Polish American Month

October 21, 2009

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Profile America — Wednesday, October 21st. One of the nation’s Revolutionary War heroes is being honored this month — Polish General Casimir Pulaski. He was brought to America by Benjamin Franklin, where he fought under George Washington, organizing and training the American cavalry. The Pulaski Skyway over the Passaic and Hackensack rivers in New Jersey is named for him. Pulaski is a fitting hero for October, which is also Polish American Heritage Month. The first Polish immigrants arrived in America to join the Jamestown, Virginia, settlement in 1608. There are just over 10 million people of Polish ancestry in the U.S. today. The largest Polish American community is in New York, followed by Illinois and Michigan. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events, p. 485
www.polishamericancenter.org
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 51
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2009edition.html