Milan Rastislav Štefánik (born July 21, 1880 in Košariská - died May 4, 1919 in Ivánka pri Dunaji) was a Slovak politician, diplomat, and astronomer. French citizen 1912 (-1918). During World War I, he was General of the French army, at the same time the Czechoslovak Minister of War, one of the leading members of the Czecho-Slovak National Council (i.e. resistance government), and he contributed decisively to the cause of Czecho-Slovak sovereignty. (The status of Czech- and Slovak-populated territories, among others, was in question till shortly before the disintegration of Austria-Hungary in 1918.) July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The French Army (Armée de Terre, Ground Army) is one component in the Military of France. ... Czechoslovakia (Czech: Československo, Slovak: Česko-Slovensko/before 1990 Československo) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1992 (except for the World War II period). ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Studies

He was born in Košariská (near Myjava in Slovakia, at that time part of Austria-Hungary) on July 21, 1880. He had 12 brothers and sisters (2 of which died later). His father was a local Lutheran priest. As a strong Slovak patriot, he had troubles at Hungarian schools (Slovak ones were prohibited) and had to change the high school several times (Bratislava, Šoporňa, Šarvaš). Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Lutheran movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity by the original definition. ... Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and the countrys largest city, with a population of some 430,000. ...

In 1898, he started to study construction engineering in Prague. In 1900 he switched to the Charles University were he was going to lectures of astronomy, physics, optics, mathematics and philosophy. He was also in Zürich for a short time within his studies. The Prague years had a great impact on Štefánik, because he met many important personalities there: the lectures of philosophy were taught by Tomáš Masaryk (the future first president of Czechoslovakia), who inspired Štefánik with the idea of cooperation of the Czechs and the Slovaks. Furthermore, Štefánik very actively participated in the work of the Slovak student association Detvan (and within Detvan of the so-called Hlasists group). His studies were largely financed by the Czech associations Českoslovanská jednota (Czechoslovak Unity), Radhošť etc. - he himself could not afford them. In Prague, he wrote political and artistic texts, in which he tried to inform the Czechs on the disastrous situation of the Slovaks at that time. He graduated in 1904 with a doctor’s degree in philosophy and with thorough knowledge of astronomy (he finished his studies with a thesis in astronomy). 1898 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Prague (Praha in Czech) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ... The Charles University of Prague (also simply University of Prague; Czech: Univerzita Karlova; Latin: Universitas Carolina) is the oldest and most prestigious Czech university and among the oldest universities in Europe, being founded in 1340s (for the exact year, see below). ... Zürich IPA (in English often Zurich, which is also the standard French form of the name) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 364,558 in 2002; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. ... Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (sometimes called Thomas Masaryk in English) (March 7, 1850 - September 14, 1937) advocated Czechoslovak independence and became the first President of Czechoslovakia. ... 1904 is a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

France, Tahiti and other countries

In 1904, he went to Paris to find a job in astronomy. Initially, he had no money and no command of French, but then he got a job at the famous Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, whose director, Pierre Janssen (one of the co-founders of astrophysics), saw Štefánik’s talent. His astronomical observation very quickly yielded several scientific treatises. Some of them were read at the Académie Française. Between 1906 and 1908 he was co-director of Mont Blanc observatories Plc (joint-stock company). The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... The Paris Observatory (in French, Observatoire de Paris or Observatoire de Paris-Meudon) is the foremost astronomical observatory of France, and one of the largest astronomical centers in the world. ... Pierre Jules César Janssen (February 22, 1824 – December 23, 1907) was a French astronomer who in 1868 discovered how to observe solar prominences without an eclipse. ... Spiral Galaxy ESO 269-57 Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties ( luminosity, density, temperature and chemical composition) of astronomical objects such as stars, galaxies, and the interstellar medium, as well as their interactions. ... The Académie française, or French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. ... This article is about the Alpine mountain. ... PLC is an initialism for: Palestinian Legislative Council (law-making body of the Palestinian Authority) Parti Libéral du Canada (the term in French for the Liberal Party of Canada) phospholipase C Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth power line communication, including broadband PLC modems Prague Linguistic Circle programmable logic controller product life cycle...

At the end of 1907, however, Pierre Janssen died and Štefánik had to change his job. Since 1908, he has been charged by French authorities with astronomic and meteorological observations (mainly observations of sun eclipses) and political tasks in various countries all over the world (Algeria, Turkestan, Russia, USA, Panama, South America, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Tahiti and others). In Tahiti, he also built an observatory and a meteorological stations network. Between these voyages he regularly returned home to Košariská (last time in 1913 for his father’s funeral). When he was in South America (especially in Ecuador), he got an opportunity to show his diplomatic skills for the first time. 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Türkistan (also spelled Turkistan or Turkestan) is a region in Central Asia, largely inhabited by Turkic people. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Motto: Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Nickname: The Apple Isle Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Governor Premier Const. ... Tahiti is the largest island in French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean, at 17°40′ S 149°30′ W. The island had a population of 169,674 inhabitants at the 2002 census. ... 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

Štefánik dealt with astrophysics, solar physics and became well-known for his spectral analysis of the sun corolla. He was involved in perfecting spectrography and has been considered a predecessor of Bernard Lyot. He also attempted to construct a machine for color photography and cinematography and had his design patented in 1911. Corolla can refer to: The automobile manufactured by Toyota; see Toyota Corolla A part of a flower; see Petal ... In physics, spectrophotometry is the quantitative study of spectra. ... Bernard Ferdinand Lyot (February 27, 1897 – April 2, 1952) was a French astronomer. ... 1911 is a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ...

