If You Think Hungary’s Currency Is a Basket Case Now, Look Back At 1946
A billion pengo bank note from 1946.
The shell-shocked Hungarian currency, the forint, has been on the canvas and out of the count for the past few months, the victim of – what is kindly called in financial parlance –“unorthodox” policies.
Still, though the Magyar economy and its currency are in a rather unenviable state at present, this is nothing compared to what went on in Hungary in the aftermath of World War II.
In 1946, Hungary experienced the worst case of hyperinflation in history.
Things got so out of control, so fast that the money printers could hardly keep up with the rate at which the value of then currency, the pengő, was declining. The currency denominations had to be spelled out because the number of zeros would not fit on the bank notes.
When it was all said and done in the summer of 1946, Hungary was issuing bills as high as 1 quintillion pengő.
Whiskey Robber About to Become a Free Man
Attila Ambrus, a former goalie who from 1994 to 1999 supplemented his meager income in the Hungarian professional ice hockey league by robbing banks, is set to be released from a jail in Satoraljujhely, Hungary on January 31.
And there is even a Facebook page to celebrate the occasion.
Known in his heisting heyday as the “Whiskey Robber”, Ambrus achieved folk-hero status by pulling off a string of 27 straight robberies of banks, travel agencies and post offices before he was caught on January 15, 1999.
Ambrus, now 44, obtained his famous moniker because he was seen drinking a shot of whiskey at a pub near the site of each prospective caper.
His sealed his fame by giving flowers to female tellers, sending bottles of wine to the police and by not harming anybody during his escapades.
On July 10, 1999 he further cemented his legend by escaping from a Budapest prison and pulling another robbery shortly thereafter before being caught again a couple of months later.
His story has since been told in books, musicals and film.
Ambrus has made the most of his time behind bars by earning a degree in journalism, creating ceramic works of art and learning foreign languages.
Reports in the Hungarian press say he has a job lined up after his release at a used clothing shop in Budapest, though there is also speculation that he will find a position in the local media – perhaps covering Hungary’s notoriously fragile banking sector.
Nice Work If You Can Get It: Developing Websites in Slovakia
At first glance, the homepage of the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava would appear to be the gateway to your average, run-of-the-mill website.
Yet appearances can be deceiving. For this website — for which the kid who mows your lawn on Saturdays or your nephew in Wichita might charge a hundred bucks or so – came with a price tag of over 25,000 euros (or $33,000), according to a report by Slovak daily SME.
The director of the gallery told SME that it was money well spent for the minimally designed site, though many a comment under the article disagreed with that assessment.
Of course, the Slovaks who are footing the bill for the site should be delighted that they got such a bargain. A couple of years ago, their neighbors to the south, Hungary, paid exponentially more for a presence on the worldwide web.
More Information About That Commemorative Steve Jobs Postal Sheet in Hungary
The Steve Jobs Commerorative Sheet from the Hungarian Post Office
Chortler.com called the Hungarian Post this morning to find out how we could get our hands on one. Unfortunately, they are not available at post offices. Instead, one can order online, by phone or by mail (imagine that).
More information about ordering the Jobs commemorative sheet can be found here. The order code is 4103808.
Five thousand copies of the sheet — which is 90 mm x 70 mm and features a 40 mm x 31.5 mm images of Jobs (the size of a stamp) — were issued. The sale price is 1000 Hungarian forints or $4.46.
Are We the Only Ones Who Find the Sale of Barack Toilet Paper Amusing?
Two years ago we took snaps of Barack Toilet Paper on sale in Hungary. (The photos can be viewed here.) And every year since we have made it a tradition of making a mention of the topic.
The product has nothing to do with the present occupant of the White House Barack Obama. Instead, it is merely a reference to the Hungarian word for peach (oszibarack), or perhaps apricot (sargabarack).
So, Barack Toilet Paper is merely a product for those Magyars who like to add a fruit-scented element to their daily personal hygiene.
And there is something about that which always makes us laugh.
