Who is the most famous Croatian?
When you mention Croatia to foreigners, most of them will first think of some of our best athletes, and among them, you will probably hear the names Kukoč, Petrović, Modrić, Šuker, Kostelić, and Ivanišević. Some who do not follow sports, or know more about history, will probably mention physicist Ruđer Bošković, inventor Slavoljub Penkala, and of course, Nikola Tesla.
In our search for answers, we came across a great podcast: AllThingsCroatia. The episode "Who is the most famous Croatian?" was filmed in Makarska, hosting guests from Sweden, Spain, Kazakhstan, and the Czech Republic. As the host of this podcast concludes, if you ask this generation - the most popular Croat right now is Luka Modrić.
Read full article at this link.
Luka Modrić is Croatia's ambassador and another confirmation of how much sport connects people around the globe.
Speaking of football and Makarska, we believe that most of you know the name Alen Bokšić. This fantastic striker, who started his career in the Makarska football club Zmaj, is a fan favorite of all the clubs he played for. Nevertheless, it holds a special place in the hearts of Hajduk Split fans.
In addition to those mentioned, we believe that it is important to mention some other important historical names: Miroslav Krleža (writer), Tin Ujević (poet), Ivan Meštrović (sculptor), Mate Parlov (Olympic gold medalist), Bartol Kašić (linguist), Faust Vrančić (inventor), Lavoslav Ružićka (chemist), Marco Polo (explorer)...
These are some of the inventions for which Croats are responsible:
The first cost-effective electric light bulb with a metal filament was invented by the Croatian chemist Franjo Hanaman. It was patented in 1903.
Necktie - Called Carvatá in Croatian, it was worn by Croatian soldiers during the 17th century. Now, the rest of Europe (and the world) have adopted it as a fashion accessory.
The torpedo was invented in 1860, by a Commander of the Austrian Frigate “Venus”, the Croat – Ivan Lupus, and later perfected by British engineer Robert Whitehead!
The first MP3 player in the world was made by a Croatian programmer and student of FER Zagreb. Tomislav Uzelac created the first MP3 player in 1997.
Of course, we didn't mention everything; this article is just a quick reminder of the glorious history and successful presence of, small in number, but glorious nation.
And another interesting link between football and Croatia: Diego Maradona's grandfather was allegedly Mateo Kariolic from Korcula, who named his older daughter Dalma, Diego's mother, after Dalmatia. Maradona gave the same name to his daughter and once said that she was also named after Dalmatia.
Source: meettheslavs.com, allthingscroatia.com,