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This Month in History
Please note: This is an ongoing project of the Polish American Journal. If you have any dates that you
think should be listed, please e-mail us at: info@polamjournal.com.
We are trying to make this a Polish American chronology without overlooking the important dates in Poland's history. Any additional information for events listed would be greatly appreciated.
Contibutors:
Cornelian Dende, OFM, Conv.
Henry Dende
Stan Franczyk
Jack Jackowski
Mark Kohan
Donald Samull
Wanda Slawinska
Stefan Swietliczko
Msgr. Bernard Witkowski
January
1
Wesolego Nowego Roku! Happy New Year!
1467. Birth of Zygmunt I Stary, Renaissance king of Poland.
3
1795. Third Partition of Poland.
4
1925. Birth of Johnny Lujack, All-American and Heisman Trophy winner at Notre Dame.
6
Feast of Three Kings. On this day, the initials K+M+B and the year are inscribed by one's priest above the home's main entry.
1785.
Death of Polish-born Haym Salomon (Lissa, 1740), Revolutionary War patriot, financier, in Philadelphia.
7
1882. Death of Ignacy Lukasiewicz, inventor of the kerosine lamp. (b. 1822).
1996. Death of John A. Gronouski, former ambassador to Poland and Postmaster General.
8
1918. President Wilson announces his "Fourteen Points," the 13th calling for a free Poland.
9
1797. Jan Henryk Dabrowski organizes his legion in Italy, and thus honored by having his name included in the Polish National Anthem.
11
1912. The Association of Priests for Polish Affairs formed in Buffalo, N.Y., its purpose being to afford Diocesan and Religious Order priests an opportunity to share culture and traditions among
our Polish Parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo.
1953. Death of opera singer Marcella Sembrich-Kochanowska (b. 1853).
1386. Wladyslaw Jagiello crowned King of Poland.
15
1890. Birth of swing and jazz drummer Gene Krupa.
1949. Death of Polish American historian and founder of the Polish Museum of America in Chicago, Mieczyslaw Haiman.
1919.
Ignacy Jan Paderewski, 58, pianist, composer, becomes first premier of the newly created Republic of Poland.
17
1945. Warsaw is liberated from over five years of Nazi occupation by Soviet troops during World War II.
18
1945. Krakow liberated almost without a shot and, compared to Warsaw, without too much damage to the town and people.
19
1967. Death of Casimir Funk in Albany, N.Y., Polish-born biochemist who discovered vitamins.
20
1320. Wladyslaw Lokietek (Ladislaus the Short) crowned King of Poland.
23
1793. Second Partition of Poland.
25
1913. Birth of pianist and composer Witold Lutoslawski.
27
1861. Birth of engineer Ralph Modjeski.
1986. Death of Poznan-born Lilli Palmer (Lillie Marie Peiser), 71, actress, in Los Angeles.
1842.
Birth of Fr. Jozef Dabrowski, educator and founder of Orchard Lake Schools. (d. 1903).
1919. Birth of Bishop Alfred Abramowicz, auxiliary Bishop of Chicago and national director of Liga Katolicka (Catholic League).
29
1846. Birth of Karol Olszewski, scientist who liquified gases. (d. 1915)
31
1887. Death of Wlodimierz Bonawentura Krzyzanowski, Civil War general.
February
2
1674. Coronation of Jan Sobieski, king and military leader who defeated the Turks in Vienna.
Candlemas. At Candlemas, honoring the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, Poles observe "Matka Boska Gromnicza." Candles blessed in church are taken home a symbol of the Blessed Mother. They are
called Thunder Candles. The candle is lit during thunderstorms to protect the home from lightening. It is also lit in times of trouble or when someone is approaching death. The legend surrounding the candles is that in the
evening the Blessed Mother wards off wolves by using the candles as a torch. In the art gallery of the Orchard Lake Schools in Michigan, there is a painting of the Blessed Mother with the candle warding off wolves.
3
1899. Death of painter Juliusz Kossak (b. 1824).
4
1505. Birth of the father of Polish literature, Mikolaj Rej.
1745. Birth of Polish and American patriot, freedom fighter and military engineer Thaddeus Kosciuszko.
9
1961. Birth of John Kruk, colorful and often-quoted major league baseball player.
10
1903. Founding of the Polish National Alliance of Brooklyn, USA.
1866. Birth in Detroit of John Temke, first American priest of Polish descent.
11
1945. Yalta Conference. Soviets receive Poland's Eastern lands.
12
1867. Death of George Sokoloski, first Polish American graduate of West Point Academy and Civil War veteran.
15
1880. Polish National Alliance is formed in Philadelphia.
1903. Death of Fr. Jozef Dabrowski, founder of the Orchard Lake Schools. (b. 1842).
16
1952. Death of Felix Witkowski, last Polish American veteran of the Confederacy.
17
1772. First Partition of Poland between Prussia, Russia and Austria.
18
1386. Marriage of Polish Queen Jadwiga d'Anjou to Wladyslaw Jagiello of Lithuania.
19
1473. Birth of astronomer Nicholas Copernicus (Mikolaj Kopernik) in Torun, Poland.
20
1530. Zygmunt II August crowned King of Poland.
21
1820. Birth of Apollo Nalecz-Korzeniowski, dramatist, poet and father of Joseph Conrad.
22
1814. Birth of folklorist and enthographer Oskar Kolberg.
1810. Birth of Frederick Chopin, Polish composer, pianist, in Zelazowa Wola, Poland (d. 1849).
23
1884. Birth of biochemist Casimir Funk, father of the vitamin. (d. 1967)
1891. Death in Detroit of Fr. Leopold Moczygemba, patriach of American Polonia, who led Silesian immigrants to
the first Polish settlement in the United States, Panna Maria, Texas.
