Henryk Arctowski

Henryk Arctowski (15 July 1871 – 21 February 1958; ), born Henryk Artzt, was a Polish scientist and explorer.

Living in exile for a large part of his life, Arctowski was educated in Belgium and France. He was one of the first humans to winter in Antarctica, as part of the Belgian Antarctic Expedition, and became an internationally renowned meteorologist, also working for over 10 years in the United States. Arctowski was instrumental in restoring Polish independence after the First World War, after which he returned to Poland, where he continued a prolific academic career, having even declined an offer to become Minister of Education. At the time World War II broke out, Arctowski and his wife were in America, and they were unable to return; he spent the final part of his career working as a researcher at the Smithsonian until his retirement, and died in 1958 in Bethesda, Maryland.

Several geographical features, the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station and a medal of the National Academy of Sciences are named in his honor. The ashes of Arctowski and his wife were later brought to Poland, as he had asked in his will. Provided by Wikipedia