Ernest Malinowski’s dream was to build a railroad that “will reach the cloudsâ€. Born in Poland in 1818, Malinowski came to Peru when Spain was trying to hold on to its last colonies. Considered a hero in the Battle of Callao, Malinowski helped Peru maintain its sovereignty in a time of need. Malinowski would go…

Polish special services trained right-wing Jewish fighters who carried out remarkable attacks on the British in Palestine. “I talked to many of them a quarter of a century ago. They all said that training in Poland gave them a significant advantage. Although they had no professional military education, they became conspirators and soldiers who would…

Lieutenant Colonel Matt Urban, born Matthew Louis Urbanowicz, (1919 – 1995) shares with Audie Murphy the distinction of being the most decorated American combat veteran of World War 2. Earning more medals for valor than the legendary Murphy, he was awarded 29 U.S., French, and Belgian medals including the Medal of Honor. When Army officials…

Wartime Rescue of Jews by the Polish Catholic Clergy: The Testimony of Survivors and Rescuers, Volumes 1 and 2, is a pioneering study by Ryszard Tyndorf and Zygmunt ZieliÅ„ski of the mostly unknown rescue activities carried out by the Polish Catholic Church and its clergy in German-occupied Poland during the Second World War. It is…

Jan Czochralski 1885 – 1953) invented the Czochralski method, which is the standard method used for growing crystals of silicon and germanium in the production of semiconductor wafers. It is still used in over 90 percent of all electronics in the world that use semiconductors. He was born in the small town of Kcynia (Exin…

In 1607, John Smith brought the first British settlers to Jamestown, who expected to find natural resources such as gold, lumber, and herbs. Sent by the Virginia Company of London, the settlers planned to found a colony and begin exporting goods to London. However, two problems significantly impeded their efforts. First, some of the colonists…

Colonel Francis (Gabby) Gabreski (born Franciszek StanisÅ‚aw Gabryszewski) (1919-2002) was the top American fighter ace in Europe during World War 2, a jet fighter ace in the Korean War, the first U.S. combat pilot to become an ace in two wars and one of only seven U.S. pilots to do so, and the third highest…

The British Envoy to Warsaw in 1920, Edgar Vincent D’Abernon, wrote in his 1931 memoir, The Eighteenth Decisive Battle of the World: Warsaw, 1920, that the fight for the Polish capital that summer was one of the most important battles in world history. Yet, the Battle of Warsaw, often called “Miracle on the Vistulaâ€, is,…

Three Polish mathematicians played an instrumental role in shortening World War 2 by breaking the secret German encryption machine called Enigma. They were Marian Rejewski, Henry Å»ygalski, and Jerzy Różycki. Breaking the Enigma was perhaps the greatest Polish contribution to the Allied victory. However, this accomplishment, and much of the history of the Enigma, was…

PASI EDU is proud to feature this essay by Krzysztof SroczyÅ„ski, a young Polish scholar. It’s an enhanced version of his contribution to a national initiative sponsored by the Polish government titled “The Polish Heart Broke: KatyÅ„ 1940”. The essay is two-fold. It outlines the tragic events at KatyÅ„, where up to 22,000 Polish officers…