27
1971. First edition of the Polish language Nowy Dziennik in Jersey City.
1996. Death of Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner (1950) Vic Janowicz.
March
3
1996. Death of Cardinal John Krol, Archbishop of Philadelphia, first Polish American Cardinal.
4
1484. Death of St. Casimir, Prince, Patron of Poland.
1904. First issue of the Dziennik Polski, Detroit.
5
1813. Birth of Kazimierz Gzowski, Polish engineer and bridge builder who emigrated to Canada.
1940. Birth of Connecticut DJ, polka musician and promoter Dick Pillar.
6
1745. Birth, in Mazowia, Poland, of Casimir Pulaski, American Revolutionary War hero, general, and father of the American Cavalry.
7
966. Mieszko I, Duke of Poland, accepts Christianity.
13
1995. Death of Franciszek Gajowniczek, Auschwitz prisoner saved from death by Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, who later became a saint.
17
St. Patrick. "Love is never defeated, and I could add, the history of Ireland proves it."—Pope John Paul II
1956. Death of Irene Joliet-Curie, Polish-French scientist, daughter
of Pierre and Madame Curie, and Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipient. (b. 1897)
18
1895. Riots erupt when Rev. Flaczek is appointed to St. Adalbert's Church, Buffalo, N.Y. His controversial tenure led to the establishment of the Holy Mother of the Rosary Polish Catholic Church
by parishioners upset with perceived authoritarian rule by the bishop.
19
St. Joseph.
20
1673. Death of Fr. Augustyn Kordecki (b. 1603), led the defense of Czestochowa against Swedish invaders.
1842. First Polish immigrant society formed in New York City, Towarzystwo
Polakow w Ameryce, Association of Poles in America.
21
1822. Death of Jozef Wybicki, wrote the Polish National Anthem.
1980. Seventy year old Antoni Baylak sets himself on fire at the old town Square in Krakow to protest silence about the
Katyn massacre.
22
1839. Town of Chictowauga (now Cheektowaga) in Erie County, New York, is formed from the southern portion of the town of Amherst. It would eventually become a haven for Polish Americans in
Western New York.
23
1891. Death of Fr. Leopold Moczygemba in Detroit, Franciscan who founded the first Polish Church in the United States in Panna Maria, Texas. Also founder of Ss. Cyril & Methodius Seminary at
the Orchard Lake Schools in Orchard Lake, Michigan.
24
1794. Tadeusz Kosciuszko, recently returned from the United States, assumes the title of Supreme Commander of the Polish Insurrection of 1794 in defense of the Constitution of May 3. His oath is
sworn in the Krakow marketplace.
28
1928. Birth of Zbigniew Brzezinski, National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter.
29
1928. Birth of ice hockey legend Gordie Howe, whose mother was Polish.
April
1
1967. Death of three-time world wrestling champ Zbyszko Cyganiewicz.
2
2005. Death of Pope John Paul II, born Karol Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland, 84. He is considered the most influential person of the 20th century, credited with bringing an end to Communism.
1880. Broadway Market, famed Buffalo Polonia fresh produce and meat market, esablished.
3
1849. Death of Polish poet and dramatist Julius Slowacki, in Paris.
4
1794. Polish forces under Tadeusz Kosciuszko are victorious in the battle of Raclawice.
5
1804. Birth of Vincent S. Dziewanowski, Wisconsin pioneer credited with establishing the city of Pulaski.
6
1953. Birth of champion figure skater Janet (Nowicki) Lynn.
7
1884. Birth of Polish ethnographer and anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski (d. 1942), considered the founder of the Science of Social Anthropology.
8
1909. Death of international actress Helena (Modrzejewska) Modjeska, in Newport, California. (b. 1840)
1943. Mass graves of Polish officers murdered by Soviet security forces are
discovered at Katyn. The discovery was announced five days later.
12
1943. The Nazi regime announces that the bodies of 4,150 Polish officers, bound and shot in the back of their heads, has been discovered in a mass grave in the Katyn Forest, near Smolensk, USSR.
It blames the killings on the Soviet Union. The 4,150 dead were amoung 15,000 Polish officers and leaders shot by Soviet police in 1940.
13
1909. Birth of Stanislaw Ulan, Polish American mathematician who assisted in the development of the hydrogen bomb.
1986.
Pope John Paul II meets with Rabbi Elio Toaff, chief rabbi of Rome, at the Synagogue of Rome, the first pope to do so.
16
1935. Birth of Polish American singer Bobby Vinton ("Blue Roses," "Red Velvet," "Melody of Love.")
17
1897. First issue of Straz (The Guard), official publication of the Polish National Union of America, Scranton, Pa.
18
1993. Beatification of Mother Mary Truszkowska, founder of the Felician Sisters.
1882. Birth of conductor and composer Leopold Stokowski (d. 1977).
19
1943. Warsaw Ghetto Uprising begins.
21
1978. Krystyna Chojnowska-Liskiewicz, born in Warsaw, becomes the first woman to sail around the world alone. The trip took two years and 24 days to complete
22
1947. Birth of Massachusetts musician, DJ and vocalist Billy Belina.
23
1989. Beatification of Blessed Mary of Jesus the Good Shepherd (Frances Siedliska), founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
977.
Feast of St. Adalbert (Sw. Wojciech), martyr.
25
1333. Casimir the Great crowned King of Poland.
26
1919. Death of Norwid (Napoleon) Cybulski (v. Cybelski) (b. 1854), discoverer of adrenaline.
1941.
No. 307 Polish Squadron of the Royal Air Force arrives in Exeter, England and defends that region for almost two years.
1902.
Birth of pianist, composer and Dana record company founder Walter Dana (d. March 4, 2000).
28
1925. Birth of panorama painter Adam Styka, whose works include "The Battle of Raclawice," and the largest religious painting in the United States depicting the crucifixion of Jesus. It hangs at
Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif.
29
1863. Birth of Maria Teresa Ledochowski, foundress of the Sisters of St. Peter Claver, an order dedicated to missionary work in Africa..
