Franz Nopcsa Von Felső-Szilvás
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Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
Franz Nopcsa von Felső-Szilvás (also Baron Nopcsa von Felső-Szilvás, Baron Nopcsa, Ferenc Nopcsa, báró felsőszilvási Nopcsa Ferenc, Baron Franz Nopcsa, and Franz Baron Nopcsa; May 3, 1877 – April 25, 1933) was a Hungarian
aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...
, adventurer, scholar, geologist,
paleontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...
and albanologist. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of
paleobiology Paleobiology (or palaeobiology) is an interdisciplinary field that combines the methods and findings found in both the earth sciences and the life sciences. An investigator in this field is known as a paleobiologist. Paleobiology is closely ...
, and first described the theory of
insular dwarfism Insular dwarfism, a form of phyletic dwarfism, is the process and condition of large animals evolving or having a reduced body size when their population's range is limited to a small environment, primarily islands. This natural process is disti ...
. He was also a specialist on
Albanian studies Albanology, also known as Albanian studies, is an interdisciplinary branch of the humanities that addresses the Albanian language, language, Traditional Albanian clothing, costume, Albanian literature, literature, Art of Albania, art, Albanian cu ...
and completed the first
geological map A geological map or geologic map is a special-purpose map made to show various geological features. Rock (geology), Rock units or stratum, geologic strata are shown by color or symbols. Bed (geology), Bedding planes and structural features such ...
of
northern Albania Northern Albania () is one of the three NUTS-2 regions of Albania, along with Central Albania and Southern Albania (). It consists of the counties of Dibër, Durrës, Kukës, Lezhë and Shkodër. Historically and in ethnography, Northern ...
. The essay, first published on Elsie's website, is the basis for the "Introduction" to Nopcsa's memoirs titled ''Traveler, Scholar, Political Adventurer'' (2014) edited by Robert Elsie.


