INTRODUCTION
I was born on the first of September 1974. It was more than 23 years ago. A lot of time passed by since than. I would like to explore how far the day I was born differs from today and how the newspaper I read proves it. I also want to show what kind of events characterised that time. I describe how I had found the facts that happened on my birthday. I present the method that I organised the results with. The newspaper I consulted was the Dunántúli Napló. It was in the possession of the Hungarian Socialist Labour Party (MSZMP).
METHOD
First I read through the newspapers of September the 1st and the 2nd of 1974. I underlined all the events that characterized or happened on that particular day I was born. I wrote every kind of topics on a piece of paper and cut it up. So I had several little pieces with an independent theme on it. I selected those themes that belong together and ordered them under one main topic. I got seven headlines. After that I worked up every single theme based on the articles of the newspaper Dunántúli Napló. Finally I organised them according to the importance of the events. The less important ones come first. They are followed by the more and more significant events.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The Dunántúli Napló is made up of foreign and domestic affairs on the first pages. The cultural events come next. The middle of the newspaper is of informing character. It contains general information about the day (name-day, anniversaries), police events, weather forecast. Program suggestions come next with the detailed list of movie, theater, TV and radio programs. The Dunántúli Napló is finished by the sporting events.
The foreign affairs are in connection with orders that came into force on the 1st of September. The goverment of Haga can imprison or impose a fine on every pirate broadcast from ships sailing on Dutch national teritory from the 1st of September (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 2. p.2).
The Roumanian Communist Party published a project. It aimed the setting of a socialist society and the developing of communism (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 2. p.2).
The British Ministry of War announced that the units of the British and South-African Navy would carry out military exercises together (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 2. p.2).
The eleventh European Championship in athletics was opened in Rom in the evening. 1200 competitors arrived from twenty-eight different countries of the continent to measure their skills in thirty-nine disciplines (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 2. p.6).
Horst Sölle the Trade Minister of the German Democratic Republic (DDR) opened the market in Leipzig on the 1st of September. According to him the DDR is acknowledged as an important commercial partner all over the world. Hungary took part in the market of Leipzig with 25 firms of foreign trade (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 2. p.2).
Dr. Raúl Roa the Foreign Minister of Cuba, who arrived on the 31st of August 1974 visited a hospital in Balatonfüred the next day. He was escorted by Puja Frigyes the hungarian Foreign Minister (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 2. p.2).
September the 1st was a turning-point in the hungarian domestic affairs. From that day on the prices of fuel and of heat supply increased again. The government also ordered that every employer has to pay their employee 50 Forints. Every kind of bounty had to be supplemented with 50 Forints. The supplement did not belong to the average wage. It meant that people did not have to pay taxes on it (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 1. p.4).
There were changes in the public transport. Instead of some old Ikarus busses ten new Skoda busses began to run on different lines in Pécs (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 1 p.4).
September the 1st was the beginning of the traditional Miner’s Cultural Weeks. “László Varga the chairman of the Party Committee of the coal-mines in Mecsek opened the XXIV. Miner’s Cultural Weeks” in the József Attila house of culture in the afternoon (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 2. p.2). The Zoltán Kodály choir the labour choir, wellknown actors and a folkdance group gave a little performance on the stage of the open-air theater. Miners in Komló celebrated at the miner’s monument on the same afternoon. (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 1. p.10).
September the 1st was rich in cultural events. Those who felt like going out could choose among an exhibition, performance on the open-air theater of the Fairground in Pécs, and a village sunday. The exhibition took place in the Puskin house of culture and contained the photos of the photographer circle made up of the employee working in the house of culture. (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 1. p.8).
Who was interested in popular music went to the open-air theater of the Fairground in Pécs. The program was organised in course of the Miner’s day celebration. The M-7 group played. Famous personalities like Sarolta Zalatnay, Viktória Eszményi, Delhusa Gion, Tibor Dévényi, Gábor Ihász, András Rónaszéky, Péter Zsolnay were invited as well. The ticket cost 5 and 3 Forints for the whole day (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 1. p.10)
The inhabitants of Hidas organised the traditional village sunday for the sixth time. First they wreathed the statue of Bartók. Then the naming of twelve miner’s children followed. After the target practice competition the folkdance group of Véménd, several choirs and a pioneer brass band gave a performance.
The weather did not spoil the programs on Sunday. It was favourable to those who wanted to spend the day outside. Some clouds appeared and local showers could have interrupted the programs but they went on undisturbed.
