Welcome to the Polish American Journal

December

• Grudzie

ń

1925. Signing of the Locarno Treaties, in which the First World War Western European Allied powers and the new states of Central and Eastern Europe sought to secure the post-war territorial settlement, and return normalizing relations with defeated Germany.

1939. Reichsfuhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler orders the deportation of Polish Jews.

1944. Tehran Conference. Poland is handed over to the Soviet sphere of influence.

1896. Death of explorer Stefan Rogodzinski, famous for exploits in Africa.

1873. Founding of the Polish Roman Catholic Union.

1945. Premier of Stanislaw Moniuszko opera “Verbum Nobile,” in Warsaw.

1857. Birth of Joseph Conrad († 1924), novelist, in Berdychiv, Poland, as Teodor Józef Konrad Korzeniowski. He is best known for “Heart of Darkness.”

1983. Death of Hall of Fame golfer Al Watrous.

1899. Founding of the Polish Beneficial Association, Philadelphia.

1854. About 800 Polish settlers arrive in Galveston, Texas after a nine-week voyage. The walk over 200 miles from the port to Panna Maria, where they hold Christmas Eve Mass outdoors.

ST. BARBARA

Niechaj każdy pamięta, jaka Barbara, takie święta.

Let everyone remember: as (the weather on) St. Barbara’s Day, so the holidays.

1881. Felician Sisters first came to Buffalo to teach at St. Stanislaus.

1925. Death of Nobel laureate Władysław S. Reymont.

1867. Birth of Josef Pilsudski, Polish military leader, victor at the Battle of the Vistula, and post-World War I leader of a free Poland.

St. Nicholas (Sw. Mikolaj).

Today is traditionally reserved for gift-giving in Poland.

1914. German troops overrun Lodz.

1970. German-Polish pact acknowledges Oder-Niese Polish border. It renounces use of force to settle disputes, recognizing the Oder-Neisse River as Poland’s western frontier, and acknowledges transfer to Poland of 40,000 square miles of former German territory.

1970. Poland and West Germany sign Oder-Niese Polish border pact.

1279. Death of Bolesław V the Chaste

1923. Birth of Polish American TV star Ted Knight (Konopka), best remembered for his roles in “Cady Shack,” and as Ted Baxter on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” (d. Aug. 26, 1986)

1941. Chelmno extermination camp opened in Nazi-occupied Poland.

2000. Death of Fr. Walter E. Pelczynski, MIC, founding director of the Marian Helpers.

1990. Shipyard electrician and Solidarity Trade Union leader Lech Walesa elected president of Poland.

1922. Gabriel Narutowicz elected first president of the Second Polish Republic. He was assassinated seven days later.

1949. Johnny Lujack († 25 July 2023) of the Chicago Bears passed for 468 yards and six touchdowns in a 52-21 rout of the Chicago Cardinals.

1779. Birth of Alexander Zakrzewski (d. 1863), Polish-American lithographer who drew one of the first plans of San Francisco.

1981. In Poland Gen. Jaruzelski imposes martial law, effective at midnight, restricting civil rights and suspending operation of the independent trade union Solidarity in a crackdown on the Solidarity labor movement. Polish labor leader Lech Walesa arrested. Martial law formally ended in 1983. Women kept the organization going as most male leaders were arrested. In 2005 Shana Penn authored “Solidarity’s Secret: The Women Who Defeated Communism in Poland."

1586. Death of King Stefan Batory.

1501. Coronation of Alexander Jagiellon

1970. “December ’70” Polish demonstrations against food price hikes.

1924. Birth of Ed Koch, former New York mayor of Jewish-Polish ancestry.

1570. Signing of the Treaty of Stettin concludes the Northern Seven Years’ War

1945. Władysław Gomulka named secretary general of the Communist Party in Poland.

1970. Government price hikes in Poland spark bloody labor protests on the Coast, Gdańsk, Gdynia and Szczecin. To this day no one is certain how many people were killed. Władysław Gomulka is deposed as party leader and replaced with the first secretary of Katowice [Silesia] communist party, Edward Gierek.

1980. After four days of meetings, members of NATO warned the Soviets to stay out of the internal affairs of Poland, saying that intervention would effectively destroy the detente between East and West.

1575. Election of Stefan Bátory (1533–1586). Batory was Voivode of Transylvania (1571–76), Prince of Transylvania (1576–86), from 1576 Queen Anna Jagiellon’s husband and jure uxoris King of Poland. Many historians consider him to be one of the greatest of the elected Kings of Poland.

