What makes Budapest unique?
It wasn't just 2 cities (Buda + Pest) but 3-4!
Why?
And why is it where it is?
Why did it become the capital of Hungary?
It's no coincidence, and it explains the history of the country
Look at this:
Thread 🧵
The Pannonian Basin, this huge plain surrounded by mountains, was going to have a capital. But where would it be?
It would probably be on the main artery: the Danube, which splits the plain in half 1. Navigable all the way to Germany—fantastic for trade 2. Drinking water, great for living 3. Water for irrigation ➡️ crops
But early on the Danube had another huge advantage:
Why is Hungary so small?
As this map shows, it could be bigger
It used to host one of the world’s most powerful empires—Austria-Hungary
Now it’s tinier & poorer. What happened?
Explaining it also explains Orbán, or why Hungarians hate their borders🧵
You see that big plain surrounded by mountains? That's a perfect region for a single country: well-connected, fertile plains, protected by an easily-defensible wall of mountains.
That is, indeed, where Hungary was for nearly 1000 years!
It's called the Pannonian Basin
All these mountains catch humidity that flows down as rivers, which criss-cross the country, bringing lots of irrigation
The biggest one is the Danube, so big & gentle that it's navigable, connecting it with Germany & creating trade and wealth along its controllable path
Two shocking events from last week unmasked eco-terrorists disguised as environmentalists:
1. The Philippines banned golden rice, condemning thousands of children to blindness and death 2. German Greens lied to closed nuclear plants
This is what happened and how to reverse it:
1. Golden Rice Ban
Golden Rice has added vitamin A over 100,000 children every year and turns blind over 100,000 more
Golden Rice has additional vitamin A, and eliminates that problem
But Greenpeace got a Filipino court to ban it. Why?
The court says "there's not enough evidence". But there is, proven by safety tests from countries like the US, Canada, and NZ. It is just like rice, except with more Vit A