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1979. Birth of Julie Ann Augustyniak (Norfolk, Virg.), American soccer player who played for the Atlanta Beat of the Women’s United Soccer Association.
1411. Signing of the First Peace of Thorn (Toruń) concludes the Polish-Lithuanian-Teutonic War.
1733. Death of August II the Strong.
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CANDLEMAS. At Candlemas, honoring the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, Poles observe Święto Matki Boskiej Gromnicznej. Candles blessed in church are taken home a symbol of the Blessed Mother. Called gromnice (Thunder Candles), these are lit and placed in a window during a thunderstorm to protect the home from lightning. The candles are also lit in times of trouble, or when someone is approaching death. ¶ Legend says the Blessed Mother warded off wolves by using a candle as a torch. In the art gallery of the Orchard Lake Schools in Michigan, there is a painting of this event. ¶ Candlemas is also the day all the candles needed by a parish for the rest of the year are blessed. Officially, this day marks the end of the Christmas season. ¶ Traditionally, the weather on Candlemas (which is also Groundhog Day) predicts how soon winter will end. Most proverbs suggest a warm day means winter is not yet at its end.
1674. Coronation of Jan Sobieski, king and military leader who defeated the Turks in Vienna in 1683, and thus honored for centuries as the “Defender of Christendom.”
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1899. Death of painter Juliusz Kossak (b. 1824).
1974. Birth of Konrad Galka (Kraków), former butterfly swimmer, who competed in two consecutive Summer Olympics for Poland, starting in 1992.
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1505. Birth of the father of Polish literature, Mikolaj Rej.
1746. Birth of Polish and American patriot, freedom fighter and military engineer Thaddeus Kościuszko.
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1909. Birth of Grazyna Bacewicz, Polish composer and violinist. She is only the second Polish female composer to have achieved national and international recognition, the first being Maria Szymanowska in the early 19th century.
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ST. DOROTHY
Świętej Dorocie uschnie koszula na płocie.
St. Dorothy’s shirt will dry on the fence.
(Days are windier and warmer starting St. Dorothy’s Day).
1633. Coronation of Władysław IV Vasa.
1962. Death of Władysław Dziewulski, Polish astronomer and mathematician. He spent his life performing astronomical research and published over 200 papers. Dziewulskihas a crater on the moon named after him as well as the planetarium in Torun, Poland.
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2019. Death of Jan Ferdynand Olszewski (b. 20 August 1930) Polish conservative lawyer and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Poland between December 1991 and June 1992 and later became a leading figure of the conservative Movement for the Reconstruction of Poland.
1810. Birth of Marcin Odlanicki Poczobutt, Polish–Lithuanian Jesuit astronomer and mathematician. He was professor of Vilnius University for over 50 years, serving as its rector from 1780 to 1799. The Poczobutt crater on the Moon is named after him.
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1296. Assassination of Przemysł II.
1807. At Iława (Eylau), Poland, Napoleon’s Marshal Pierre Agureau attacked Russian forces led by Alexsandr Suvorov, in a heavy snowstorm. Napoleon’s forces ran low on supplies and ate their horses.
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1940. Birth of Bohdan Paczynski (d. 2007), Polish-born American astrophysicist who pioneered a novel method for carrying out astronomical observations of distant objects that produce little or no light of their own.
1961. Birth of John Kruk, colorful and often-quoted major league baseball player.
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1925. Poland make an accord with the Vatican and the archdiocese of Vilnius was revived as one of five Polish dioceses.
1903. Founding of the Polish National Alliance of Brooklyn, USA.
1866. Birth in Detroit of John Temke, first American priest of Polish descent.
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1945. Yalta Conference. Soviets receive Poland’s Eastern lands.
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Tłusty Czwartek (2026)
In Poland, “Fat Thursday” marks the start of the six-day celebration leading up to the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Poles indulge in sweet treats including pączki (filled doughnuts) and faworki (“angel wings,” a pastry with sugar).
1867. Death of George Sokoloski, first Polish American graduate of West Point Academy and Civil War veteran.
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1882. Birth of Tadeusz Banachiewicz (†1954), astronomer, mathematician, and the director of the Krakow Observatory. His international recognition came from his theory of cracovians — a matrix algebra that helped to solve several astronomical, geodesic, mechanical and mathematical problems. A lunar crater is named after him.
1416. A delegation of Lithuanians and Poles read their grievances against the Teutonic Knights at the Church Council at Constance.
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ST. VALENTINE
Valentine’s Day (Dzień Świętego Walentego or Walentynki)
1919. Polish-Soviet War begins
1918. Warsaw demonstrators protest the transfer of Polish territory to the Ukraine.
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1880. Polish National Alliance is formed in Philadelphia.
