Maintained by Martin Gregor, Slovak&Czech Translation Services E-mail: mpgregor@aol.com

Associations & Clubs ... People Meet/Communicate with People ... Notable (and less notable) Czechs, Slovaks & Rusyns ... Sport Personalities ... World Record Holders ... | OLYMPIC GAMES Medal Winners | ... Notable Foreigners Who Worked There ... and some humor 

Need information about people related issues in the Czech Republic or Prague? Contact Jana at Charles University: Pavel.Wild@ruk.cuni.cz 

ASSOCIATIONS AND CLUBS

DIRECTORY of approx. 90 Czech and Slovak organizations in USA and Canada 

 PEOPLE MEET/COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE

Did you know that the plot in the James Bond movie "Living Daylights" starts in Bratislava? ... and parts of the "Golden Gun" Bond movie was shot in Prague?...Did you know that "Mission Impossible" was filmed in Prague? ...and parts of the "Peacemaker" in Slovakia?

NOTABLE CZECHS, SLOVAKS AND RUSYNS - PRESENT AND PAST:

~ ~ ~ In no particular order ~ ~ ~ 

(The Rusyns or Ruthenians are one of the great lost peoples of central Europe. They still live in the easternmost part of Slovakia and part of Poland and Ukraine.) 

Photographs and short bios (one document): Forman, Havel, Janacek, Kafka, Klaus, Kundera, Masaryk, Mucha, Navratilova, Sudek

T.G. Masaryk, Benes, V. Adler * Statesmen

Founding father of Czechoslovakia * In 1960 the US Postal Service honored him by issuing a stamp in the series "CHAMPIONS OF LIBERTY" (Scott's Cat. No.: 1147) 

Vaclav Havel (CR), Michal Kovac (SR) * Presidents 

Thomas Bata , Emil Ritter von Skoda * Industrialists 

Sigmund Freud * Psychiatrist and neurologist

Madelaine Albright * US Secretary of State, Former US Ambassador to UN

Karol Plicka, Josef Sudek * Photographers 

Milan Rastislav Stefanik * Mathematician, Astronomer and WWI General

Gregor Mendel * "Father of Genetics", 19th century 

Ivana Zelnícková-Trump * Olympic skier and ex-wife of D. Trump

Alexander Dubcek * His liberal reforms led to the Prague Spring 

Alfons Mucha, Josef Capek, Josef Sima, Jindrich Styrsky, Toyen, Max Svabinsky, Otakar Nejedly, Vaclav Spala, Jan Zrzavy, Emil Filla, Josef Manes, Gustav Mally, Martin Benka, Janko Alexy, M. A. Bazovsky, Ludovit Fulla, Mikulas Galanda, Dominik Skutecky, Koloman Sokol * Artists

Jiri Trnka (Painter and director of cartoon and puppet films), Karel Zeman (Film director)

Sandra Dee, Lizabeth Scott (born in the Czech ghetto in Scranton, PA), Robert Urich, Tom Selleck * Actors

Viera Mencikova, Lubomir Kavalek * World Chess Players

Ema Destinnova * Actress and Singer

Johannes Marcus Marci * Physician

Hviezdoslav, Jesensky, Macha, Sladkovic, Erben, Tyl, Nemcova, Havlicek, Stur * Poets/Writers 

Michael Strank * One of the Iwo Jima flag raisers ("a kid from the coal country of Pennsylvania")

Bedrich Smetana, Antonín Dvorák, Leos Janacek, Bohuslav Martinu * Composers

Belus, Dedecek, Fuchs, Uhliarik, Grossmann, Karfík, Janák, Gocar, Jurkovic, Kotera, Kroha, Kuzma, Loos * Architects

Jan Blazej Santini-Ajchl, a Baroque painter and architect, a third-generation Czech of Italian descent

Karel Capek, Franz Kafka (home page) * Writers. Capek coined the word ROBOT. Play RUR with links. 

Jaroslav Heyrovsky, (Heyrovsky Foundation)* Nobel Prize winner for Polarography (1959) 

Andy Warhol * American pop artist, has roots there 

Eugene Cernan (Cernan salutes the US flag on the Moon, Cernan Center) * APOLLO (1969) astronaut, has roots there 

Jan Hus * Religious reformer in the 15th century

Janosik * Slovak "Robin Hood"

Werich, (quotations), Hornicek, Voskovec * Actors and Writers

Johan Nepomuk Bolzano of Prague * Philosopher, mathematician 

Jan Amos Comenius (Komensky and other Czech humanists) * Theologian and educationist 17th century 

Milos Forman * Contemporary film director, Amadeus (1984), The People vs. Larry Flint (1996) (among others) 

Milan Kundera. Kundera and his works. A Book of Nothing * Writer

OTHERS 

SPORT PERSONALITIES:

Stan Mikita, Peter Bondra - Photo (WSH), Michael Pivonka (WSH), Jaromír Jagr (PIT), Petr Nedved (PIT), Jiri Slegr (EDM), Zdeno Ciger (EDM), and more.* NHL Hockey players 

Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl, Jan Kodes, Jaroslav Drobny, Hana Mandlikova * Tennis Players

WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONS: Navratilova in 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, Kodes in 1973, Drobny in 1954 

THE US OPEN CHAMPIONS: Lendl in 1985, 1986, 1987, Navratilova 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, Mandlikova 1985

FRENCH OPEN: Kodes in 1970, 1971, Mandlikova 1981, Navratilova 1982, 1984, Lendl 1984, 1986, 1987

AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Mandlikova 1980, 1987, Navratilova 1981, 1983, 1985, Lendl 1989, 1990

DAVIS CUP WINNER: Czechoslovakia, 1980

George (Jiri) Zidek * NBA player (Denver Nuggets)

Did you know ... that the tennis legend Martina Navrátilová is now Dr. Navrátilová? On February 9, 1996 Miss Navrátilová received an honorary degree from George Washington University in Washington, DC - the first ever bestowed upon the sport superstar. 

WORLD RECORD HOLDERS:

NOTABLE FOREIGNERS WHO LIVED THERE: 

Tycho de Brahe * 16th century astronomer, died in Prague in 1601

Giacomo Casanova * 18th century Italian adventurer, died in Duchcov Castle in 1798 

Mies van der Rohe (Villa Tugendhat in Brno) * Architect 

Saints Cyril and Methodius (picture), Background * 9th century missionaries to the Great Moravian Empire (Learn about Slavonic tongue)

Albert Einstein * professor of physics in Prague from 1911 to 1912. 

... AND SOME HUMOR. 

In the Communist Soviet Union there was a radio station called Radio Jerevan. It was famous for its ability to answer any question. Let's hear them: 

Q: Is it possible for a driver of a Volga automobile to negotiate a sharp curve at 100 miles per hour? 
A: Yes, but only once. 
Q: Is it possible to make love 50 times during one night? 
A: Yes, but it must be a polar night. 
Q: Is it possible to send a director of a company to Space? 
A: Yes, and it is even more polite. 
Q: Every night I have dreams in foreign languages. What should I do? 
A: We recommend that you sleep with an interpreter. 
Q: A woman-miner from Donbas coal mines asks: What should I do to have nice, soft and clean hands? 
A: Nothing. 

... MORE HUMOR 

Posted by: John Christian

A Canadian decided to buy a chainsaw. The salesman is doing his salespitch: 

-- With this, you can cut at least 40 trees. 

Next day the Canadian is complaining: 

--I was able to cut only 20 trees. What's wrong? 

The salesman follows Canadian to the woods and when he starts the chainsaw the Canadian asks: 

-- What is this noise ... !? 

 

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