1
NEW YEAR’S DAY
Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!
Happy New Year!
A public holiday in Poland. For Catholics a holy day of obligation celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. This is a day of family dinners, following the previous day’s high-powered festivities at house parties, balls, discos, pubs and outdoor celebrations in city squares.
1467. Birth of Zygmunt I Stary, Renaissance king of Poland.
1919. Birth of Polish American actress Carol Landis.
2
1919. Poland regains control of Vilnius from the Germans during the Polish–Lithuanian War.
3
1897. Birth of Barbara Apolonia Chalupec († Aug. 1, 1987), better known by her stage name Pola Negri, had a long career in theatre and silent films in Poland, Germany, England, and the United States. Negri signed with Paramount in 1922, making her the first European actress to be contracted in Hollywood. Naturalized in 1951, she died in San Antonio, Texas.
1795. The Third Partition of the Lithuanian Polish Republic was made between Russia and Austria.
4
1900. Death of Stanisław Mieroszewski, Polish-born politician, writer, historian and member of the Imperial Council of Austria (b. 1827)
1944. Advancing west through Ukraine, Soviet troops cross the pre-war Polish border.
1925. Birth of Johnny Lujack, All-American and Heisman Trophy winner at Notre Dame.
5
1901. Birth of Adam Ciołkosz, Polish scout, soldier, journalist, politician, and a leader of the Polish Socialist Party during the Second Polish Republic, and during and after World War II. A strong anti-communist, he opposed Soviet domination in Eastern Europe after 1945.
1173. Death of Bolesław IV the Curly.
6
FEAST OF THREE KINGS
On this day, K+M+B (the initials of Kaspar, Melchior, and Baltazar, the three kings who visited the Holy Infant) are inscribed above main entry of one’s home. Often this is done by one’s priest. Three Kings Day was also the traditional day to take down the Christmas Tree. Known in Poland as Święto Trzech Króli, Epiphany is a holy day of obligation as well as a free day in the country. This marks the start of the pre-Lenten Karnawał (Mardi Gras) season. In recent years, colorful parades known as Three Kings cavalcades have been held in Polish cities with the Wisemen astride horses and camels, followed by merry-makers dressed as angels, devils, medieval warriors, dragons, etc. From this date until February 2, pastoral visits (kolęda) to the homes of parishioners are held to update parish records, discuss any family problems and bless the family and home.
1785. Death of Polish-born Haym Salomon (Lissa, 1740), Revolutionary War patriot, financier, in Philadelphia.
7
1863. January Uprising, a Polish insurrection against Russian occupation.
1882. Death of Jan Józef Ignacy Łukasiewicz (b. 1822), pharmacist and petroleum industry pioneer who in 1856 built the world’s first oil refinery. His achievements included the discovery of how to distill kerosene from seep oil, the invention of the modern kerosene lamp (1853), the introduction of the first modern street lamp in Europe (1853), and the construction of the world’s first modern oil well. Łukasiewicz became a wealthy man and one of the most prominent philanthropists in Central Europe’s Galicia. Because of his support for the region’s economic development, a popular saying attributed all paved roads to his fortune.
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.
1681. The Treaty of Radzin ends a five-year war between the Turks and the allied countries of Russia and Poland.
9
1943. Heinrich Himmler, head of the Nazi SS, visits the Warsaw ghetto and orders the deportation of 8,000 Jews. Caught by surprise, they use hiding places to avoid deportation. Their resistance dominated the ghetto after the deportation effort ended.
1797. Jan Henryk Dabrowski organizes his legion in Italy, and thus honored by having his name included in the Polish National Anthem.
10
1892. Birth of Melchior Wańkowicz (†10 Sept. 1974), popular writer, political journalist, and publisher, famous for his reporting for the Polish Armed Forces in the West during World War II, and for his book about the battle of Monte Cassino.
11
1944. Nazis establish Krakow-Plaszow Concentration Camp.
1920. The League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect. The Free City of Danzig (Gdańsk) was constituted by the treaty.
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. Władysław Jagiello crowned King of Poland.
12
1860. Death of Jan Zygmunt Skrzynecki (b. 8 Feb. 1787), Polish general who organized the Polish army during the 1830 revolution. He distinguished himself at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813 and saved Napoleon from the enemy in 1814. In 1815, he was put in command of five infantry regiments when the Kingdom of Poland was formed.
