attention. However, on June 14, 1989, Zsa Zsa Gabor slapped a Beverly Hills police officer, generating headlines and becoming a subject of jokes for late-night comedians. Zsa Zsa and her sisters, Eva and Magda, had numerous marriages. Zsa Zsa’s total number of husbands is difficult to calculate, as she herself once responded, “You mean apart from my own?” Magda was also married to George Sanders, while Zsa Zsa made guest appearances on the Batman television series, where Sanders played the role of Mr. Freeze. In early 2007, Zsa Zsa’s most recent husband, Prince von Anhalt, claimed to have had a ten-year affair with Anna Nicole Smith and to be the father of her child.

The daughter of Zsa Zsa and Conrad Hilton is the grand-aunt of Paris and Nicole Hilton.

Zsa Zsa claims to have won the 1936 Hungarian beauty pageant, although this is disputed. Her mother, Jolie, married only twice and was fond of “new math” before it became known, just like her daughters who are also known for their inability to disclose their true age.

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Ihab Salloum