If you happen to be one of those Metropolitanites that spends part of their time enjoying the beauty of Central Park, that famous New York City landmark, then I shall leave it to your curiosity to discover the monument of King Wladyslaw Jagiello mounted on a stallion in a remote part of the park. King Jagiello was the victor in the …
Continue ReadingIn the year 1041 a Chinese blacksmith named Pi Sheng made the first letters out of baked clay which, when put together, formed a type-face. In the year 1403 a book was printed in Korea by means of copper letters. The first European printed book was Johann Gutenberg’s Bible, published in Mainz in 1454-56. In 1473, seventeen years after the …
Continue ReadingAs it so often happens, there are many facets of Polish-American history that remain hidden in the darkest of shadows. Many of them are fragments of events long past but as they’re usually discovered, they make it clear that the Polonians involved in early America had a great love of liberty. Maurice August Beniowski was one of those people. He …
Continue Reading“He lived three lives. There are the momentous years of his youth, from 1844 to 1850, when he was 21 to 26. Many times in those years he risked his life for Polish freedom. The imprisonments, his hair-breadth escapes, the disguises, the secret meetings, the frequent brushes with death, read like high romance or stirring tragedy. Finally, a marked man …
Continue ReadingThe valiant efforts of Lech Walesa and Solidarity will go down in history as another struggle for freedom that the Poles have waged over the millennium of its existence. The other figures in Polish history have showed a similar bravado — one was involved in the January Uprising in 1863, his name….JAROSLAW DABROWSKI; the other led a workers’ movement in the …
Continue Reading“It was a real sensation. All and sundry flocked to the Mikolasch pharmacy in Lwow to see with their own eyes that amazing invention. Crowds grew dense in front of the pharmacy. With great difficulty did the police keep order. Somebody even called a fire brigade. It came at a gallop shrilling with its bell, with the snorting of its …
Continue ReadingThere is American contemporary music and there is Polish music. There are those Poles who have become historically famous for their contribution to Polish music, such as Chopin and Moniuszko, and then there are Poles whose fame is primarily due to their contribution to American music. Liberace must be considered in this vein for his expertise as a pianist. There …
Continue Reading“Marya Sklodowska.” “Present.” “Tell us about Stanislas Augustus.” “Stanislas Augustus Poniatowski was elected King of Poland in 1764. He was intelligent and very cultivated, the friend of artists and writers. He understood the defects that were weakening the kingdom and tried to remedy the disorders of the State. Unfortunately, he was a man without courage.” The schoolgirl who stood up …
Continue ReadingFolk tales are as much a part of our Polish Fatherland as are its people, our ancestors. This week, I present to you two folk tales that, although truly Polish in nature, reflect the Polish immigrant’s view of America. The two tales are: “The Fabulous Journey” by Amelia Kalwara and “Mountain Brothers” by Joseph Strozik. Read and enjoy . . . …
Continue ReadingThe knowledge of writing which really is related to the beginnings of literature came into existence in Poland after the introduction of Christianity in 966. Earlier, although Poland was not inferior to other central European countries in the development of material culture, only oral literature existed. There were no written records. The themes of contemporary songs connected with customs and …
Continue Reading“This law did not emerge from the mind of an isolated sage, from the lips of a few administrators, but was drawn from the heart of the great mass of the people; it is not merely written in black on white, but it still lives in the memory, in the aspirations of passing generations, and so it is a living …
Continue ReadingNo doubt you’ve read about some of the great women of Poland and America, but many of you probably do not know that the following lady was Polish. Her stage name was Pola Negri – the well-known Hollywood actress of the 20’s — but her real name — well, would you believe — Barbara Apolonia! That was the name given …
Continue ReadingThis week, I bring you Casimir Pulaski — who arrived on these American shores in 1777. I bring his story to you through the historical expertise of authoress Laura Pilarski. In 1776, Pulaski heard the electrifying news that a war of independence had broken out on the American continent. He decided his destiny was in America, fighting to aid the …
Continue ReadingMoney, as we know it today, has been diminishing in value year after year, decade after decade. It buys considerably less everytime we enter a consumer goods facility. At one point, we may have to make a choice with our last dollar bill as to whether it should be spent for some gasoline, a loaf of bread or a cup …
Continue ReadingThe Polish National Anthem — you’ve sung it hundreds of times. It’s a beautiful patriotic song with an intense feeling that arouses our love for our Fatherland. Did you know that this melody really has a marching rhythm to it that began being sung way back in 1797 — as an unofficial national anthem. It’s author was Josef Wybicki, himself …
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