Life

Nopcsa was born in 1877 in Déva,
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
,
Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
(today
Deva, Romania Deva (; Hungarian: ''Déva'', Hungarian pronunciation: ; German: ''Diemrich'', ''Schlossberg'', ''Denburg''; Latin: ''Sargetia''; is a city in Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania, on the left bank of the river Mureș. It is the c ...
), to the Hungarian Nopcsa
aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...
family of
Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language ***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language **Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
origin. He was the son of (1848-1918), a member of the Hungarian Parliament and his wife, Matylda Henrietta Żeleński z Żelanki (1852-1938). In 1895 Nopcsa's younger sister Ilona discovered dinosaur bones at the family estate at Szacsal (today part of Sânpetru, Sântămăria-Orlea, Romania). He shared the bones with Professor
Eduard Suess Eduard Suess (; 20 August 1831 – 26 April 1914) was an Austrian geologist and an expert on the geography of the Alps. He is responsible for hypothesising two major former geographical features, the supercontinent Gondwana (proposed in 1861) and ...
, who encouraged him to study them. Following the professor's advice, he started studying geology at the
University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...
in 1897, where he quickly advanced in his studies. He gave his first academic lecture in 1899 at the age of twenty-two. He acquired a PhD in geology in 1903 from the university; his doctorate focused on geologically mapping the area surrounding the family estate. On 20 November 1906 Nopcsa met the then eighteen-year-old Bajazid Elmaz Doda in Bucharest and hired him as his secretary. Nopcsa later recounted this meeting in his memoir: Additionally, Nopcsa was interested in
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
, which was a province of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
contending for independence in that time. He was one of the few outsiders who ventured into the mountainous areas in the north of Albania. He soon learned the
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
dialects and customs. Eventually, he got on good terms with the leaders of the Albanian
nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
resistance who fought against the Turks in the region. Nopcsa gave passionate speeches and smuggled in weapons. In 1907 on one of his expeditions into the Albanian mountains, he was held hostage by the bandit Mustafa Lita, together with Bajazid Doda. Lita demanded ten thousand Turkish pounds for his release. In his memoirs Nopcsa described his elaborate plan to get out of this situation, which involved being taken to
Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...
as a spy. He was eventually rescued by Doda's father, who had brought 'ten armed retainers'. In 1912 the
Balkan states The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
joined forces to drive out the Turks. However, afterwards the newly liberated states immediately plunged into internal conflicts. During these Balkan Wars, Nopcsa spied for
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
. Out of these conflicts,
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
arose as an independent state, which needed a king. Nopcsa volunteered, suggesting he would use money he would gain from marrying a rich American girl to fund the war efforts, however, to no avail. Later, during the
First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Nopcsa was on another mission as a spy for
Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
, working undercover as a shepherd in Transylvania. He also led a group of
Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
wartime volunteers. Nopcsa was the first to
hijack Hijack, Highjack, or High Jack may refer to: Film and television * ''Hijack'' (1973 film), an American television action film * ''Hijack!'' (1975 film), a British children's drama film * ''Hijack'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi-language action f ...
 an aircraft. His motive for aircraft hijacking was to flee the nascent and ultimately short-lived
Hungarian Soviet Republic The Hungarian Soviet Republic, also known as the Socialist Federative Soviet Republic of Hungary was a short-lived communist state that existed from 21 March 1919 to 1 August 1919 (133 days), succeeding the First Hungarian Republic. The Hungari ...
in 1919 to Vienna. With the defeat of Austria-Hungary at the end of the war, Nopcsa's native
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
was ceded to
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
. As a consequence, the
Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
of Felső-Szilvás lost his estates and other possessions in 1920. Compelled to find paid employment, he landed a job as the head of the Hungarian Geological Institute in 1925. But Nopcsa's tenure in the Geological Institute was short-lived, he soon became bored of the sedentary job. He went to Europe on a motorcycle journey together with his long-standing Albanian secretary and lover Bajazid Elmaz Doda to study
fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...
s. He later returned to Vienna where he ran into financial difficulties again and was distracted in his work. To cover his debts, he sold his fossil collection to the
Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history scientific collection, collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleo ...
in London. Nopcsa struggled with illness, to the extent that he had to give a lecture in a wheelchair in 1928. Soon Nopcsa became depressed. Finally, in 1933, he fatally shot first his partner, Bayazid Elmas Doda, after having slipped sleeping powder into his tea. He then wrote a suicide note, where he states the reason for his actions was a nervous breakdown, and shot himself. He was cremated at
Feuerhalle Simmering Feuerhalle Simmering is a crematorium with attached urn burial ground in the Simmering (Vienna), Simmering district of Vienna, Austria. It lies at the end of an alley, directly opposite Vienna Central Cemetery's main gate. Description Opened o ...
in Vienna, and his ashes buried there (Section 3, Ring 3, Group 8, No. 44). In his suicide note, he describes his reasons for killing his partner: Nopcsa left behind a considerable quantity of scientific publications and private diaries. The diaries paint a picture of a complex man with great intuition, but without the ability to understand the motives of others. His devotion to the cause of the Albanians was in contrast to his sociopathic insensitivity. In his diaries he nonchalantly wrote about his bid to become king of
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
: During his lifetime Nopcsa wrote a memoir based on diaries and notes from 1897 to 1917. Even though he finished the memoir around 1929, it was never published during his lifetime. Only in 2001 was it published in German and it was later translated to English in 2014 as ''Traveler, Scholar, Political Adventurer: A Transylvanian Baron at the Birth of Albanian Independence'', edited by
Robert Elsie Robert Elsie (June 29, 1950 – October 2, 2017) was a Canadian-born German scholar who specialized in Albanian literature and folklore. Elsie was a writer, translator, interpreter, and specialist in Albanian studies, being the author of numero ...
.