30
1980. President Jimmy Carter appoints Sen. Edmund Muskie as U.S. Secretary of State.
May
1
St. Joseph the Worker.
Labor Day (Poland)
1576. Stefan Batory crowned King of Poland.
2
1952. Birth of Tony Award-winning actress Christine Baranski.
1978. Polish mountain climbers reach the South Kanchen peak in the Himalayas.
3
Feast of Mary, Queen of Poland
1791. Poland's first Constitution is passed, becoming the second Constitution in the world, and the first in Europe. Poland rejoices amidst feelings of
renewed patriotism.
1887. First edition of Wiara i Ojczyzna, which in 1897 became of the official newspaper of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America and renamed Narod Polski, the Polish Nation.
4
1993. Death of Marion Lush (Marion Luszcz), polka musician known as the "Golden Voice of Polkas," in Hollywood, Florida, age 60.
5
1629. Death of Polish Renaissance poet Szymon Szymonowic.
1819. Birth of composer Stanislaw Moniuszko. (d. 1872)
1846.
Birth of novelist and Nobel laureate Henryk Sienkiewicz (d. 1916).
7
1867. Birth of writer and Nobel laureate Wladyslaw Reymont (d. 1925)
8
1079. Sw. Stanislaw (Saint Stanislaus), Bishop, martyr, slain by King Boleslaw Smialy while celebrating mass.
9
1931. Death of Albert Michelson, Nobel Prize-winning physicist. (b. 1852)
11
1573. Henry Walezy, first elected king of Poland.
12
1935. Death of Polish Head of State Jozef Pilsudski, 67, general, leader in the 1916 Polish independence, prime minister (1926-28, 1930), in Warsaw. He is buried in Wawel Cathedral in Krakow.
1970. Death of World War II Polish Gen. Wladyslaw Anders.
1902. Death of Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska, first woman doctor in New England.
13
1889. Founding of the Polish Singers Alliance of America. 1981. Pope John Paul II shot by a would-be assasin at public audience in St. Peter's Square. Also wounded is a Polish America
pilgrim from Buffalo, New York, Ann Odre.
15
1942. Founding of the Polish Institute of Sciences in America, in New York.
16
1657. Martyrdom of St. Andrzej Bobola.
1902. Birth of Polish operatic tenor Jan Kiepura. He made is debut in 1931 with the Chicago Opera Company. His performance won him title roles in
every major opera.
1942. Death of Bronislaw Malinowski, 56, anthropologist, enthnographer, in New Haven, Conn.
17
1025. Death of King Boleslaw Chrobry (Boleslaus the Brave).
18
1920. Birth of Karol Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland, named Pope John Paul II, October 16, 1978.
2003. Pope John Paul II canonizes Bishop Joseph Sebastian Pelczar, founder of the Sister
Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
1944. Second Polish Corps win the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy.
20
1881. Birth of Polish General Wladyslaw Sikorski. (d. 1943) He lead the Polish government-in-exile during World War II.
21
1841. Death of Polish poet and writer Julian Niemcewicz, who spent the years from 1794-1807 visiting the young American nation.
22
1898. Founding of the fraternal benefit society, the Polish Women's Alliance.
23
1930. Birth of artist Richard J. Anuszkiewicz.
24
1543. Death of Nicholas Copernicus (Mikolaj Kopernik), Polish astronomer.
25
992. Death of Mieszko I, first Duke of Poland.
1997. 46th International Eucharistic Congress held in Wroclaw, Poland.
1861.
Death of Capt. Constantine Blandowski, first foreign-born officer to die in the Civil War.
26
1903. Birth of Al (Szymanowski) Simmons, Hall of Fame baseball player for the Philadelphia Athletics.
27
1953. Defection to the West of Polish pilot Lt. Francis Jarecki, thus allowing the first close look at the new Russian MiG fighter.
1993.
Death of Andrzej Wasowski, 69, painist, in Washington, D.C.
28
1883. Death of poet Cyprian Norwid.
1944. Polish American Congress founded in Buffalo, New York.
1981.
Death of Polish Primate and staunch anti-communist Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski.
29
1913. Birth of Tony Zale (Zaleski), middleweight champion from 1940-48.
31
1972. Visit of President Richard Nixon to Poland, the first visit by a U.S. president.
June
1
1434. Death of Polish King Wladyslaw Jagiello (b. 1348), founder of the Jagiellonian dynasty of Polish kings.
2
1979. First pilgrimage of Pope John Paul II to Poland, through June 10.
1991. Beatification of Joseph Sebastian Pelczar, Bishop of Rzeszow.
1798.
Polish playwright and author Julian Niemcewicz visits George Washington at Mt. Vernon.
3
1890. Death of folklorist and ethnographer Oskar Kolberg (b. 1814), 76.
4
1872. Death of famed Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko, (b. 1819), Polish composer best known for his opera "Halka."
1989. First free elections in Poland since World War II.
5
1674. Jan III Sobieski elected King of Poland.
1999. John Paul II begins his fourth trip to Poland.
6
1530. Birth of Jan Kochanowski, Poland's greatest humanist and writer of the Renaissance.
1818.
Death of Jan Henryk Dabrowski (b. 1755), Polish general and military hero who organized the Polish Legion in Italy in 1797.
1997. Beatification of Mother Maria Jablonska and Mother Maria Karlowska.
7
1982. President Reagan and Pope John Paul II meet in the Vatican.
8
1987. Third visit of John Paul II to Poland (June 8-14), which includes prayer at the Gdansk monument to the fallen shipyard workers killed during Solidarity rally. Mass at Zaspa is attended by
1.5 million faithful.
1980. St. John Kanty Prep in Erie, Pa. closes.
1997. Canonization of Queen Jadwiga (Hedwig) in Krakow by Pope John Paul II.
9
1922. Joseph (Tykocinski) Tykociner publicly demonstrates for the first time that sound movies are possible.
10
Blessed Bogumil, Archbishop of Gniezno.
