"The Martians" () is a term used to refer to a group of prominent Hungarian scientists (mostly, but not exclusively, physicists and mathematicians) of Jewish descent who emigrated from Europe to the United States in the early half of the 20th century.
Leo Szilard, who jokingly suggested that Hungary was a front for aliens from Mars, used this term. In an answer to the question of why there is no evidence of intelligent life beyond Earth despite the high probability of it existing, Szilárd responded: "They are already here among us they just call themselves Hungarians." This account is featured in György Marx's book The Voice of the Martians.
Men included in the description
Individuals named as members of The Martians group include:
Paul Erdős
Paul Halmos
Theodore von Kármán
John G. Kemeny
John von Neumann
George Pólya
Leó Szilárd
Edward Teller
Eugene Wigner
Franz Alexander
Peter Carl Goldmark
John Harsanyi
Peter Lax
George Olah
Egon Orowan
John Polanyi
Valentine Telegdi
Cornelius Lanczos
Origin of the name
The original story from György Marx's book The Voice of the Martians:
When the question was put to Edward Teller who was particularly proud of his monogram, E.T. (abbreviation of extraterrestrial) he looked worried, and said: "Von Kármán must have been talking."
According to György Marx, the extraterrestrial origin of the Hungarian scientists is proved by the fact that the names of Leó Szilárd, John von Neumann, and Theodore von Kármán cannot be found on the map of Budapest, but craters can be found on the Moon bearing their names: Szilard, Von Neumann, Von Kármán, and a crater on Mars, Von Kármán.