Contributions to paleobiology and geology

Nopcsa's main contribution to
paleontology Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure ge ...
– and hence "
paleobiology Paleobiology (or palaeobiology) is an interdisciplinary field that combines the methods and findings found in both the earth sciences and the life sciences. An investigator in this field is known as a paleobiologist. Paleobiology is closely ...
" – was that he was one of the first researchers who tried to "put flesh onto bones." At a time when paleontologists were mainly interested in assembling bones, he tried to deduce the
physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...
and living behavior of the dinosaurs he was studying. Nopcsa was the first to suggest that these
archosaur Archosauria () or archosaurs () is a clade of diapsid sauropsid tetrapods, with birds and crocodilians being the only extant taxon, extant representatives. Although broadly classified as reptiles, which traditionally exclude birds, the cladistics ...
s cared for their young and exhibited complex social behavior, an idea that did not take off until the 1980s. Because he was one of the first people to study the biology of dinosaurs, he is known as the 'father of paleobiology', even though he himself coined the term " paleophysiology" for the study of the evolution of physiology and biology. Some of his works in this field exploited paleohistological data. Another of Nopcsa's theories that was ahead of its time was that birds evolved from ground-dwelling dinosaurs, which is the theory of cursorial origin of flight. He theorized that the
Proavis Proavis is a hypothetical extinct species or hypothetical extinct taxon. The term was coined in the early 20th century in an attempt to support and explain the hypothetical evolutionary steps and anatomical adaptations leading from non-avian the ...
, a theorized predecessor of birds, was running animal with forearms lifted off the ground, which they would flap as they made a jump. The scales on its forearms would develop into feathers to aid this, and eventually allowing for flight. This theory found favor in the 1960s and later gained wide acceptance, though later fossil finds of tree-living feathered dinosaurs suggest the development of flight may have been more complex than Nopcsa envisioned. Additionally, Nopcsa's conclusion that at least some
Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...
era reptiles were
warm-blooded Warm-blooded is a term referring to animal species whose bodies maintain a temperature higher than that of their environment. In particular, homeothermic species (including birds and mammals) maintain a stable body temperature by regulating ...
is now shared by much of the scientific community. Nopcsa studied
Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
n dinosaurs intensively, even though they were smaller than their "cousins" elsewhere in the world. For example, he unearthed six-meter-long
sauropod Sauropoda (), whose members are known as sauropods (; from '' sauro-'' + '' -pod'', 'lizard-footed'), is a clade of saurischian ('lizard-hipped') dinosaurs. Sauropods had very long necks, long tails, small heads (relative to the rest of their b ...
s, a group of dinosaurs which elsewhere commonly grew to 30 meters or more, which he named ''
Magyarosaurus ''Magyarosaurus'' (" Hungarian lizard") is a genus of dwarf sauropod dinosaur from late Cretaceous Period (early to late Maastrichtian) in Romania. It is one of the smallest-known adult sauropods, measuring less than long and weighing less than ...
''. Nopcsa deduced that the area where the remains were found was an island,
Hațeg Island Hațeg Island was a large offshore Former island, island in the Tethys Sea which existed during the Late Cretaceous period, probably from the Cenomanian to the Maastrichtian ages. It was situated in an area corresponding to the region around moder ...
(now the Haţeg or Hatzeg basin in Romania) during the
Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...
era. He theorized that "limited resources" found on islands commonly have an effect of "reducing the size of animals" over the generations, producing a localized form of
dwarfism Dwarfism is a condition of people and animals marked by unusually small size or short stature. In humans, it is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than , regardless of sex; the average adult height among people with dwarfism is . '' ...
. Nopcsa's theory of
insular dwarfism Insular dwarfism, a form of phyletic dwarfism, is the process and condition of large animals evolving or having a reduced body size when their population's range is limited to a small environment, primarily islands. This natural process is disti ...
—also known as the island rule—is today widely accepted. Additional
pygmy In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a po ...
sauropods, named ''
Europasaurus ''Europasaurus'' (meaning 'Europe lizard') is a basal macronarian sauropod, a form of quadrupedal herbivorous dinosaur. It lived during the Late Jurassic (middle Kimmeridgian, from about 154 to 151 million years ago) of northern Germany, and has ...
'', were recently discovered in northern Germany. Nopcsa also created a theory about the dinosaurs'
sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...
, which he published in 1926. Among others, he thought that
hadrosaurid Hadrosaurids (), also hadrosaurs or duck-billed dinosaurs, are members of the ornithischian family Hadrosauridae. This group is known as the duck-billed dinosaurs for the flat duck-bill appearance of the bones in their snouts. The ornithopod fami ...
species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
with the cranial crests were males and those without them were females. He paired ''
Kritosaurus ''Kritosaurus'' is an incompletely known genus of hadrosaurid (duck-billed) dinosaur. It lived about 74.5-66 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous of North America. The name means "separated lizard" (referring to the arrangement of the cheek ...
'' with ''
Parasaurolophus ''Parasaurolophus'' (; meaning "beside crested lizard" in reference to ''Saurolophus'') is a genus of hadrosaurid "duck-billed" dinosaur that lived in what is now western North America and possibly Asia during the Late Cretaceous period, a ...
'', ''
Prosaurolophus ''Prosaurolophus'' (; meaning "before ''Saurolophus''", in comparison to the later dinosaur with a similar head crest) is a genus of hadrosaurid (or duck-billed) dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of North America. It is known from the remains of ...
'' with ''
Saurolophus ''Saurolophus'' (; meaning "lizard crest") is a genus of large hadrosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of Asia and North America, that lived in what is now the Horseshoe Canyon and Nemegt formations about 70 million to 66 million ...
'' and others. His examples were not proved to be true, but his opinion that sexual dimorphism was present among hadrosaurid dinosaurs has gained acceptance, see for example ''
Lambeosaurus ''Lambeosaurus'' ( ) is a genus of hadrosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period of western North America. The first skull of ''Lambeosaurus'' found was used by palaeontologist Lawrence M. Lambe to justify the creation of ...
''. Nopcsa discovered and named several species in his lifetime. In 1899 he named the species '' Mochlodon robustus'', which he later renamed to '' Rhabdodon robustum'' in 1915. He also named ''
Struthiosaurus transylvanicus ''Struthiosaurus'' (Latin ''struthio'' = ostrich + Greek language, Greek ''sauros'' = lizard) is a genus of Nodosauridae, nodosaurid dinosaurs, from the Late Cretaceous period (Santonian-Maastrichtian) of Austria, Romania, France and Hungary in ...
'', which he described in 1915. In 1928 he named the ''
Teinurosaurus ''Teinurosaurus'' is a genus of carnivorous theropod dinosaur. ''Teinurosaurus'' lived during the Late Jurassic in what is now France. The type species is ''Teinurosaurus sauvagei''. It has been estimated to be 11.4 m (37.4 ft) in leng ...
'' (meaning "extended tail lizard"). He named the turtle species ''Kallokibotion bajazidi'', which literally means beautiful box of Bajazid'''. The reason for this name was that the shell reminded him of Bajazid's arse. Nopcsa was also interested in evolutionary theory, especially on macroevolution, on which the fossil record can yield relevant data. Nopcsa was also an important geologist. Indeed, Nopcsa was one of the first scholars to study the geology of the western
Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
, particularly northern Albania.