1982. Birth of Tara Lipinski, youngest world ice skating champion and gold medal winner at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
12
1982. Death of Polish-born Marie Lambert, who help promote ballet in Great Britain.
1659. Dr. Alexander (Kurcyusz) Curtius, Polish educator and physician in the colony of New
Amsterdam, arrives in the New World.
1915. Death of Jozef Brandt, painter of portraits and Bible scenes.
13
1907. Stanley (Kiecal) Ketchel wins the middleweight boxing crown. He holds the title for three years.
1982.
Polish labor union Solidarity strikes in Wroclaw, Nowa Huta, and Gdansk, Poland, in protest of martial law.
14
1940. First transport of Polish prisoners arrives at Auschitz Nazi death camp.
15
1298. Death of Blessed Jolanta, known for her charitable works, and sister of Blessed Kinga.
1940. Nazi Germany establishes the Auschwitz death camp at Oswiecim, Poland.
16
1983. (June 16-23) Second pilgrimage of John Paul II to Poland.
1999. Pope John Paul II canonizes Blessed Kinga at Nowy Sacz before a crowd of 650,000 people.
1943.
Medal of Honor winner Joseph Sarnoski killed in Solomon Islands.
17
1696. Death of Jan III Sobieski, who defeated the Turks at the Battle of Chocom near Vienna, and is credited with saving Europe from being overrun.
18
1861. The first telegraph message is sent from an airborne balloon by Thaddeus Sobieski-Lowe.
19
1873. Death of Valerian Sulakowski, Polish American military engineer for the Confederacy.
20
1793. Birth of Aleksander Fredro (d. 1876), Polish dramatist noted for his comedies.
21
1918. Birth of Eddie Lopat (Lopatynski), New York Yankees star.
22
1940. Gen. Wladyslaw Sikorski establishes Polish government-in-exile in London.
23
Sobotka. St. John's Eve. This Polish midsummer festival of pagan origin is celebrated with bonfires and with candlelit wreaths set afloat on rivers. It is believed that the forest comes to life
this night.
24
1886. Birth of Fr. Justin Figas, OFM, founder of the Fr. Justin Rosary Hour.
1838. Birth of Polish painter Jan Matejko (d. 1893), who is regarded to have been Poland's greatest.
His works are historical in theme.
25
1447. Coronation of Kazimierz Jagiello, son of Wladyslaw Jagiello.
26
1295. White Eagle made symbol of Poland.
1940. Death of Ralph Modjeski (b. 1861 Rudolf Modrzejewski), famed American Polish-born architect and bridge builder.
27
1927. Birth in Warsaw, Poland of Gen. John Shalikashvili, U.S. Chief of Staff in the Clinton Administration.
28
1919. Treaty of Versailles, making Poland a free nation, signed by I.J. Paderewski today.
29
1941. Death of pianist, composer, and statesman Ignacy Jan Paderewski, 80, in New York City.
1964.
Most Rev. Stanislaus Brzana became bishop of Diocese of Buffalo. First Polish American to do so.
30
1911. Birth of 1980 Nobel prize winner Czeslaw Milosz.
July
1
1847. Founding of Parisville, Polish settlement in Michigan.
1569. Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth founded.
1926. Opening of the Ben Franklin Bridge (then known as Delaware River Bridge) built by Ralph Modjeski.
2
1796. Death of Polish botanist Krzysztof Kluk, who classified Poland's flora.
1800. Birth of painter Piotr Michalowski.
3
1619. Account of strike by Polish settlers in Jamestown, Virg. entered into records of the Virginia Company. The Poles, pitch, tar and glassmakers, held the win strike for equal rights. It is
considered to be the first labor strike in the New World.
1844. Birth of Rev. John Pitass in Upper Slask, Poland. First pastor of St. Stanislaus parish, the Mother Church of Buffalo Polonia.
4
1931. Statue of Woodrow Wilson unvieled in Poland in appreciation for his efforts on Poland's behalf.
1934.
Death of Madame Sklodowska Curie, 66, in France, Nobel Prize winner chemist who discovered radium and polonium.
1943.
Death in an plane crash of Wladyslaw Sikorski, general and premier of the reconstituted Polish government.
5
1945. Polish American World War II ace Col. Francis Gabreski scores his 28th downed enemy plane.
1881. Birth of Cardinal August Hlond, former Primate of Poland.
6
1922. Death of Blessed Maria Teresa Ledochowska.
1923. Birth of Wojciech Jaruszelski, Polish army officer, political leader who declared martial law in Poland in an attempt to crush the
Solidarity union.
7
1572. Death of King Zygmunt August, last of Poland's Jagiellonian dynasty.
8
1924. Birth of Congressman John Dingell (D-Mich.)
1824. Birth of Wlodzimierz Krzyzanowski (d. 1887), Union officer.
9
1823. Birth of Polish portrait painter Henryk Rodakowski.
1807. Treaties of Tilsit establishes Duchy of Warsaw after Poles help Napoleon defeat Prussia.
10
1990. Pope John Paul II declares Fr. Jozef Kalinowski blessed.
1835. Birth of composer and violinist Henry Wieniawski.
13
2000. Death of Jan Karski, former Polish diplomat who in 1942 tried to warn Great Britain and the United States of Nazi atrocities in occupied Poland. His words fell on deaf ears.
1985.
Death of Johnny Banaszak, Buffalo TV personality who for nearly three decades played "Promo the Robot" on the children's show Rocketship 7. With Jimmy Grzankowski, their "Johnny and Jimmy" duo were a musical
mainstay at WKBW television. He was also a member of the award-winning New Yorkers polka band.
14
1904. Birth of writer Isaac Bashevis Singer in Radzymin, Poland.
15
1919. Birth of Polish American actress Carol Landis.
1410. Polish victory over the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald.
1871.
Birth of famed Polish explorer and geographer Henry Arctowski.