2017. End of political stalemate in Poland's national legislature that began Dec. 16, 2016 as an attempt to limit freedom of the press in the Sejm buildings in Warsaw.
1578. “Dismissal of the Greek Envoys,” a Renaissance tragedy by Jan Kochanowski, staged for the first time in the presence of King Stephen Bátory in Jazdów. It is considered to be the first Polish modern drama attempting to implement ancient tragedy-writing traditions, both Greek and Roman.
13
1945. The Red Army opened an offensive in South Poland, crashing 25 miles through the German lines.
1982. The Mass for the Nation by Rev. Jerzy Popiełuszko at the Church of St. Stanislaus Kostka.
1883. Circus Ferroni Fire in Berditschoft (Russian Partition), Poland.
A fire broke out on January 13, 1883, during an evening performance of Circus Ferroni in Berditscheff (Russian Partition) Poland. A stableman working in the stable adjoining the circus was smoking a cigarette while lying on straw, and the straw ignited. A fellow laborer ran for a pail of water. He left a door open, which created a strong draft that fed the flames. The circus building was made of double wooden walls with straw filling the space between the boards to act as insulation from the cold. The circus building caught fire and, inside of twenty minutes, the whole circus was in flames. Owing to the extreme cold weather, water was scarce. A fire engine was delayed in getting to the fire because while en route it broke through some ice. Official figures state that 268 people were burned to death, 80 were mortally injured, 100 were missing. (other reports state that 430 died) Many children were crushed and suffocated in the jam of people. Both stable laborers who caused the fire died in the fire. 27 horses and 11 trained dogs also died in the fire.
14
1917. The Provisional Parliament established in Poland.
1581. The city of Riga joined the Polish-Lithuanian union.
2009. Death of former U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Nicholas Rey (b. 1939) in Washington, D.C.
15
1909. Birth of Gene Krupa, American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer known for his energetic style and showmanship. In December 1934, he joined Benny Goodman’s band, where his drum work made him a national celebrity. Krupa is considered “the founding father of the modern drumset” by Modern Drummer magazine.
1920. The United States approved a $150 million loan to Poland, Austria and Armenia to aid in their war with the Russian communists.
1797. In St. Petersburg Russia, Prussia and Austria signed and act that terminated the Lithuanian-Polish state.
1582. Signing of the Peace of Jam Zapolski concludes Commonwealth participation in the Livonian War, as Russia cedes Livonia and Estonia to Poland, losing access to Baltic.
1949. Death of Polish American historian and founder of the Polish Museum of America in Chicago, Mieczysław Haiman.
1919. Ignacy Jan Paderewski, 58, pianist, composer, becomes first premier of the newly created Republic of Poland.
16
2002. Death of Father Michael Zembrzuski, founder of America’s Czestochowa, the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pa. He came to Philadelphia from Poland in 1951 with a mission to establish the Pauline Order in the United States.
1826. Birth of general and war hero Romuald Traugutt († 5 April 1864), commander of the January Uprising of 1863 and its last leader. He also led the Polish government from Oct. 17, 1863 to April 20, 1864, and was president of its Foreign Affairs Office. Traugutt was arrested by Russian police after the failed uprising, and hanged at the Warsaw Citadel.
1946. The United States opens a consulate in Poznan, Poland. The consulate was closed in 1951, reopened in 1959, and became a Consulate General in 1992. It closed again in 1996.
17
1775. Nine women burned as witches for causing bad harvests in Kalisz, Poland. According to officials, they are “charged with having bewitched and rendered unfruitful the land belonging to a gentleman in this district.”
1732. Stanislaw II August Poniatowski, last king of Poland (1764-95), born.
1919. Pianist and statesman Ignace Jan Paderewski became the first premier of the newly created republic of Poland.
1656. Prussian Duke Frederick Wilhelm withdraws ties with Lithuania and Poland and acknowledges vassal status with Sweden.
1734. Coronation of August III the Saxon.
1649. Coronation of John II Casimir Vasa.
1945. The totally devastated city of Warsaw is cleared of German resistance by forces of the 1st Belorussian Front. A Polish unit fighting with the Red Army is involved in the final attacks.
18
ST. MARGARET
Gdy na Małgorzaty mróz,
jeszcze długo nie pojedzie wóz.
