List of famous Poles

Stefan Banach (1892-1945), mathematician
Karol Borsuk (1905-1982), mathematician
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), astronomer
Maria Curie-Skłodowska (1867-1934), scientist, Nobel Prize winner (twice), first female Nobel prize winner
Jan Czekanowski (1882-1965), anthropologist
Jan Czerski (1845-1892),geographer and geologist
Samuel Dickstein (1851-1939), mathematician
Ignacy Domeyko (1802-1889), geologist
Samuel Eilenberg (1913-1998), mathematician
Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686-1736), physicist
Kazimierz Funk (1884-1967), biochemist
Rudolf Gundlach , inventor of tank periscope
Mirosław Hermaszewski (b. 1941), the firstpolish astronaut
Johannes Hevelius ( Jan Heweliusz ) (1611-1687), astronomer
Jozef Hofman ( 1876 - 1957 ), pianist, inventor of windscreen wipers and carsprings
Witold Hurewicz (1904-1956), mathematician
Roman Ingarden (1893-1970), philosopher
Mark Kac (1914-1984), mathematician
Antoni Kepinski (1918-1972), psychiatrist
Janusz Korczak (1878-1942), pedagogist
Jan Kubary (1846-1896),anthropologist
KrystynaKuperberg (1944-), mathematician
Kazimierz Kuratowski (1896-1980), mathematician
Ignacy Łukasiewicz (1822-1882), founder of the worldpetroleum industry
Jan Łukasiewicz (1878-1956), mathematician
Henryk Magnuski (1909-1978), engineer, inventor of the Walkie-talkie
Bronisław Malinowski (1884-1942), anthropologueand ethnologue
Benoit Mandelbrot (1924-), mathematician
Józef Marcinkiewicz (1910-1940 ), mathematician
Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski ( Andreas Fricius Modrevius ) (1503-1572), political theoristand philosopher
Wladyslaw Orlicz (1903-1990), mathematician
Emil Leon Post (1897-1954), mathematician
Bohdan Paczyński (1940-) astronomer
Bronisław Piłsudski (1866-1918),anthropologist
Marian Rejewski (1905-1980), mathematician and cryptologist
Stanislaw Saks (1897-1942), mathematician
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 - 1860), philosopher
Wacław Sierpiński (1882-1969), mathematician
Hugo Steinhaus (1887-1972), mathematician.
Pawel Strzelecki (1797-1873), explorer
Alfred Tarski (1901-1983), mathematician
Stanislaw Ulam (1909 - 1984), mathematician
Rudolf Weigl (1883-1957), biologist and the inventor of the typhusvaccine
Piotr Wilniewczyc (1887-1960), arms constructor
Paweł Włodkowic (1370-1435), scholar and laywer
Edmund Wnuk-Lipinski (1944-), sociologist
Aleksander Wolszczan (1946-), astronomer
Józef Hoene-Wroński (1778-1853), mathematician andphilosopher
Ludwik Zamenhof (1859-1917), linguist
Kazimierz Zarankiewicz (1902-1959)mathematician
Antoni Zygmund (1900 - 1992) mathematician

Musicians

Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849)
Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-)
Wojciech Kilar (1932-)
Karol Lipinski (1790-1861)
Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994)
Zbigniew Preisner (1955-)
Henryk Górecki (1933-)
Arthur Rubinstein (1887-1982), pianist
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
Wladyslaw Szpilman (1911-2000), pianist
Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880)

Literature

Joseph Conrad (Teodor Józef Korzeniowski) (1857-1924), Englishwriter
Lucyna Cwierczakiewiczowa ( 1829 - 1901 , the first Polish cook book author
Johannes Dantiscus (Jan Dantyszek) (1485-1548), Latin poetand Prince-Bishop of Warmia
TadeuszDołęga-Mostowicz (1898-1939), novelist
Jacek Dukaj (1974-), science-fiction writer
Witold Gombrowicz (1904-1969), novelist and drama writer
Zbigniew Herbert (1924-1998), poet
Ryszard Kapuściński (1932-), writer andjournalist
Jan Kochanowski (1530-1584), poet
Jerzy Kosiński (1933-1991)
Zofia Kossak-Szczucka (1890-1968)
Stanislaw Lem (1921-), science-fiction writer, essayist,philosopher
Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855), poet
Czesław Miłosz (born 1911), poet, Nobel Prize winner
Krzysztof Piesiewicz (1945-), screenwriter andpolitician
Władysław Reymont (1867-1925), writer, Nobel Prizewinner
Marcel Reich-Ranicki (born 2 June 1920), literarycritic
Andrzej Sapkowski (born 1948), fantasy writer
Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916), writer, Nobel Prizewinner
Wisława Szymborska (born 1923), poetess, Nobel Prizewinner
Bruno Schulz (1892-1942), writer
Stanisław Ignacy Witkieiwicz (Witkacy)(1885-1939), writer and painter
Franciszek Zabłocki (1754-1821), comic dramatist andsatirist
Janusz A. Zajdel (1938-1995), science-fiction writer

Arts

MagdalenaAbakanowicz (born 1930), sculptor
Daniel Chodowiecki (1726-1801), painter
Jerzy Grotowski (1933-1999), theatre reformer
Tamara de Lempicka (1898-1980), painter
Nikifor (1895-1968), painter