Contribution to Albanian studies

Nopcsa became fascinated with Albania during his lifetime, probably through the tales of Albania's mountain tribesmen, to which he was first introduced by Louis Drašković, a man thought to be his first lover. During his lifetime Nopcsa published more than fifty scientific studies concerning Albania, covering a wide range of
linguistic Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
s,
folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
,
ethnology Ethnology (from the , meaning 'nation') is an academic field and discipline that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). Sci ...
, history and '' kanun'' (that is, Albanian customary law). He was one of the leading experts on Albania in his time. After Nopcsa's death, several of his important manuscripts were left unpublished. He participated in the work of the
Albanian Congress of Trieste The Albanian Congress of Trieste () was a congress of Albanians held in Trieste, Austria-Hungary in the period between 27 February – 6 March 1913, organized by Faik Konica and Sotir Kolea with strong support from the Austrian authorities. Dev ...
, published his notes on the congress that became of particular historical interest. He left the Albanological part of his estate along with a letter of manuscripts to be published to
Norbert Jokl Norbert Jokl (February 25, 1877 – probably May 1942) was an Austrian Albanologist of Jewish descent who has been called the father of Albanology. Early life Jokl was born in Bzenec (then Bisenz), Southern Moravia (now the Czech Republic) ...
, a renowned specialist in Albanian studies and Nopcsa's former colleague. At that time, Nopcsa's material consisted of thousands of pages of notes, sketches, and finished text. Subsequently, this library came into possession of Mid'hat Bey Frashëri. When Frashëri was forced to flee the country, Nopcsa's materials were confiscated by the
communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...
of
Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist revolutionary and politician who was the leader of People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was the Secretary (titl ...
. Eventually, Nopcsa's manuscripts, drawings, and completed writings formed the core of the Albanological section of Albania's National Library.


