Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1978. január-június (32. évfolyam, 1-26. szám)
1978-06-01 / 22. szám
1953 FIRST ANTI-AUEN ACTS, 1198 JUNE 19. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg died in the electric chair in Sing $ing«»tramed on a charge of “conspiracy to commit espionage.” Throughout the world mourning was mingled with anger and revulsion at this act of the Eisenhower administration. KOSENBERG8 EXECUTED JUNE 21. 1891 Massacre at Battonya, Hungary. Gendarmes fire on demonstrating agricultural workers. 5 killed, many wounded. 1877 Eleven Molly Maguires, trade unionists in Pennsylvania coal fields, were hanged on framed charges aimed at destroying miners’ organization. JUNE 23. 1947 Labor Management Relations Act /Taft- Hartley Act/ was passed, destroying protection for labor formerly provided under Wagner Labor Relations Act, and placing new power in the hands of corporations to curb unions. TAFT-HARTLEY LAW PASSED, 1947 SAM KERTESZ Sam Kertesz, outstanding Hungarian-American trade unionist, recipient of a Certificate of Honor for his activities on behalf of labor, passed away at age of 93. American labor lost a staunch friend and supporter by his passing. Eugene V. Debs Debs was always a defender of human rights. He fought for the freedom of Tom Mooney, West Coast labor leader who spent twenty years in prison as the victim of World War I.hysteria. From his Atlanta cell he gave his prison earnings for the defense of Sacco and Vanzetti, Italian immigrants who went to their deaths protesting their innocence of a crime few thought they had committed. Last year the state of Massachusetts formally acknowledged they had not received a fair trial. America’s labor history is filled with heroic figures, who, like Debs, were persecuted and slandered during their lifetimes and were restored to respectability onlv after they had long been dead. They were the men and women who fought for and won the eight-hour day, the right to organize, decent wages and benefits, and human dignity in the workplace BUDAPEST HILTON Few hotels in the world can be so literally embedded in history as the Hilton erected on the Castle Hill in old Buda, the mediaeval heart of this handsome mid-Danubian capital. The Budapest Hilton opened its doors January 1. 1977. Built into the perfectly modem lobby is the atrium of the ancient abbey, enclosed by a wall of glass. A Roman columm of white marble towers in lonely magnificence in the comer of the lobby. This column was discovered under the monastery’s 500-foot-deep cellar. The corridors of the monastery link the two wings of the hotel. The location of the hotel was selected about 14 years ago because of its great beauty, although it had suffered extensive damage during World War II. Interestingly, as the ruins were cleared away, historical treasures were discovered under tons of centuries-old rubble. Day by day the chosen site became more and more of a treasure trove. Foundations of ancient buildings, well-preserved remains of a Dominican abbey, heating units, tunnels, artifacts, columns and statuary were all discovered amidst the ruins. More than 100 Hungarian firms participated in the excavation work and the laying of the foundation for the new hotel, and along every step of the way, new historical marvels were unearthed. History is so much a part of this hotel that it takes days to discover all the art treasures and monuments which have been effectively placed throughout the building. The main dining room, the Kalocsa, is the complete antithesis to the somber beauty of the other dining, and drinking salons. It is incredibly bright and gay with a magnificent view of the Danube and Fisherman’s Bastion a Disney-like fantasy of parapets and turrets. The dazzling floral designs of artisans from the Kalocsa region abound on the walls, ceiling and coordinating table linens and china, Bela Pinter, one of Hungary’s foremost architects, was responsible for the tremendous task of blending ancient and modern in the design of the hotel, and incorporating it into the Buda skyline in a location where Hungary’s rich past is written on every house, building, arch, gate and statue. The world has indeed come a long way since the seven Magyar tribes set out in the footsteps of their legendary kinsmen to cross the mountains and claim the land which today is known as Hungary. Hungary is a country which combines the old and the new in a most delightful way, so beautifully exemplified by the Budapest Hilton — perhaps a crowning tribute to this nation’s past and present. St. Nicholas Tower (center) connects two wings 8 -----------------------------------------------AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO__________________________ju„, i. ms. JUNE 1. 1689 Jacob Leisler led people’s uprising in New York colony against tyranny of British colonial officials and wealthy merchants and landholders of the colony. 1882 Guiseppe Garibaldi, hero of the Italian struggle for independence, died. 1899 Birthday of Federico Garcia Lorca, Spanish poet, leader of antifascist, anti-Franco movement in Spain. 1799 Birthday of Alexander Pushkin, great Russian poet. JUNE 9. 1950 First two of a group of Hollywood figures ^writers and directors of motion pictures - were sent to prison for asserting their Constitutional right not to answer political questions of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Others went to jail later. JUNE 14. 1814 Birthday of Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. 1777 Stars and Stripes becomes official US flag. JUNE 15. 1215 King John issues Magna Carta at Runny- mede, the most important instrument in English constitutional history. JUNE 18. 1798 First of three anti-alien acts was passed by Congress. Two were eventually re- ■ pealed by mass pressure, after having created the first anti-alien hysteria in U.S. history.
