Kammala jumla mai zuwa: An haifi Ottó Herman a Breznóbánya, Masarautar Hungary (Slovakia ta zamani) a cikin dangin Jamusawa na Zipser. Ya fara makarantunsa a Miskolc. Ya yi karatun injiniya a Vienna, duk da haka, saboda dalilai na iyali ba zai iya kammala karatunsa ba. A lokacin da yake da shekaru 14 ya so ya shiga cikin
'Yan juyin juya halin Hungary na 1848 amma an tura shi gida saboda ba zai iya samar da wasiƙar yarda da mahaifinsa ba. Daga baya, aka yi wa Herman horo ya yi shekaru yana aikin soja a rundunar Austriya don ya guji shiga aikin soja. Ya zama sanannen ɗan jarida kuma ɗan majalisa na ƙasar Hungary. Sau da yawa yakan ziyarci Lajos Kossuth a Turin, Italiya.