Not only the miners celebrated on the first day of autumn but everybody whose name is Egyed. The 1st of September is actually their name-day. The end of summer also meant the start of a new school year. Children and teachers were busy preparing for the first day at school in the new school year. For some members of the Communist Youth Association (KISZ) education began on Sunday in Sikonda. The KISZ committee started a 10-day leader’s training-course. It aimed to provide the young with organising and leading knowledge of the first grade (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 1. p.4).
On my birthday people commemorated Endre Rákosi who was born on the 1st of September 1924. He died as a victim of the fascist movement 1944 in a concentration camp. He was a young communist and involved in illegal printing (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 1. p.10).
Sportfans had a plenty of choice between different kind of sports like table-tennis, athletics, bicycle competitions, skittles, handball and football. The handball match between PMSC and Budapest Honvéd began at 10 o’clock in Újmecsekalja. The PMSC won the match 17:14. Thousend spectators went to Újmecsekalja to keep their fingers crossed for their favourite team’s success. Komló won against Székesfehérvár with 22:14. This match took place in Komló at 10 o’clock (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 2. p.7).
Football supporters could watch the match of Komló and MTE of Szolnok in Szolnok at 15.30. This match was a draw (1:1). Budapest Építõk won the match against PVSK with 2:1. Further results of matches played on Sunday were as follow: Táncsics of Kaposvár – Szigetvár 1:0, Mágocs – Bóly 2:1, Sásd – Porcelain factory of Pécs 2:1, Beremend – PEAC 2:0, Vajszló – Siklós 2:1, Mohács – Sellye 2:1.(Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 2. p.8).
My birthday was the third day of the international bicycle competition called Mecsek Kupa. It started at Üdülõszálló at 10 o’clock. The competitors had to ride 25 circles, 72 kilometres altogether. The results were announced at 12 o’clock. The ceremonial prize-giving followed at 15.00 (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 1. p.11). A shocking incident interrupted the course of the competition not much before the end. István Hirth was trying to break out of the mass when Iván Pastucha – a competitor of Lok. Bratislava – suddenly pulled him back. Losing his control Isván Hirth hit Pastucha. Hirth – a competitor of the PMSC – standed eighth at the end. He said later in an interview: ”I am sorry for losing my self-control and for hitting him” (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 2. p.6).
Active pursuer of sports did not have to stay at home. The swimming-bath of Hullám expected them all from 8 o’clock till 18.
Theater-goer could not enjoy their favourite hobby because the theater in Pécs was closed. But the supply of movie programs was quite rich even 23 years ago. Nine movies projected films on Sunday – Park, open-air part of Park, Petõfi (today: Uránia), Kossuth (today: Apolló), Fekete Gyémánt (does not exist today), Jószerencsét (not existing), Rákóczi (not existing) and Május 1 (not existing).
Who felt like staying rather at home than going out had the choice between radio and television. There were four radios broadcasting: Radio Kossuth, Radio Petõfi, the 3rd Radio and the Radio of Pécs. The Hungarian Television was made up of only one state supported channel. The program began at 8.50 and ended at 22.40 with the latest news.
Illness and urgent medical cases are regardless of Sunday as a holiday. Ill people had to be taken care as well. The children’s clinic received ill children. The County Hospital cared for cases like internal medicine, surgery and traumatologie. The Honvéd Hospital was responsible for the treatment of patients with burn injuries. The Nerve Surgery was on duty in cases of skull- and brain injuries (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 1. p.10).
Unfortunately my birthday was not free from accidents. A racing car ran into the audience by a go-kart racing. Six persons were injured. Another two citizens from Jugoslavia were wounded in a car that ran into the ditch while trying to overtake a car (Dunántúli Napló. 1974 September 2. p.5).
CONCLUSION
I found that the world changed a lot since the 1st of September 1974. The main difference between the day I was born and nowadays is the form of government. It was popular republic on my birthday and now it is a republic. The form of government influenced not only the style of the newspaper but its topic as well. The MSZMP does not possess the Dunántúli Napló. It is now a public daily paper. We have freedom of speech now. Newspapers are not censored any more.
Since the coal-mines are closed and the situation changed people do not attach as much importance to the miner’s day as 23 years ago. There are not Miner’s Cultural Weeks organised any more.
Television and radio changed a lot. Many commercial televisions – like TV3, Msat, Zplussz, Duna TV, RTL Klub etc.- and radios – like Danubius, Juventus, Dráva Radio - appeared with big supply of different kind of programs. They became many-sided because of the technical development. They are private channels that exist through advertisments and are not supported by the government. There are no soviet films in the spirit of communism broadcasted any more. We have more freedom and choice today than we had at the time I was born.
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