In 1853, Ignacy Łukasiewicz was the first to distill kerosene from crude oil and use it to illuminate a pharmacy and then an operating theater in a hospital in Lwów. A year later, Łukasiewicz established an oil company and began extracting it from Bóbrka near Krosno, from what is now the oldest industrial crude oil…
In March 1000, an extraordinary event took place. The Holy Roman Emperor Otton III visited Gniezno, the then capital of the Polish state. The official aim of the visit to the state ruled by Bolesław Chrobry, was a pilgrimage to the grave of Saint Adalbert. by Piotr Bejrowski In the mid 10th century, under…
On December 1, 1970, Kazimierz Górski became the national football team coach. Górski, born on March 2, 1921, in Lwów, led the Polish team to its greatest successes; they won two Olympic medals (1972, 1976) and achieved third place at the world championships (1974). Before his coaching career, he was a striker for several Lwów…
The 19th century Polish insurgent and immigrant Antoni Patek was a pioneer in the industrial production of watches. Patek, the company he founded and which has been in the hands of another family for years, has been producing some of the best and most expensive watches in the world for almost two centuries. by Piotr…
Polish biochemist Kazimierz Funk was the first to discover and name vitamins. He proved that – apart from carbohydrates, proteins, fats and mineral salts – they are chemical compounds necessary for the proper functioning of the living organism. by Piotr Bejrowski Born on 23 February 1884 in Warsaw, Kazimierz Funk was a son of…
Philologists are relatively rarely sentenced to death in absentia. Nor do they always (although somewhat more often) become Chevaliers of the Legion of Honour. This alone shows how remarkable was the fate of Zdzisław Najder, who died on 15 February 2021. by Wojciech Stanisławski In the mid-20th century, it seemed that – comparing with…
