Things you might not know about Poland

Marie Sklodowska-curie, and Copernicus were polsih

Marie Sklodowska-curie, and Copernicus were polsih

Copernicus were polsih

He was most certainly ethnically German and there's no evidence he spoke Polish.

He was most certainly ethnically German and there's no evidence he spoke Polish.

Polish-Teutonic war, not Polish-German war.

spent the majority of his life in a place called Prussia.

Father: Niklas Koppernigk, a merchant and baker from Cracow, who migrated to Torun not later than 1458. He married Barbara Watzenrode, daugther of a wealthy Torun merchant.

Quoting: Harry
spent the majority of his life in a place called Prussia.

So was he Prussian? Or (using the same argument - was Joseph Conrad English?

Quoting: Harry
Father: Niklas Koppernigk, a merchant and baker from Cracow, who migrated to Torun not later than 1458. He married Barbara Watzenrode, daugther of a wealthy Torun merchant.

No certain data exists. Some say the father was likely Polish, some say he was possibly a Germanized Pole.

Nice selective quoting there.

Let’s see, born in Prussia, spent most of his life in Prussia (by choice) and died in Prussia. Could he be Prussian?

Hmm, we seem to have gone from “no certain facts are known about his father or mother” to "no certain data exists".

Would you like to deny that Lucas Watzenrode was Copernicus’ uncle? Or do you just mean that no certain data exists because you don’t like the data which does exist?

The fact that one of his uncles was German doesn't make him German. If he had Polish uncles too, that fact doesn't make him Polish either.

he's known to have had a Prussian mother and grandparents;

we are not completely sure where his father was from but know that he chose to live in Prussia

he himself was born in Prussia, chose to live most of his life there despite being able to live in both Krakow and Italy

and died in Prussia

we know he spoke German but there's no evidence he spoke Polish.

At best he's an ethnically German Pole!

We know he was a merchant from Cracow, who moved to Prussia. Died when Copernicus was about 10.

Let's put it this way: if he lived today he would probably not qualify for a Polish passport (doesn't speak the language) but would certainly get a German one.

Pat Benatar and Belinda Carlisle are Polish.

Alicia Molik the aussie tennis star is also Polish.

Copernicus was born in Royal Prussia, i.e. under Polish jurisdiction. Polish citizneship is based on ius sanguinis and ius soli. Therefore he would get a Polish passport.

Even the otherwise
conciliatory Melanchthon felt called upon to passionately discount the new
theory only shortly after Rheticus’ return in October 1541:

Many hold it for an excellent idea to praise such an absurd matter, like that sarmatic
[Pollock] Astronomer, who moves the earth and lets the sun stand still.119

Doesn't seem like Germans were willing to recognize the "Pollock" as one of their own, does it?

That list seems to be missing Zvi Hirsch Kalischer, author of Derishat Zion and one of the founders of Zionism. Despite being born in what is now Poland (i.e. Poznan) and spending almost all of his life in what is now Poland (i.e. Torun), he is almost always referred to as a German rabbi

Perhaps that's because both Poznan (Ger. Posen) and Torun (Ger. Thorn) were technically in Prussia at the time?