American Hungarian Library and Historical Society

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American Hungarian Library and Historical Society Established in 1955, we are committed to spark and satisfy interest in Hungarian culture - Opening hours: Thursday 3 PM - 7 PM, Saturday 9 AM - 5 PM

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Join us for an evening with Charles Vámossy, who was just 15 years old when the Hungarian Revolution broke out in Octob...
11/02/2026

Join us for an evening with Charles Vámossy, who was just 15 years old when the Hungarian Revolution broke out in October 1956.

Charles witnessed the street fighting in Budapest firsthand, and in November he fled Hungary with his father, crossing the border into Austria and beginning a journey that would take him across the Atlantic on a U.S. Navy ship and into a new life as a refugee in America.

In this deeply personal presentation, he will share what it was like to live through those days as a teenager, the fear and uncertainty of the escape, and the challenges and surprises of starting over in a new country. Throughout the evening, Charles will also share three short documentaries that add historical context and voices from the era: Operation Mercy – The Big Picture, Revolt in Hungary – 1956 Hungarian Revolution and Soviet Suppression, and Ten Years Later, featuring interviews with August Molnar, Laszlo Papp, and Bela and Martha Liptak. This is a rare opportunity to hear living history from someone who was there.

Please join us for an unforgettable evening of memory, resolve, and community.

This event will be in English.

NOV 5 | 6 PM
REGISTER HERE: https://www.hungarianlibrary.org/event-details/film-screening-time-capsule-with-charles-vamossy

10/30/2026

Charles Farkas was born in Budapest in 1925 to a family of writers and artists. His mother was a painter and political sketch artist for a Budapest newspaper, and his father was a publisher, editor and writer. After the communist takeover the family was labeled class enemies, and some of them were deported.

In October 1956 he witnessed the revolution, including the first firefight around the Hungarian Radio on October 23. What he saw there, and as he walked around Pest afterward, stayed with him for the rest of his life. After the revolution was defeated he left, going to Vienna and then by ship from Bremerhaven to New York. He arrived at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on January 16, 1957.

He worked a series of labor jobs while his English improved, then studied library science at Columbia University. He became the director of the Briarcliff Manor Public Library in New York and stayed for more than 30 years. He and his wife, Edit Novák Farkas, who was also interviewed by The Memory Project, raised four children who all learned Hungarian.

Watch his story from The Memory Project: https://memoryproject.online/charles-farkas/

Full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-FJSfgZiI8s

🇭🇺 1956 IN REAL TIME · The First Six Days: 23–28 October 1956Seventy years ago this week, a peaceful student march in Bu...
10/29/2026

🇭🇺 1956 IN REAL TIME · The First Six Days: 23–28 October 1956

Seventy years ago this week, a peaceful student march in Budapest became a nationwide revolution. In just six days, Hungarians toppled Stalin's statue, stood up to Soviet tanks, mourned their dead, and won a ceasefire.

Swipe through to relive each day as it unfolded.

But this was only the beginning. The coming weeks would bring hope, betrayal and invasion. Follow along until 11 November as we continue the story in real time.

Hear it from someone who was there: on Thursday, 5 November at 6:00 PM, join us at AHLHS for "I Was 15 in Budapest: Charles Vámossy Remembers 1956". Charles witnessed the street fighting as a teenager, fled to Austria with his father, and started a new life in America. In person, in English. https://www.hungarianlibrary.org/event-details/film-screening-time-capsule-with-charles-vamossy

Explore more photographs, newspapers and political cartoons in our digital archive: https://1956.hungarianlibrary.org

Did someone in your family live through these days? Share their story in the comments.

Photos: FORTEPAN.

This Thursday, Oct 29, 6:00 PM: the official opening of Freedom in the News.How did American newspapers cover the 1956 R...
10/26/2026

This Thursday, Oct 29, 6:00 PM: the official opening of Freedom in the News.

How did American newspapers cover the 1956 Revolution as it happened? Prof. Peter Pastor and Dr. Mátyás Mervay talk about it, and Prof. Pastor shares his own memories as a 1956 émigré.

We will also launch the AHLHS archival database: historic articles about 1956, now digitized and searchable.

Q&A and reception to follow.

Can’t make it in person? Join online. Register and we’ll send you the link: https://www.hungarianlibrary.org/event-details/freedom-in-the-news-the-1956-hungarian-revolution-in-the-american-press

70 years ago today, on October 23, 1956, the revolution began with students marching through Budapest.By the evening, wo...
10/23/2026

70 years ago today, on October 23, 1956, the revolution began with students marching through Budapest.

By the evening, workers and ordinary Hungarians had joined them, demanding freedom, and the first shots were fired at the Hungarian Radio.

They stood up to tanks, and although the revolution was crushed, what it stood for lived on. It showed the world that people will not stop asking for freedom.

We are marking 70 years with exhibitions, lectures, and screenings. Find all upcoming events on our website:
https://www.hungarianlibrary.org/projects-8

Today, 2:00 PM: Wreath laying at the Kossuth statue in New York, commemorating 70 years since the 1956 Hungarian Revolut...
10/23/2026

Today, 2:00 PM: Wreath laying at the Kossuth statue in New York, commemorating 70 years since the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Speech by Olivér Fodor.

📍 Riverside Drive and West 113th Street, New York

Book Launch | Somogyi Balázs: Életem (My Life)The life story of a 1956 medical student, orthopedic surgeon, and pillar o...
10/19/2026

Book Launch | Somogyi Balázs: Életem (My Life)

The life story of a 1956 medical student, orthopedic surgeon, and pillar of the Hungarian diaspora, told in prose and verse.

Presented by Emese Latkóczy, Executive Director of the Hungarian Human Rights Foundation (HHRF) & Zsolt Németh, Member of Parliament and founder of the Kisebbségekért – Pro Minoritate Foundation, publisher of the book.

Oct 22 | 4 PM
Register here: https://www.hungarianlibrary.org/event-details/book-launch-somogyi-balazs-eletem

10/17/2026

Béla Lipták was a Technical University student when the 1956 Revolution broke out. He took part, escaped, and arrived in the U.S. as a refugee the same year.

He became an engineer, wrote a handbook on automation that is now in its 5th edition, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society of Automation in 2012.

Watch his story from The Memory Project: https://memoryproject.online/bela-liptak/

Full video on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/6wONpl3sF-I

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