1903. Death of Fr. Józef Dabrowski, founder of the Orchard Lake Schools. (b. 1842).
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PRESIDENT’S DAY (U.S.) (2026)
1704. Warsaw Confederation formed.
1919. Greater Poland Uprising ends.
1952. Death of Felix Witkowski, last Polish American veteran of the Confederacy.
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SHROVE TUESDAY (2026). Śledzik (adopted as Pączki Day in American Polonia), this is one’s last chance to enjoy indulgences before the restrictions of Lent. In Poland, it is the last day of Poland’s carnival season (ostatni dzień karnawału). Since Lent is a time of sacrifice, pączki (poonch-key) were created to use up a household’s supplies of things the family wouldn’t be able to eat during Lenten fasting: lard, sugar, eggs, and more. It was basically a day for people to fill up on all the goodness they’d have to give up for the next month. In America, Pączki Day is celebrated beside Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. However, in Poland, pączki are made and purchased the most on Fat Thursday, which is the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. Pączki Day is also celebrated on Fat Thursday in some cultures because it marks the start of the final week before Lent. The tradition dates to the Middle Ages, and the recipes have changed over the years. Pączki are not jelly donuts. Modern versions are filled with custard, cream, or covered with glaze or sprinkles.
1772. First Partition of Poland between Prussia, Russia, and Austria.
1919. Germany signed an armistice giving up territory in 1813. Czar Alexander entered Warsaw at the head of his Army.
1386. Marriage of Polish Queen Jadwiga d’Anjou to Władysław Jagiello of Lithuania.
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ASH WEDNESDAY (2026)
According to polls, around 85% of Polish citizens are Catholic. The tradition of going to church on Popielec, or Ash Wednesday, is alive here and very popular. Despite the fact Lent begins is a work day, Poles still tend to go to church en masse on Popielec and take part in the rite. Once, this day was called Introductory Wednesday (Wstępna Środa). Often Poles would celebrate and enjoy themselves all day. Then at night they would go to church where ashes would be sprinkled on their heads and the 40-day fast would begin.
1920. Polish-Soviet War Battle of Latyczów begins.
1914. Birth of Julius Kuczynski, better known by his stage name, Pee Wee King. He is best known for his multi-million selling song, “Tennessee Waltz,” popularized by Patti Page in 1950. King helped to modernize country western music by introducing electric instruments, drums, and horns.
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1473. Birth of Mikolaj Kopernik, Polish astronomer known by his Latin name Nicholas Copernicus, in the city of Torun, Poland. Copernicus is the Father of Modern Astronomy, known as the man who “moved the earth and stopped the sun.”
1921. Signing of the Franco-Polish Military Alliance.
1846. Kraków Uprising begins, an attempt, led by Edward Dembowski, to incite a Polish fight for national independence. The revolt was quickly suppressed by the Austrian army, and Kraków and its surrounding area were annexed to the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, a province of the Austrian Empire, with its capital at Lwów.
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1977. Birth of Bartosz Kizierowski, freestyle swimmer from Poland, who competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1996.
1919. Adoption of Poland’s Small Constitution.
1922. Vilnius, Lithuania, agreed to separate from Poland.
1941. Nazis order that Polish Jews are barred from using public transportation.
1530. Zygmunt II August crowned King of Poland.
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1574. Coronation of Henry Valois, King of France from 1574 until his death as well as King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1573 to 1575.
1883. Death of Rudolph Piotrowski in Saintes, France, one of the co-founders of the Polish Society of California in 1863 (now the Polish Club of San Francisco).
1820. Birth of Apollo Nalecz-Korzeniowski, dramatist, poet and father of Joseph Conrad.
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1814. Birth of folklorist and ethnographer Oskar Kolberg.
1810. Recorded birth of Fryderyk Chopin, Polish composer, pianist, in Zelazowa Wola, Poland (d. 1849).
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1884. Birth of biochemist Casimir Funk, father of the vitamin. (d. 1967)
1891. Death in Detroit of Fr. Leopold Moczygemba, patriarch of American Polonia, who led Silesian immigrants to the first Polish settlement in the United States, Panna Maria, Texas.
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1947. Arthur Bliss Lane resigns as U.S. Ambassador to Poland in protest of the takeover of the country by the Communist puppet regime. His book, “I Saw Poland Betrayed” was critical of the United States and Britain, which promise Poles free elections after the war.
1986. Birth of NHL hockey player Wojciech “Wojtek” Wolski in Zabrze, Poland.
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1944. Battle of Olszynka Grochowska. Polish forces of about 40,000 faced off against a Russian force of 60,000 east of Warsaw during the November Uprising. After almost two days of heavy fighting, both armies withdrew with significant losses on both sides. Over 7,000 Poles were killed in the battle.
1926. Poland, an original member of the League of Nations, demands a permanent seat on the League Council. It was given a semi-permanent seat.
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1832. Poland’s Constitution abolished by Czar Nicholas I.
1861. In the Warsaw Massacre, Russian troops fire on a crowd protesting Russian rule over Poland. Five marchers were killed.
1971. First edition of the Polish language Nowy Dziennik in Jersey City.
1996. Death of Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner (1950) Vic Janowicz.
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1944. Huta Pieniacka Massacre. An estimated 600-800 Polish men, women and children are murdered by Ukrainian soldiers of the 4th SS Police Regiment under German command. Polish and Ukrainian historians disagree over the responsibility for the crime.
1750. Birth of Ignacy Potocki, Polish minister and nobleman.
