Yeah, I didn't like my post, but I can't edit it now, I realized after a while I had posted something not quite relevant to the discussion. Sorry for that.
Anyway, I wasn't referring only to the real soldiers, as "unknown soldier" I meant anyone who had some great achievements that created the necessary basis for the future but remained close to anonymous, because someone else had the "finishing touch" (for example like those Enigma crackers, whose work was overtaken by the British when the war in Poland was inevitable).
Karol Józef Wojtyła Lech Walesa Roman Polanski Marie Curie (did not know she was Polish until recently) Fryderyk Chopin (also did not know he was Polish until recently) Tadeusz Kosciuszko (but only because I’m Australian and our highest mountain was named after him)
There are probably others that I did not know were Polish.
Somebody just mention recently about which one person is famous or not. When we have to try to describe someone worth to be placed on the canon of people what we should call"famous"or not is very pejorative and tricky. The hole problem from my perspective is trying to describe some Eastern European's folks who can get their way in anglo-saxon culture and then would be visible for the whole World nation ( read anglo-saxon rulers )
We're having serious deficit of famous Polish people.
The source of this problem is really trivial - there are no famous people, because we have no Hollywood here.
Funny?
Not, at all.
There's a HUGE difference between GREAT MAN/GENIUS and FAMOUS man.
Nowaydays being famous is all about entertainment or making cash or living large or evertyhing at once. There is no place for great geniuses. Almost ALL of them work in corporations (usually American ones). And recent man have no idea who they are and whey they do.
Make an experiment.
Open Your notepad and type 30 WORLD famous people from You country in 60 seconds.
I'm SURE there will be maybe 1 writer, maybe 1 painter, maybe 1 president (if You are from the USA I'm sure everybody knows what's his name, BUT it's not working in other countries, who cares who's the president of Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy? nobody), maybe a few famous sportsmen (not much actually, because the USA doesn't care about soccer and Europe has no idea about baseball or hockey).
You will MAYBE put the painter, writer, president on the list. If You're from the USA and they were not rich I guess You won't (because there were too many famous people in the history of the USA, I'm writing that because I'm sure everobody from Spain will type Antonio Gaudi here).
I'm SURE some of You (just some) will put a name of scientist.
THE REST will be musicans, movie stars, celebrities etc.!
So talking about WORLD-FAMOUS people is ridiculous, because nowaydays being famous doesn't mean anything.
It's enough to have rich dad and living large like Paris Hilton. Or sing like Avril Lavigne (she was a girl, he was a boy... nanana... gimme banana...) Or plays like Jessica Alba (is she a good actress? no, she's noone, she's just hot and cute!).
People like the ones above will fill 90% of the lists of 90% of people!
So if You want to talk about famous Polish people, I will answer:
1. Martha Stewart born Martha Helen Kostyra 2. Leo Dennis Kozlowski CEO of Tyco 3. Wachowski Brothers made the film Matrix 4. Edward Mazur Chicago Polish businessman currently being deported to Poland for involvment in murder of Polish Police Chief Marek Papała.
Polish-European Business People
1.Franciszek Jerzy Kulczycki opened one of the 1st coffee shop's in Europe in Vienna in the year 1683. 2. Jan Kulczyk owner of Kulczyk Holding S.A. is worth $ 4 Billion USD 3. Antoni Norbert Patek founder of Patek Philippe & Co. one of the most famous watchmaker companies. 4. Izrael Poznański a Polish-Jewish textile magnate in Lodz in the late 1800's
Yes, Martha Stewart appears to be a Polish billionaire according to Forbes...Koslowski is Jewish & is in jail currently...but I's sur he still has his money...Jan Kulczyk is a member of an Israeli think tank called the Peres Center for Peace...if he is not Jewish, he is one of only 4 or 5 non-Jews in this organiztion.
Also, while the Wachowski brothers make excellent movies & surely have some money, they are not billionaires...and, one of the Wachowski brothers may now be a Wachowski 'sister'.
for crying out loud ! When people learn - according to the standards of his times he was Polish as he was subject of the Kingdom of Poland.
What his ethinc background was nobody can tell for sure. To think about somebody from the past in the terms of the modern concept what the nationalty actually means is a big mistake.
