Wladyslaw Sikorski was a Polish military and political leader.
Before World War I, he became a founder and member of several
underground organizations that promoted the cause of Polish
independence. He fought with distinction during the Polish-Soviet War,
in which he played a prominent role in the decisive Battle of Warsaw.
During World War II he became Prime Minister of the Polish Government
in Exile, Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Armed Forces, and a staunch
advocate of the Polish cause on the diplomatic scene. He supported the
reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Poland and the Soviet
Union, which had been severed after the Soviet alliance with Germany
in the 1939 invasion of Poland. In April 1943, however, Soviet
dictator Joseph Stalin broke off Soviet-Polish diplomatic relations
following Sikorski's request that the International Red Cross
investigate the Katyn Massacre. In July 1943, Sikorski was killed in a
plane crash into the sea immediately on takeoff from Gibraltar. The
exact circumstances of his death remain in dispute, which has given
rise to ongoing conspiracy theories.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%3Fadys%C5%3Faw_Sikorski
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1331:
: Stefan Dusan (pictured right) of the House of Nemanjić declared
himself Tsar of Serbia.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Du%C5%A1an)
1504:
: David, a marble statue by Michelangelo, was unveiled in Florence.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo%27s_David)
1888:
: The inaugural season of The Football League in England began with
six matches.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Football_League)
1923:
: The Honda Point Disaster: Twenty-three sailors died when nine U.S.
Navy destroyers ran aground off the coast of California.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Point_Disaster)
1978:
: Hundreds of demonstrators in Tehran were killed on Black Friday
during the Iranian Revolution.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"Freedom of choice is more to be treasured than any possession earth
can give." -- David O. McKay
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/David_O._McKay)