When its frost on St. Margaret’s,
the cart won't go for a long time.
1401. In Lithuania, Vytautas and the country’s dukes submitted documents to Poland that Vytautas would rule Lithuania as a vassal to Poland and return the country to Poland upon his death.
1385. A Lithuanian delegation under Skirgaila arrived in Krakow to ask for the hand of Jadwiga on behalf of Jagiello.
1943. Jews in Warsaw Ghetto began an uprising against the Nazis.
1945. Krakow liberated almost without a shot and, compared to Warsaw, without too much damage to the town and people.
19
1945. The Red Army captures Łódź, Krakow, and Tarnow.
1967. Death of Casimir Funk (b. 23 Feb. 1884, Warsaw, Poland) in Albany, N.Y., biochemist who discovered vitamins.
20
1920. The Act on citizenship of the Polish State was signed, which marked the re-creation of the Polish nation. The street 20 Stycznia 1920 in Bydgoszcz was named after this event.
1942. The Wannsee Conference was held near Berlin, where plans for the genocide of Jews were outlined. This stage of the Holocaust was called "Operation Reinhard."
1957. The second election to the Sejm, the unicameral parliament of the People's Republic of Poland, was held. The Front of National Unity, led by the PZPR, won the election.
1982. Ronald Reagan designates January 20 as Solidarity Day to recognize the Polish free trade union Solidarity Movement.
2000. Poland expels nine Russian diplomats under allegations of spying.
1320. Władysław I Lokietek (Ladislaus the Short) crowned King of Poland.
21
Grandmother’s Day (Dzień Babci), an occasion for youngsters to honor and give gifts to their grannies who play an important role in many Polish families as free babysitters who read stories, fix delicacies and in general dote on and pamper their grandkids.
1268. Pope Clement IV gave permission to Poland’s King Premislus II to take over Lithuania and establish Catholicism.
1940. Czortków Uprising the first Polish civil uprising against the Nazi-Soviet occupation of Poland, directed at Soviet state repressions.
1407. Lithuanian Duke Vytautas leads Polish and German forces for a 2nd time against the Duchy of Moscow.
22
Grandfather’s Day (Dzień Dziadka), a time when kids visit and give small gifts to their grandfathers who often teach their grandsons simple carpentry, take them fishing and expose them to other typically male pursuits.
1982. U.S. President Ronald Reagan formally linked progress in arms control to Soviet repression in Poland.
1863. The January Uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire. It began this day in 1863, and lasted until the last insurgents were captured in 1865.
23
2007. Ryszard Kapuscinski (b.1932), Belarus-born Polish writer and journalist, dies following heart surgery. He gained international acclaim for his books chronicling wars, coups and revolutions in Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world. His books included “The Emperor” (1978), a chronicle of the decline of Haile Selassie’s regime in Ethiopia. In 1981 he published “Shah of Shahs,” a book about the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled Iran’s Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. His last book “Travels With Herodotus” was published shortly after his death. In 2012 Artur Domoslawski’s “Ryszard Kapuscinski: A Life” (2010), was translated to English by Antonia Lloyd Jones.
1940. Pianist Jan Ignace Paderewski became premier of Polish government-in-exile.
1793. Second Partition of Poland. Polish patriots attempted to devise a new constitution which was recognized by Austria and Prussia, but not Russia, which invaded. Prussia in turn invaded and the two agreed to a partition that left only the central portion of Poland independent.
24
1931. The League of Nations rebukes Poland for the mistreatment of a German minority in Upper Silesia.
1734. In Krakow, the 2nd last king of Lithuania and Poland, August III, crowned.
1507. Coronation of Sigismund I the Old
25
1940. Nazis established a Jewish ghetto in Łódź.
1913. Birth of pianist and composer Witold Lutoslawski.
1949. Poland joined the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance.
26
1919. Parliamentary elections held in Poland, electing the first Sejm of the Second Polish Republic. The elections, based on universal suffrage and proportional representation, was the first free election in the country's history. It produced a parliament balanced between the right, left and center, although the elections were boycotted by the Polish communists and the Jewish Bund. In the territories where the election took place, voter turnout was from 70% to 90%. Right-wing parties won 50% of votes, left-wing parties around 30%, and Jewish organizations more than 10%.