1859. Birth of Lazarus Ludovic Zamenhof, developer of Esperanto, the International Language, in Bialystok, near Lithuanian, Poland and Byelorussia borders.

1930. Birth of New York Yankee great Bill “Moose” Skowron.

1922. Death by assassination of Poland’s first president of Poland's second republic, Gabriel Narutowicz.

1970. Riot police, under orders from defense minister Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, opened fire on workers protesting food price increases announced days earlier. 44 people were killed in Gdańsk, Gdynia, Szczecin, and Elblag. A case against Jaruzelski was opened in 1996 and in 1999 a court ruled that medical reasons would not exempt him from trial. The Jaruzelski trial began in 2001.

1970. In Poland, rioting continues. Troops and tanks patrolled Polish streets. 20 people were killed in the riots as they protested increased. food prices.

1929. Birth of Cardinal Józef Glemp.

1852. Birth of Polish Jewish scientist A.A. Michelson, 1907 Nobel Prize winner in Physics.

1982. Death of Chopin advocate and pianist Arthur Rubinstein.

ST. THOMAS

Winszujemy Święty Tomy, żeby nie był żaden ślepy ani chromy.

Wishing you, on St. Thomas Day, that no one be blind or ill.

1898. In Paris, Marie, 31, and Pierre Curie, Polish and French chemists, discover radium.

1922. Stanisław Wojciechowski elected the second President of the Second Republic of Poland following the assassination of Gabriel Narutowicz. He was ousted by the May Coup d’État of 1926.

1990. Lech Walesa sworn in as president of the Third Republic of Poland.

1982. Richard Trumka sworn in as president of United Mine Workers.

1959. Death of actress Gilda Grey (Maryanna Michalska), popular actress of the 1920s.

ST. JOHN KANTY (CANTIUS) 1473.

2005. Lech Kaczyński becomes president of Poland.

1995. Aleksander Kwaśniewski becomes president of Poland.

1937. Birth of first Polish American astronaut, Karol Bobko.

1895. Death of Henry Kalusowski, Polish-born U.S. government official who translated the Russian documents dealing with the purchase of Alaska.

1981. In response to declaration of martial law in Poland, President Ronald Reagan declares economic sanctions.

1925. Founding of the Kościuszko Foundation in New York City.

WIGLINA

“Na szczęście, na zdrowie ze świętą Wiliją”

Health and good fortune this Vigil!

1798. Birth of Adam Mickiewicz (“Pan Tadeusz”), considered Poland’s greatest poet.

1854. About 100 families from Upper Silesia arrive in Panna Maria, Texas to establish the first permanent Polish settlement in the United States. Fr. Leopold Moczygemba holds Midnight Mass under a large oak tree that still stands today.

BOŻE NARODZENIA

According to Polish tradition, the 12 days of Christmas predict the weather for next 12 months.

1025. Coronation of Mieszko II Lambert

1076. Coronation of Bolesław II the Bold

1745. Prussia and Austria signed the Treaty of Dresden. This gave much of Silesia to the Prussians.

ST. STEPHEN

Na Święty Szczepan, kaźdy sobie pan.

On St. Stephen’s Day, everyone is master.

1655. Swedes withdraw from Poland.

St. John the Evangelist

1587. Coronation of Sigismund III Waza

1918. Powstanie Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland Insurrection) begins.

1983. Pope John Paul II meets in prison with and forgives Ali Agca, who tried to assassinate him.

1955. Death of Polonian activist Dr. Francis E. Fronczak (b. Sept 20, 1874).

1587. Coronation of Zygmunt III, King of Poland.

1892. Death of Joseph Karge, Polish-American general in Union cavalry and later professor at Princeton.

1966. Celebration of the Polish Millennium of Christianity.

1959. Birth of actress Tracey Ullman.

1977. President Jimmy Carter visits Poland.

1994. Consecration of Bishop John W. Yanta, D.D., at Panna Maria. He is the first Polish American Texan given this honor.

ST. SYLVESTER

Do not drink and drive.

Niech już wystrzelą korki szampana,

A ty baw się świetnie do białego rana!

Let the champagne corks become airborne,

and you will play ‘til early morn!

1989. The People’s Republic of Poland becomes the Third Republic of Poland.