16
1873. Jan Matejko establishes a school of fine arts in Krakow.
1999. Blessed Kinga (Kunegunda) proclaimed a Saint by Pope John II in Warsaw.
17
1629. Birth of Poland's warrior king, Jan Sobieski.
Feast of Blessed Jadwiga d'Anjou, Queen of Poland (1373-1399).
18
Feast of Blessed Simon of Lipnica (1482)
1915. Birth of polka radio pioneer Eddie Gronet.
19
1980. Lt. Col. Matt Urban, America's most decorated soldier, recieves Medal of Honor.
20
1936. Birth of Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski.
Feast of Blessed Czeslaw (1242).
1996. Renata Mauer of Poland won first gold medal of the Olympic Games, for shooting.
21
1901. Dedication of St. Josaphat Basilica, Milwaukee, Wisc.
22
1982. Official end of martial law in Poland that lasted for 586 days.
1878.
Birth of Janusz Korczak, doctor, teacher, children's writer.
23
1885. Ojczyna (Fatherland) founded in Buffalo. Semi-weekly newspaper. Ceased publication in 1887.
24
Feast of Blessed Kinga, Queen of Poland (1292).
25
By Polish custom, half of all eggs laid today are given to the poor.
St. Jacob (St. James the Greater).
26
1400. Restoration of Jagiellonian University.
St. Ann (mother of the Virgin Mary), the traditional harbinger of fall.
28
1812. Birth of prolific Polish novelist Jozef Ignacy Krasinski.
1915. Roman Catholic Diocese surrenders possession of Holy Mother of the Rosary Polish National Catholic Church,
Buffalo, N.Y.
29
1908. Bishop Paul P. Rhode consecrated, first Polish American bishop in Chicago.
30
1966. United States Postal Service issue stamp in honor of Poland's millenium.
1619. At meeting of legislative assembly at the Jamestown, Virginia settlement, Poles are granted a
political voice after withholding services as pitch, tar and glassmakers. Their action is considered the first strike in the United States.
August
1
1944. Warsaw Uprising begins—notto be confused with Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of April 1943, which was restricted
to the Jewish district of the city.
1943. Eleven Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth murdered by Nazis in Nowogrodek.
1930. Birth, in Chicago, of Walter "Li'l Wally" Jagiello. He revolutionized the
polka music industry with the introduction of the slower "Chicago style" tempo mixed with his Polish folk melodies.
2
1899. Birth, in Warsaw, of Apolonia Chalupiec, silent screen star later known as Pola Negri. (d. 1987).
1899. Birth, in Warsaw, of poet and novelist Stanislaw Balinski.
1958.
Birth of rock drummer Jerry Augustyniak (10,000 Maniacs) in Buffalo, N.Y.
3
1941. Birthday of Martha (Kostyra) Stewart.
1901. Birth of Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski, Primate of Poland from 1948-1981, a staunch defender of faith during Poland's year's under
Communist control.
1997. Phil Niekro inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame.
1747. Founding of the first public library in Europe in Warsaw.
1924.
Death of Jozef Conrad Korzeniowski (Joseph Conrad), 66, British and Polish author.
5
1772. The First Partition of Poland by Prussia, Russia and Austria.
1977. Record set in Michigan for world's largest kielbasa, 1.5 miles long and 3000 lbs.
6
Feast of the Transfiguration.
1955. As a senator, John F. Kennedy visits Poland and makes a pilgrimage to Czestochowa.
7
1899. Death of Rudolph Piotrowski in San Francisco, one of the co-founders of the Polish Society of California in 1863 (now the Polish Club of San Francisco). Captain of Ulani (Uhlans),
holder of the "Virtuti Militari" Cross for bravery, and participant in the Polish November Insurrection of 1830-31 against Russia.
1944. Poles play important role in Battle of Falaise.
8
1915. Birth of Fr. Cornelian Dende, famed director of the Fr. Justin Roasary Hour.
9
1942. Death in Nazi gas chambers at Auschwitz of St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein), a Roman Catholic nun born of Jewish parents. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II May 1, 1987, and canonized
October 11, 1998.
10
1880. Founding of the Polish National Alliance.
1881. Birth of Leon Krzycki, leader of early labor movements in the United States.
1932. Birth of the "Golden Voice of
Polkas," Marion Lush (Luszcz), in Chicago. His parents returned to Poland after his birth, but came back to Chicago prior to the outbreak of World War II.
11
1882. Birth of Wladyslaw Anders, General of the Polish Army during World War II. He was commander of the Polish Forces in the Soviet Union and commanded the Second Corps in Italy. His greatest
achievement was the successful leadership of the Polish forces that took Monte Cassino, Italy.
1912. Birth of Polish American actress Jean Parker (Little Women).
1950.
Birth of self-taught computer genius and Apple Computer founder Steve Wozniak.
12
1866. Birth of Gabriel Sovulewski, who helped develop Yosemite National Park, where he is buried.
13
1838. Birth of Fr. Dominic Kolasinski, who builder of Polish churches in Detroit.
1873. Birth of Jozef Haller, General of Polish units of France during World War I. (d. 1960).
1916. Birth of Polish American historian Edward Pinkowski, who discovered Pulaski's remains in the Pulaski Monument in Savannah, Georgia. He is the author of hundreds of papers and articles on Polish American
achivements.
14
1980. A strike begins at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland, provoked by the firing of Anna Walentynowicz. Early demands are economic but also include the return of Anna Walentynowicz and Lech
Walesa to work, and a memorial to the fallen striker in December 1980. Gdynia shipyard strikes on the 15th along with communication workers.
1941. Feastday and death in Auschwitz in 1941 of St. Maximilian Kolbe,
Franciscan father beatified in 1971, canonized in 1982.
15
Assumption, also known as Matki Boskiej Zielnej, Feast of the Lady of the Herbs. This day is marked in Poland by a massive pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa.
1920.
