Saturday, March 21, 2020

The Meaning of the Name Kovacs

The Meaning of the Name Kovacs Kovcs (КÐ ¾Ã ²Ã °Ã'‡) is a surname that means forger or smith in the Hungarian language, from the Slavonic Kovaà ¨. The Hungarian equivalent to the English surname Smith, Kovcs is the second most common surname in Hungary. Kovacs is the second most common Hungarian surname according to surname distribution data from Forebears. Surname Origin:  Hungarian, Slavic Alternate Surname Spellings:  KOVATS, KOVAC, KOVAT, KOVATS, KOVACH, KOWAL, KOVAL Fun Facts About the Kovcs Surname The Kovacs surname most commonly originates from Hungary, although this is not always the case. Similar surnames include Kovach (Carpatho-Ruthenian), Kowal (Poland) and Koval (Ukraine). The singular Kovac may be the original surname, an adaptation of Kovacs, or a shortened version of a longer name such as Dukovac. These are all just general guidelines, however. The specific surname variation used by your family may also be something as simple as a spelling change and have nothing to do with its original origin. Famous People With the Surname Ernie Kovacs, popular American television comedianLszlà ³ Kovcs, legendary cinematographerTom Kovach, American author and activistLuca KovaÄ , a fictional character (doctor) portrayed by Goran ViÃ… ¡njić on the American television series ER Genealogy Resources Kovacs/Kovats FamilyTree DNA ProjectThis Y-DNA project is open to all individuals with the surnames Kovacs, Kovats, or any derivative such as Kovaks, Kovak, Kovac, Kohen, Kohan, Kohn, Kovan, etc., of any ethnic or religious background.   Kovacs Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Kovacs family crest or coat of arms for the Kovacs surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. Kovcs Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Kovcs surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Kovcs query. The Kovacs Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse genealogy records and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the popular last name Kovacs from the website of Genealogy Today. Source: Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Thursday, March 5, 2020

The 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles - History

The 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles - History The 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, United States For a while, ​it seemed as if no one was going to attend the 1932 Olympic Games. Six months before the Games were to begin, not a single country had responded to the official invitations. Then they started to trickle in. The world was mired in the Great Depression which made the expense of traveling to California seem nearly as insurmountable as the distance. Neither had many of the spectator tickets been sold and it seemed that the Memorial Coliseum, which had been expanded to 105,000 seats for the occasion, would be relatively empty. Then, a few Hollywood stars (including Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Marlene Dietrich, and Mary Pickford) offered to entertain the crowd and ticket sales picked up. Los Angeles had constructed the very first Olympic Village for the Games. The Olympic Village consisted of 321 acres in Baldwin Hills and offered 550 two-bedroom portable bungalows for the male athletes, a hospital, post office, library, and a large number of eating establishments to feed the athletes. The female athletes were housed in the Chapman Park Hotel downtown, which offered more luxuries than the bungalows. The 1932 Olympic Games also debuted the first photo-finish cameras as well as the victory platform. There were two minor incidents worth reporting. Finnish Paavo Nurmi, who had been one of the Olympic heroes in the past several Olympic Games, was considered to have turned professional, thus was not allowed to compete. While mounted on the victory platform, Italian Luigi Beccali, winner of the gold medal in the 1,500-meter race, gave the Fascist salute. Mildred Babe Didrikson made history at the 1932 Olympic Games. Babe won the gold medal for both the 80-meter hurdles (new world record) and the javelin (new world record)  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹and won silver in the high jump. Babe later became a very successful professional golfer. Approximately 1,300 athletes participated, representing 37 countries. For More Information: History of the OlympicsList of the Olympic GamesInteresting Olympic Facts