On this Day, in 1996: Michael Jackson kicked off his HIStory World Tour in Prague
On September 7, 1996, the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson kicked off his HIStory World Tour in Prague’s Letná ParkContinue Reading
Category: Magazine
On this Day, in 1901: Polish-American anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot President William McKinley
On September 6, 1901, Polish-American anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot and fatally wounded U.S. President William McKinley at the Temple ofContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1945: the “Gouzenko Affair” marked the beginning of the Cold War
On September 5, 1945, three days after the end of World War II, Soviet embassy clerk Igor Gouzenko defected toContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1809: Romantic poet Juliusz Słowacki was born in the Polish “Stolen Lands”
On September 4, 1809, one of the “Three Bards” of Polish literature, Polish Romantic poet Juliusz Słowacki was born inContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1347: Charles IV was crowned King of Bohemia
On September 2, 1347, one of Europe’s most noteworthy rulers, Charles IV was crowned King of Bohemia, marking the startContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1939: Nazi Germany invaded Poland and set off World War II
On September 1, 1939, one week after the signing of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, marking the beginning of WorldContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1980: the Gdańsk Agreement enabled the creation of Solidarność
On August 31, 1980, strikers at Poland’s Gdańsk shipyard and the communist regime signed the historic Gdańsk Agreement, which enabled the creationContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1914: Hindenburg crushed Russia’s invasion plans at the Battle of Tannenberg
On August 30, 1914, in the early days of World War I, the German forces led by Paul von HindenburgContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1526: the Battle of Mohács marked the end of the Middle Ages in Central Europe
On August 29, 1526, the Ottoman Turks led by Suleiman the Magnificent defeated and killed the last Jagiellonian King ofContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1989: Tadeusz Mazowiecki became Poland’s first non-Communist PM in 43 years
On August 24, 1989, one of the most important architects of the Polish Round Table Talks, Tadeusz Mazowiecki was pickedContinue Reading
CineClub: Rosemary’s Baby (1968), by Roman Polanski
Revisiting old classics, discovering hidden gems and exploring the contemporary movie scene: every month, Kafkadesk’s CineClub brings you new insights and expertContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1939: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
On August 23, 1939, German and Soviet foreign ministers Joachim von Ribbentrop and Vyacheslav Molotov signed a Treaty of Non-AggressionContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1968: Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia and crushed the Prague Spring
On August 21, 1968, 250,000 Warsaw Pact troops invaded Czechoslovakia and crushed the Prague Spring, successfully stopping Alexander Dubček’s liberalisationContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1961: Hans Konrad Schumann leapt into Freedom
On August 15, 1961, East German guard Hans Konrad Schumann leapt into freedom while on duty guarding the construction ofContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1370: Charles IV granted city privileges to the hot springs of Karlovy Vary
On August 14, 1370, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia Charles IV granted city privileges to Carlsbad (now knownContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1920: the “Miracle on the Vistula” saved Europe from Bolshevik Russia
On August 13, 1920, with Poland’s newly regained independence at stake, the Bolshevik Army launched its final assault on WarsawContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1944: the week-long Wola massacre came to an end
On August 12, 1944, in the early days of the Warsaw Uprising, the week-long Wola massacre, during which around 50,000Continue Reading
On this Day, in 1986: the Hungarian Grand Prix was the first F1 race held behind the Iron Curtain
On August 10, 1986, held at the newly constructed Hungaroring and attended by 200,000 spectators from across the Eastern Bloc,Continue Reading
On this Day, in 1772: the First Partition of Poland was signed
On August 5, 1772, Austria, Prussia and Russia signed the First Partition of Poland, which deprived the once mighty Polish-LithuanianContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1863: the Matica slovenská was founded to promote Slovak identity
On August 4, 1863, the Slovak cultural institution Matica slovenská was founded in the city of Martin to promote SlovakContinue Reading