"Cud na Wisla" ("Miracle on the Vistula"). Polish victory over the Red Army on the Wisla River.
1966. Death of Jan Kiepura, 64, Polish tenor, in Rye, N.Y.
16
1959. Death of musician Wanda Landowski, who brought modern fame to the harpsichord.
1941.
Largest crowd (135,132) to attend a U.S boxing march, watched Tony (Zalewski) Zale knock out Billy Prior.
17
Feastday of St. Hyacinth (Sw. Jacek), priest.(1257). He is often depicted carrying the Blessed Sacrament from a church about the be pillaged by thge Tartars. He is the patron saint of pierogi,
and the phrase, "Swiety Jacek z pierogami!," ("St. Hyacinth and his pierogi!") is an old expression of surprise, roughly equivalent to the American "good grief!" or "holy smokes!"
1882.
Birth of motion picture producer and pioneer Samuel Goldwyn, in Warsaw, Poland.
19
1587. Zygmunt Waza elected King of Poland.
1989. Polish president Wojciech Jaruzelski nominates Solidarity activist Tadeusz Mazowiecki to post of Prime Minister, the first
non-communist in Polish power in 42 years.
20
1940. Polish pilots fight in the Battle of Britain.
1847. Birth of Boleslaw Prus (Glowacki), journalist and novelist, who fought in Poland's 1863 Uprising.
1980.
Czeslaw Milosz receives Nobel Prize for Literature.
1907. Birth of Henry Archacki, founder of the Polish American Historical Association.
22
1584. Death of Humanist poet Jan Kochanowski.
1939. Birth of Carl "Yaz" Yastrzemski, Boston Red Sox hitting star. He won the Triple Crown in 1967, hitting .326 with 44 home runs and
121 RBIs. He won the batting title three times and played in 18 All-Star games. Besides his offensive success, he was considered the best defensive left-fielder of his time.
24
1989. Coalition government in Poland under the first non-communist prime minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki takes power.
1994.
Death of polka music legend Frank Wojnarowski, age 82, in Bridgeport, Conn. nursing home.
25
1905. Birth of Sister Faustyna Kowalski, Saint of Divine Mercy Canonized April 30, 2000.
1915. Birth of International Polka Music Hall of Fame member and Buffalo, N.Y. Polish radio
pioneer Stan "Stas" Jasinski in Hamtramck, Mich. (d. Aug. 12, 2005)
1919. Birth of Matt Louis Urban (d. 1995), in Buffalo, N.Y., the most decorated combat soldier of World War II. He was awarded a total of 29
decorations, virtually every combat medal possible, including seven Purple Hearts and the Congressional Medal of Honor. 1958. Birth of polka musician Robin Pegg (The Sounds, Dynatones, Trel-Tones, Bellares), Uniontown,
Pa.
26
Feastday of Our Lady of Czestochowa.
27
1764. Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski named King of Poland.
28
1596. Christopher Pawlowski leads expedition to India.
1852.
Fr. Leopold Moczygemba arrives at the port of New Orleans on the Sea Eagle with four other missionaries recruited by Bishop John Odin of the Galveston, Texas Diocese. Four years later in Panna Maria, Texas, Moczygemba and a community of Silesian Poles establish St. Mary's, the first Polish church in America.
30
1259. Blessed Bronislawa.
31
1476. Poland is covered by grasshoppers, which ravage crops and cause widespread famine.
1980.
Polish trade union Solidarity, led by electrician Lech Walesa and others, is founded in Baltic sea port of Gdansk, Poland.
September
1
1939. Without declaring war, Nazi Germany attacks Poland, which becomes the first country in Europe to resist armed aggression. World War II begins. In time, some 900,000 Americans of Polish
descent would serve in the global counter attack.
1683. John II Sobieski led allied forces to victory over invading Turks at Vienna.
3
1939. Britain declares war on Germany at 11:15 a.m. GMT in radio address by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, two days after German invasion of Poland; France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand
and South Africa quickly issue separate declarations of war.
4
Birth of Jazz and Pop singer Basia, 1956.
5
1968. Birth of rocker Brad Wilk (Rage Against the Machine)
1897. Polish Singing Circle is established in Buffalo with 24 members, for the cultivation of Polish song in America.
6
1921. Birth of Korczak Ziolkowski, American sculptor best known for beginning a monumental tribute to Crazy Horse in South Dakota.
7
1897. Polish coal miners in Hazelton, Pa., were among those shot during a strike in an incident known as the Lattimer Massacre.
8
1939. German panzer units launch their first attack in Warsaw but are repulsed. Poland's 10 divisions near Kutno surprise the German Eight Army with a counterattack along the Bzura River.
1969. Lech Walesa, 25, marries Miroslawa Danuta Golos.
10
1939. Poland, under Nazi attack, urgently pleads for help from France, but the French high command replies that more than half of its divisions are "in contact" with the enemy and can do no
more.
11
1895. Founding of the Alliance of Poles in America, in Cleveland.
1897. Birth of Irene Curie, daughter of Marie Sklodowska Curie, in Paris.
12
1921. Birth of science fiction write Stanislaw Lem.
15
1777. General Casimir Pulaski appointed general in the American Army as result of his role in the Battle of Brandywine.
16
1870. Birth of Pawel Piotr Rhode, who became the first Polish bishop in the United States.
17
1939. Soviet Russian troops attack Poland on the east border, in violation of Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact. Soviets begin occupation of western territories.
18
1987. Pope John Paul II celebrates Mass at Candlestick Park Stadium of San Francisco.
1900. After a meeting in Scranton, Pa., several Roman Catholic church leaders decided to split
from Rome and form the Polish National Catholic Church.
19
1987. Pope John Paul II presides at Eucharistic celebration at Detroit's Silverdome Stadium, and visits the Polish American enclave of Hamtramck.
1905.
Birth of Leon Jaworski, Polish American lawyer known for his role as a Watergate prosecutor.