His studies and the results of his observations were published in reports to the Académie Française and he received several awards for them. The Académie française, or French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. ...

In addition to his scientific missions overseas, he also performed diplomatic tasks. He established contacts and friendship with leading scientific, artistic, political, diplomatic and business personalities. He participated in the establishment of business enterprises in France and other countries.

In 1912, he received French citizenship, recognition and access to the French elite. In 1914, he was made knight of the Legion of Honour. At the same time, however, he had some personal problems and a serious stomach illness (which did not get better even after a medical operation). Moreover, the World War I started in Europe. 1912 is a leap year starting on Monday. ... 1914 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... French Legion of Honor The Légion dhonneur (in Legion of Honor (AmE) or Legion of Honour (ComE)) is an Order of Chivalry awarded by the President of France. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

World War I and struggle for independence

Štefánik understood that a defeat of Austria-Hungary (and Germany) in this war meant a chance for the Slovaks and Czechs to gain independence from Austria-Hungary. Therefore, he insisted on participating in the war as an aviator (of the French army). After a short training, he was sent as a pilot to Serbia in May 1915. He flew 30 missions to enemy territories in sum. His excessive effort almost caused his death. Finally he survived, but could not fight anymore, so that he returned to Paris at the end of 1915. Serbia and Montenegro  – Serbia    – Kosovo and Metohia        (UN administration)    – Vojvodina  – Montenegro Official language Serbian1 Capital Belgrade Area  – Total  – % water  88,361 km²  n/a Population  – Total (2002)     (without Kosovo)  – Density  7. ... 1915 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Back in Paris, he became acquainted with Edvard Benes and got into contact with his former professor Tomáš Masaryk. In 1916, these three men founded the Czecho-Slovak National Council (the supreme body – government - of Czecho-Slovak resistance abroad leading to the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918). Since 1917, he was the vice-president of the council. Thanks to his diplomatic skills, Štefánik helped Masaryk and Beneš to meet and obtain the support of some of the most important personalities of the Entente. He for example organized Masaryk’s meeting with the French prime minister Aristide Briand. Edvard Beneš. ... Entente, meaning a diplomatic understanding, may refer to a number of agreements: The Entente Cordiale, 1904 between France and the United Kingdom. ... Aristide Briand, French politician Aristide Briand (March 28, 1862 - March 7, 1932) was a French statesman. ...

In 1916, Štefánik and the Czecho-Slovak resistance started to create Czechoslovak troops (legions) that would fight against Austria-Hungary and Germany. For this purpose, Štefánik (as the Czechoslovak Minister of War and as a French General) went to Russia and then (in February 1917) to the USA. He also organized legions in France and Italy. It was largely due to his personal diplomatic skills and contacts that the Allies (Entente) recognized the Czechoslovak National Council as a government-de-facto and the Czechoslovak troops as allied forces in the summer and autumn 1918. In May 1918, Štefánik went to Siberia in Russia, where he was supposed to make the Czechoslovak legions there renew the second, i. e. Eastern, front (because Russia had switched the sides and signed peace with Germany and Austria-Hungary in March 1918, and Czechoslovak legions very successfully rebelled against a subsequent Russian order to disarm, thus showing their abilities to the Allies). But in Russia, Štefánik saw that this was not possible anymore. 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... 1917 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Siberia Siberia (Russian: Сиби́рь, common English transliterations: Sibir, Sibir; possibly from the Mongolian for the calm land) is a vast region of Russia and northern Kazakhstan constituting almost all of northern Asia. ...

In January 1919, when the war ended, Štefánik went from Russia to France and Italy, where he organized the retreat of Czechoslovak troops from Siberia in March in Paris. In addition, his diplomatic skills were needed in order to solve quarrels between the French and Italian missions in Czechoslovakia. In April, he went from Paris to Rome to negotiate at the Italian Ministry of War, where he also met his fiancée Juliana Benzoni for the last time. Then he went to the main Italian military base in Padua, where he agreed with General Armando Diaz on the dissolution of the Italian military mission in Czechoslovakia. At the same time, severe quarrels arose between Štefánik and Beneš (but also Masaryk), mainly around the position of Slovakia within Czechoslovakia. In April, for example, Beneš wrote to a county president in Slovakia: „I had a conflict with Štefánik. . . Everything is over between us. I mean absolutely (over). But keep it totally secret...“ 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Location within Italy Tronco Maestro Riviera: a pedestrian walk along a section of the inland waterway or naviglio interno of Padua The city of Padua (Lat. ...

Bradlo.

Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Death

Finally, Štefánik wanted to return home to see his family. He decided to fly from Italy and to use an Italian military plane. On May 4, 1919 around 11 AM, his plane tried to land in Bratislava (which was threatened by Hungarian troops of Béla Kun at that time), but crashed near Ivánka pri Dunaji. Štefánik died along with two Italian officers. The reason for the plane crash is disputed till today. The official explanation at that time was that the plane was shot down „by mistake“, because its Italian tricolor was mistaken for the Hungarian tricolor. Štefánik’s sudden death in combination with his preceding quarrels with Beneš contributed to Slovak suspicion towards the Czechs during the First Republic of Czechoslovakia. May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 1919 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and the countrys largest city, with a population of some 430,000. ... Béla Kun Béla Kun (February 20, 1886–1939?) was a Hungarian Communist who ruled Hungary for a brief time in 1919. ...

Štefánik’s personal motto was: To Believe, To Love and To Work.

See also

• History of Slovakia
• History of Czechoslovakia