Cultural References

Magyarosaurus - Báró Nopcsa Ferenc nyomában, a 2017 documentary by Áron Mátyássy. DODA - The Life and Adventures of Franz Baron Nopcsa, a 2016 documentary by Visar Vishka. Season 7, Episode 9 of the ''
Bad Gays ''Bad Gays'' is a queer history podcast about "evil and complicated queers" in history hosted by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller. About Each episode of ''Bad Gays'' explores the story of a complicated queer person in history. Lemmy and Miller also ...
'' podcast covers Nopsca's life. The First Plane Hijacking in History (1919), podcast b
Unsung History


See also

*
Proavis Proavis is a hypothetical extinct species or hypothetical extinct taxon. The term was coined in the early 20th century in an attempt to support and explain the hypothetical evolutionary steps and anatomical adaptations leading from non-avian the ...


References


Other sources

* István Főzy: ''Nopcsa báró és a Kárpát-medence dinoszauruszai'' (Baron Franz Nopcsa and the Dinosaurs of the Carpathian-basin), Alfadat-Press, Tatabánya. . * Gëzim Alpion (2002): ''Baron Franz Nopcsa and his Ambition for the Albanian Throne''. ''BESA Journal'', vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 25–32. * Gareth Dyke (2011): ''The Dinosaur Baron of Transylvania'',
Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...
, October, vol. 305, no. 4, pp. 81–83. *
David B. Weishampel Professor David Bruce Weishampel (born November 16, 1952) is an American palaeontologist in the Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Weishampel received his Ph.D. in Geology from the Univer ...
and C. M. Jianu (1995). ''The centennial of Transylvanian dinosaur discoveries: A reexamination of the life of Franz Baron Nopcsa.''
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology The ''Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal that was established in 1980 by Jiri Zidek (University of Oklahoma). It covers all aspects of vertebrate paleontology, including vertebrate origins, evolu ...
15 (3, Suppl.): p. 60A. * Ing
Jaroslav Mareš Ing. Jaroslav Mareš (28 December 1937 in Brno, Czechoslovakia – 5 May 2021, Prague) was a Czech biologist, traveller and writer. He graduated from The University of Economics in Prague, getting a degree of Ing (he studied international busines ...
, (1993). ''Záhada dinosaurů'' (''The mystery of dinosaurs''),
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
, Svoboda-Libertas, * * *
Baron Franz Nopcsa and His Dream for the Albanian Throne
– essay by Gëzim Alpion (2002), a British scholar of East European studies.

''Encyclopedia of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender & queer culture''
"Histories: King of the duck-billed dinosaurs"
''New Scientist'' (2005) * János Magyar (2021): 125 éve találták az erdélyi dinoszauruszokat! ''Greenfo.hu'' (In Hungarian language) * Botfalvai, G., Csiki-Sava, Z., Kocsis, L., Albert, G., Magyar, J., Bodor, E. R., Ţabără, D., Ulyanov, A. & Makádi, L. (2021). ‘X’marks the spot! Sedimentological, geochemical and palaeontological investigations of Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) vertebrate fossil localities from the Vălioara valley (Densuş-Ciula Formation, Hațeg Basin, Romania). Cretaceous Research, 123, 104781. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nopcsa von Felso-Szilvas, Franz Hungarian paleontologists Paleobiologists 1877 births 1933 suicides 1933 deaths LGBTQ nobility Hungarian nobility Hungarian scientists Hungarian albanologists People from Deva, Romania Hungarian people of Romanian descent Suicides by firearm in Austria 19th-century Hungarian LGBTQ people 20th-century Hungarian LGBTQ people 20th-century Hungarian scientists Hungarian LGBTQ scientists Burials at Feuerhalle Simmering