Entertainment

Agnieszka Holland (1948-), film director
Kazimierz Kutz (1929-),film director
Krzysztof Kieslowski (1941-1996), film director
Roman Polanski (1933-), film director and actor
Andrzej Wajda (1926-), film director
Andrzej Zulawski (1940-), film director
Józef Arkusz , (1921-1996), film director
Eugeniusz Bodo (1899-1943), singer and actor
Zbigniew Cybulski (1927-1967), actor
Katarzyna Figura (1962-), actress
Jan Kiepura (1902-1966), singerand actor
Bogusław Linda (1952-), actor
HelenaModrzejewska (1840-1909), actress
Pola Negri (1895-1987), actress
Joanna Pacula (1957-), actress
Ewa Demarczyk , (1941-),actress, poetry singer
Ludwika Paleta (1978-), actress famous in Mexico
Wojciech Pszoniak (1942-), actor of ComedieFrancaise
Daniel Olbrychski (1945-), actor
Izabella Scorupco (1970-) actress
Jacek Kaczmarski , (1957-2004), protest songwriter andsinger

Royalty

Swiatoslawa (Gunhild)(960?-1014), daughter of Mieszko I of Poland, mother of Canute the Great , king of England, Denmark and Norway
Boleslaus the Brave (966/967-1025), first king ofPoland
Henry II the Pious (?-1241), senior duke of Poland,commander of Polish forces in Battle of Legnica
Jadwiga of Poland (1372-1399], king (!) of Poland,canonised
Casimir IV the Jagiellonian (1427-1494),king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania, victor in Thirteen Years' War (1454-1466)
Sigismund II Augustus (1520-1572), king of Poland andgrand duke of Lithuania, creator of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Jan III Sobieski ( John III of Poland ) (1629-1696), king of Poland and Great Duke of Lithuania, victor at the Battle of Vienna
Stanislaw Leszczynski , ( Stanislaus I of Poland ) (1677-1766), king of Poland and princeof Lorraine
Ladislaus III , ( Władysław IIIWarneńczyk , Ulászló I ), 1424-1444, king of Poland and Hungary
Aleksandra Lisowska (Khourrem) (~1510 - 1558), (wife of Suleiman the Magnificent )

Sports

Wojciech Fortuna , skijumper
RobertKorzeniowski , athlete
Adam Malysz , ski jumper
Zbigniew Boniek , soccer forward
Jerzy Dudek , soccer goalkeeper
Dariusz Michalczewski , boxer
Andrew Golota , boxer
Jerzy Kukuczka ,climber

Military commanders

Józef Bem (1794-1850), militarycommander, commander-in-chief of Hungarian army (1849)
Jan Karol Chodkiewicz (1560-1621), militarycommander, victor from Kircholm
JarosławDąbrowski (1836-1871), military commander during the JanuaryUprising and the Paris Commune
Henryk Dembiński (1791-1864), military commander in the November Uprising and theHungarian uprising of 1849
Jozef Haller (1873-1960),politician, commander of the Polish Army in France during WWI
Tadeusz Komorowski (1895-1966), commander of the Home Army during the WarsawUprising
Tadeusz Kosciuszko (1746-1817), commander andrevolutionist
Stanislaw Maczek (1892-1994), commander of the Polish ArmouredDivision, later C-i-C of the Polish forces in exile after WWII
Casimir Pulaski , military commander
Stefan Rowecki (1895-1944?), military commander, commander-in-chiefof the Home Army
EdwardŚmigły-Rydz (1886-1941), military commander, successful in the Polish-Bolshevik war ,C-i-C of the Polish Army in the September Campaign
AleksanderLisowski (1575-1616), commander of Lisowczycy
StanislausZolkiewski (1547-1620), chancellor of Poland, military commander, conqueror of Moscow

Politicians and diplomats

Zbigniew Brzezinski (1928-), political scientist, advisorof US president Jimmy Carter
Krzysztof Grzymułtowski (1620-1687),diplomat and voivod of Poznań , author ofthe Eternal Peace Treaty with Russia
Wojciech Korfanty (1873-1939), leader Silesians during Third Silesian Uprising
TadeuszMazowiecki , politician
Jozef Pilsudski (1867-1935), statesman, politician andmarshall
Lech Walesa (born 1943), trade unionist who started dismantling of theSoviet bloc

People who resisted Holocaust

Henryk Slawik (1894 - 1944) Polish diplomat
Jan Karski
Zofia Kossak-Szczucka
Irena Sendlerowa

Religion

John Paul II (born 1920), the Pope
Jacob Frank , (1726-1791)

Others

Benedict the Pole (Benedictus Polonus, Benedykt Polak), (1200-1280), explorer
Florian Ceynowa
Ryszard Kuklinski (1930-2004), CIA masterspy during the Cold War
Miguel Najdorf (1910-1997), chess player
Krystyna Skarbek (1915-1952), SOE heroine of WW II
Janusz Zurakowski , WW II fighter pilot and Avro Arrow test pilot

Controversial persons

Jakub Berman
Feliks Dzierzynski (1877-1926), Cheka founder
Feliks Kon
Salomon Morel (1919-)
Jozef Unszlicht
Wanda Wasilewska (1905-1964) Polish communist and novelist,Stalin's friend

Legendary persons

John of Kolno (Jan z Kolna,Johannes Scolnus or Scolvus), (semi?)legendary explorer and discoverer of America before Columbus (1476)