Famous Belarusians

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Go to the Notes section at the bottom of this page for editorial comments.

Athletes

Artists

Composers

Historical Figures

Performance Artists: Drama, Ballet, Musicians, Opera, etc.

Science, Technology, Inventors, Etc.

Who's Who

Writers: Essayists, Historians, Novelists, Poets, Scholars, etc.

• Marc Chagall

  
  

• Yazep Drozdovich

  Glubokoye-born painter

  
  

• Yauhen Hlebau (Evgenij Glebov)

  September 10, 1929 -- January, 2000

  
  

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• Pictures of selected performance artists (theater, ballet, etc.) depicted on a series of pocket calendars.   Copies on this Web site.

  
  

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• Saint Euphrosyne of Polatsk

    (1110 - 1173)

  
  

• Tadevush Kastsyushka (Thaddeus Kosciusko; Tadevuss Kaxciusska)

    (1746 - 1817)
  Some brief notes about this important Belarusian who participated in the anti-Russian, Belarusian Uprising of April 24, 1794, and who also helped the US during the US Revolutionary War.

  
  

• St. Siamion of Polacak

    (1629 - 1680)

  
  

• Ignat Ipalitavich Dameika

  Belarusian geologist and intellectual

  
  

• Boris Kit

  Navahradak- [Novogrudok-] born academic and astronautics expert

  
  

• Pyotr Klimuk

  First Belarusian-born Cosmonaut   (Currently, speaks out for Russian-Belarusian Union (sic) and against "nationalists")

  
  

• Alexander Popov

  Inventor of the radio   (say the Soviets)

  
  

• Pavel Sukhoi

  Glubokoye-born aircraft designer

  
  

Notes:

• This section of the A Belarus Miscellany Web site is a celebration of individuals who have made extraordinary accomplishments.

  These "famous Belarusians" have some sort of strong connection to Belarus and its historical geographical area--even if that "connection" is only through the accident of the location of their birth. (Note: I use the term "Belarusian Culture" in its most inclusive possible meaning.)

  Granted, some of these famous people are ethnically Polish, Russian, Lithuanian, and so forth, but their Polish, Russian, etc., biographies often refer to their having been born in Hrodna "Poland," Mensk "Russia," etc., often with never a mention of Belarus (or its rich traditions and language) in these biographies published in Poland, Russia, Lithuania, etc.

  In my opinion, one must note that these places are and always have been in the Belarusian ethnographic region (see map), yet such mention on this A Belarus Miscellany Web site has resulted in outrage on the part of at least several (myopic) Polish and especially Russian/Soviet nationalists. . . . (I imagine most people do not share such chauvinist points of view.)

  Most of the famous individuals listed here, of course, do have a very strong connection to Belarusian culture and its history, and such people are celebrated on this Web site (for their specific contributions to Belarusian culture and for their contributions to humanity in general).

• I would be shocked if some individuals did not strongly disagree with my conclusions. An honest disagreement of opinion is part of what makes the world go 'round. . . . Exclusion of others may simply be due to this being a very early beginning of a work in progress. . . .

• Also see the Famous Belarusians sections on the following Web sites:
  • The Virtual Guide to Belarus   The best starting point for a survey of Belarusian culture on the WWW

  • Famous Belarusians List on Sergei Polevikov's Web site.

  • Belarus: History and Famous Personalities List on Nikolai N. Kostyukovich's Web site.

  (Note that on some of these Web sites, many of the spellings are transliterated from Belarusian or Russian, and that the expression "Famous Belarusians" is used in a very loose, inclusive sense--as I do here.

• Also see the section Articles about Famous Belarusians   (Especially about notables in contemporary Belarusian culture.)

• Please contact me for corrections, additions, etc.