20
1874. Birth of social and civic leader Dr. Francis E. Fronczak.
22
1896. Start of the first Polish Catholic Congress in Buffalo, founded by Rev. John Pitass.
24
1963. John Gronouski (d. 1996) appointed Postmaster General by President Kennedy—the first Polish-American to serve in the Cabinet position.
1821.
Birth of author, poet and painter Cyprian Kamil Norwid.
26
1912. Polish National Alliance opens Alliance College in Cambridge Springs, Pa.
28
1939. Warsaw falls to Nazis. This marked the beginning of the Polish underground resistance, active throughout the war.
1920. Birth of RCA Victor, Columbia, Harmonia and Dana
recording artist and showman Walter Solek. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974, he is the author of "Julida," "Papaga" ("Green Parrot"), and countless other polka hits.
29
1856. Founding of St. Mary's, the first Polish church in America in Panna Maria, Texas.
1943. Birth of Polish labor leader and president Lech Walesa.
1849.
Birth of Lt. Frederick Schwatka (d. 1892), Polish American author, soldier and explorer of Alaska.
30
1831. A committee led by James Fennimore Cooper and General Lafayette was set up to provide aid for the Poles during the Polish Insurrection of 1830-31.
October
Polish American Heritage Month. Sponsored by the Polish American Congress, groups across America's Polonia celebrate Polonia's rich background in the United States.
1
1608. First Poles arrive in America aboard the Mary & Margaret to work as skilled craftsmen at settlement in Jamestown (Virginia). They would later stage the first labor strike in America
because they were excluded from the colony's political decisions.
3
1923. Birth of symphonic orchestra leader Stanislaw Skrowaczewski.
4
1911. Birth of bandleader Frank Wojnarowski, composer of "Matka" and other treasured Polish American songs.
6
1873. Death of Sir Pawel Strzelecki (b. 1797), explorer of Australian continent who named its largest mountain after Tadeusz Kosciuszko.
1882.
Birth of Karol Szymanowski, Polish composer, in Timoshovka, Ukraine.
7
1944. Founding of the Marie Curie-Sklodowska Institute in Lublin.
9
2003. Death of Msgr. John Gabalski, fifth pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish, mother church of Buffalo Polonia.
1979. Czeslaw Milosz awarded Nobel Prize for literature
10
1945. The Polish Arts Club of Buffalo is founded.
11
1779. Date traditionally observed in American Polonia as Pulaski Day in honor of death of Casimer Pulaski, 34, Polish-born American patriot, who died from battle wounds suffered at Savannah,
Georgia. In 2005, his remains were reinterned in a monument named in his honor in Savannah.
1968. Birth of actress Jane Krakowski (Ally McBeal, Malcolm in the Middle).
12
1840. Birth of Helena Modrzejewska, Polish American stage actress, in Krakow, Poland.
1935. Birth of former New York Yankees shortstop and sportscaster Tony Klubek.
15
1817. Death of Thaddeus Kosciuszko , 71, (b. 1746) Polish and American patriot, in Solothurn, Switzerland.
1945. Poland, not present at United Nations organizing conference earlier in
the year, signs UN Charter, and is considered one of the five founding member states.
16
1978. Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, 58, named Pope John Paul II, the 264 pope and the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in 1522. He is the first-ever Polish pontiff (d. 2005).
1886.
Birth of David Ben-Gurion, first prime minister of the state is Israel, in Plonsk, Poland.
17
1777. Americans win crucial Revolutionary War Battle of Saratoga. Victory is credited in large to engineering feats of Tadeusz Kosciuszko.
1849.
Death of Polish composer and pianist Fryderyk Chopin, 39, in Paris.
18
1776. Thaddeus Kosciuszko, 30, Polish and American patriot, is given a commission in the American Revolutionary Army.
21
1890. Death of John Strentzel, physician and horticulurist who came to California as a '49er.
22
1978. Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Krakow, Poland is installed as Pope John Paul II.
1990. Birth of Actor Jonathan Lipnicki ("Stuart Little," "Jerry Maguire," "The Little Vampire")
1940. Stan "Stas" Jasinski, age 25, broadcasts his first Polish radio program in Buffalo. Undoubtedly the greatest Polish broadcaster in the history of Buffalo Polonia, he later establishes a radio station, television
station and is inducted in the International Polka Association Hall of Fame. He also is the recipient of numerous civic awards. He retired from broadcasting June 4, 2000 after a remarkable 60 years on the radio. (d. 2005)
26
1939. The arrest of Polish President Stefan Starzynski by the Gestapo in Warsaw.
1946. Birth of televison gameshow "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak.
29
1944. Polish 1st Corps takes Breda, Holland as part of the Allied invasion of Western Europe.
November
1
1777. Casimir Pulaski joins U.S. forces.
1822. Birth in Wojutyn in Volinia in present-day Ukraine of founder of Russian Catholicism Zygmunt Szczesny Felinski (d. 1895), Archbishop of
Warsaw and founder of the Franciscan Sisters of the Family of Mary. Pope John Paul II beatified him August 18, 2002.
2
Dzien Zaduszny or Zaduszki. A national holiday in Poland to memorialize the deceased.
1942. Birth of actress Stephanie Powers (Stefania Federkiewicz).
1921.
Birth of actor Charles Bronson.
1788. Piotr Stadnicki loans United States $15 million and forms the Holland Land Company.
3
1910. First edition of Glos Polek.
1923. Birth of Connecticut polka music legend Ray Henry (Henry Mocarski).
1930. First regular broadcast of the weekly Fr. Justin Rosary Hour, now the oldest Polish language radio program in America.
1949. Joseph Mruk elected first Polish American Mayor of Buffalo, N.Y.
4
1937. Birth of television, film and stage actress Loretta Swit (M*A*S*H).
6
1860. Ignancy Jan Paderewski, pianist, statesman and prime minister, born in Kurylowce, Poland (d. 1941).
1939.