1934. Germany signs a 10-year non-aggression pact with Poland, breaking the French alliance system. Germany violates with pact on Sept. 1, 1939 when it invades Poland.
27
1736. Stanislaw Lesheinski gave up the Polish-Lithuanian throne.
1945. The Soviet army arrived at Nazi camps Auschwitz and Birkenau, and found the concentration camp and crematorium. It is now believed that 1 million Jews were murdered here, up to 75,000 Polish Christians, 21,000 Gypsies, and 15,000 Soviet POWs.
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. Józef 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).
28
2006. Katowice Trade Hall roof collapse from excessive snow.
1887. Artur Rubinstein, pianist, born in Łódź, Poland. He was a concert pianist, musical genius and a patriotic Pole who loved to play Chopin’s music. While playing a special concert for the signing of the UN Charterin 1945 in San Francisco, Artur Rubinstein noticed that the Polish flag was not represented. As he reached the piano he spoke these words, “I do not see the Polish flag, so to make up for this omission, I will play the Polish National Anthem.” It brought the audience to its feet.
1588. King Sigismund Vaza upheld the 3rd Lithuanian Statute that until 1795 stood as the fundamental code of law. In practice it was active until 1840.
1573. Signing of the Warsaw Confederation, an important development in the history of Poland and Lithuania, is considered the formal beginning of religious freedom in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
29
1944. World War II: Approximately 38 people are killed and about a dozen injured when the Polish village of Koniuchy (present-day Kaniūkai, Lithuania) is attacked by Soviet partisan units.
1846. Birth of Karol Olszewski, chemist, mathematician, and physicist who liquified gases. (†1915)
1956. Birth of Jan Jakub Kolski, Polish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer.
1957. Birth of Grażyna Miller, Polish journalist, and poet (†2009)
1934. Death of Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1868) Fritz Haber, Polish-German chemist and engineer.
30
1945. Nazi SS guards shot down an estimated 4,000 Jewish prisoners on the Baltic coast at Palmnicken, Kaliningrad. The town was later renamed by the Russians to Yantarny. Some 7,000 prisoners had been marched 25 miles from Koenigsberg to a vacant lock factory at Palmnicken where they were mowed down with machine guns. The prisoners had been vacated from a network of 30 camps that made up Poland’s Stutthoff concentration camp. 90% of the Jews were women from Lithuania and Hungary.
1667. Lithuania, Poland and Russia signed a 13.5-year treaty at Andrusov, near Smolensk. Russia received Smolensk and Kiev.
1717. Surrounded by the Russian army the Lithuanian-Polish parliament reduced its army by half and acknowledged Russian protection.
1018. The Peace of Bautzen ends a series of Polish-German wars over the control of Lusatia and Upper Lusatia (territorially split between Germany and modern-day Poland), Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia. The Peace of Bautzen (German: Frieden von Bautzen; Polish: Pokój w Budziszynie) was a peace treaty signed by Emperor Henry II and Great Duke Bolesław I the Brave of Poland on 30 January 1018. The peace, achieved at the Ortenburg castle in Bautzen, ended 15 years of warfare between the two rulers, as well as ending negotiations Henry had begun in 1003 with the heathen Liutizians. The German–Polish War consisted of a series of struggles from 1002 to 1018 between the Ottonian king Henry II of Germany (Holy Roman Emperor from 1014) and the Polish Piast ruler Bolesław I the Brave. The locus of conflict was the control of Lusatia, Upper Lusatia, as well as Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia.[1] The fighting ended with the Peace of Bautzen in 1018, which left Lusatia and Upper Lusatia as a fief of Poland, and Bohemia became a duchy in the Holy Roman Empire.
31
1930. Birth of Arthur Michalik († Feb. 23, 2021), American linebacker and guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played from 1953 to 1956 for the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers. He later became a professional wrestler.
1981. Lech Walesa announced an accord in Poland, giving labor Saturdays off.
1887. Death of Wlodimierz Bonawentura Krzyzanowski (b. July 8, 1824), Civil War general. In Washington, D.C., Krzyżanowski enlisted as a private two days after President Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers in early 1861. He recruited a company of Polish immigrants, which became one of the first companies of Union soldiers. Krzyżanowski then moved his company to New York City and enlisted more immigrants and soon became colonel of the 58th New York Infantry regiment, listed in the official Army Register as the “Polish Legion.”