Nazis arrest 182 instructors at Jagiellonian University, who are then sent to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
7
1867. Birth of Polish chemist and physicist Marie Sklodowska Curie, in Warsaw, Poland.
1967. Supreme Court Justice Matthew J. Jasen (1916-2006), of Buffalo, becomes first Polish
American to be elected to the Court of Appeals, New York State's highest court.
10
1945. Founding of the Polish Institute of History in Rome.
1914. Buffalo, N.Y. native Joseph A. Rozan appointed Polish interpreter to the Supreme Court.
11
1918. Independence of Poland is reestablished by the Central Powers during World War I.
1939. Nazis arrest professors at the Catholic University of Lublin.
St. Martin's Day. Goose is traditional meal of the day in Poland.
A winter weather forecast is then made according to the color of breastbone–white (much snow); mottled (variable ); black (light); black and white
(mixed).
12
1892. Birth of Stefan Pawel Mierzwa, founder and first director of the Kosciuszko Foundation.
13
Feastday of St. Stanislaus Kostka, patron of Polish youth.
15
1916. Death of Henryk Sienkiewicz, 70, Polish novelist ("Quo Vadis"), 1905 Nobel literature prize winner, in Vevey, Switzerland.
16
Feastday of Ostra Brama—painting found in the city of Wilno (Lithuania), which is regarded as the second most sacred shrine to Polish people.
17
1951. Brunon Kryger, Sr., died, age 52, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He popularized "Kotki Dwa" and many other Polish folk songs during his long career as a bandleader.
19
1995. Aleksander Kwasniewski, a former member of the Communist party, is elected president of Poland, replacing Solidarity trade union leader Lech Walesa.
21
1920. Birth of Stan Musial, famed baseball star with the St. Louis Cardinals.
23
1881. First issue of Polish National Alliance publication Zgoda.
1933. Birth of composer Krzysztof Penderecki, in Debica, Poland.
25
1764. Coronation of Stanislaw August Poniatowski, St. John's Cathedral, Warsaw.
1795. Abdication of the last king of Poland, Stanislaw August Poniatowski.
1957.
Matthew J. Jasen, of Buffalo, becomes the first Polish American to serve on the New York State Supreme Court.
26
1855. Death of Polish poet and author Adam Mickiewicz in Constantinople.
1961. "Pic-a-Polka" live television show premiers on WGR TV Channel 2 in Buffalo, N.Y.; with host Joe Macielag
(currently president of the Western New York Division of the Polish American Congress). It would air Sundays at 5:00 p.m. for four years and become one of the station's most popular programs.
27
1939. Death of Gabriel Sovulewski (b. 1866), builder of hundreds of miles of tourist routes in California's Yosemite National Park.
30
St. Andrew. A night of fortune telling in old Poland.
December
1
1873. Founding of the Polish Roman Catholic Union.
1945. Premier of Stanislaw Moniuszko opera "Verbum Nobile," in Warsaw.
3
1857. Birth of English author, Joseph Conrad (Jozef Konrad Korzenioski). d. 1924.
4
St. Barbara
1881. Felecian Sisters first came to Buffalo to teach at St. Stanislaus.
5
1925. Death of Nobel laureate Wladyslaw S. Reymont.
1867. Birth of Josef Pilsudski, Polish military leader, victor at the Battle of the Vistula, and post-World War I leader of a free
Poland.
6
Feast of St. Nicholas (Sw. Mikolaj), the day traditionally reserved for gift-giving in Poland.
1970. German-Polish pact acknowledges Oder-Niese Polish border.
9
1990. Shipyard electrician and Solidarity Trade Union leader Lech Walesa elected president of Poland.
11
1779. Birth of Alexander Zakrzewski (d. 1863), Polish-American lithographer who drew one of the first plans of San Francisco.
12
1970. "December '70" Polish demonstrations against food price hikes.
1981. Declaration of martial law in Poland.
13
1945. Wladyslaw Gomulka named secretary general of the Communist Party in Poland.
14
1970. Government price hikes in Poland spark bloody labor protests on the Coast, Gdansk, Gdynia and Szczecin. To this day no one is certain how many people were killed. Wladyslaw Gomulka is
deposed as party leader and replaced with the first secretary of Katowice [Silesia] communist party, Edward Gierek.
15
1859. Birth of Lazarus Ludovic Zamenhof, developer of Esperanto, the International Language, in Bialystok, near Lithuanian, Poland and Byelorussia borders.
1930.
Birth of New York Yankee great Bill "Moose" Skowron.
20
1982. Death of Chopin advocate and pianist Arthur Rubinstein.
21
St. Thomas
1898. In Paris, Marie, 31, and Pierre Curie, Polish and French chemists, discover radium.
22
1990. Lech Walesa sworn in as President of the Republic of Poland.
23
1895. Death of Henry Kalusowski, Polish-born U.S. government official who translated the Russian documents dealing with the purchase of Alaska.
1981.
In response to declaration of martial law in Poland, President Ronald Reagan declares economic sanctions.
1925. Founding of the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York City.
24
Dzien Wigilijny
1854. About 100 families from Upper Silesia arrive in Panna Maria, Texas to establish the first permanent Polish settlement in the United States. Fr. Leopold Moczygemba
holds Midnight Mass under a large oak tree that still stands today.
25
Boze Narodzenie
According to Polish tradition, the 12 days of Christmas predict the weather for next 12 months.
26
St. Stephen.
27
St. John the Evangelist
1955. Death of Polonian activist Dr. Francis E. Fronczak .
1587. Coronation of Zygmunt III, King of Poland.
1892.
Death of Joseph Karge, Polish-American general in Union cavalry and later professor at Princeton.
29
1966. Celebration of the Polish Millennium of Christianity.
30
1959. Birth of Actress Tracey Ullman ("Tracey Takes On").
31
St. Sylvester's Day. Please do not drink and drive.
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