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, he was one of the first persons to winter in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

and became an internationally renowned

meteorologist A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists in research, while t ...

. He was instrumental in restoring Polish independence after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Several geographical features, the Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station and a

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

of the National Academy of Sciences are named in his honor.

Early life

Henryk Arctowski was born in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

on 15 July 1871 to the Artzt family, whose ancestors came to Poland in the 17th century from

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...

. As a pupil in the German-occupied part of Poland, he was prosecuted for speaking Polish in school, so his parents sent him to Liège. In 1888 he started studying mathematics, physics and astronomy at the

University of Liège The University of Liège (french: Université de Liège), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the 301 ...

, and chemistry and geology at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. Upon completion in 1893, he returned to Liège where he worked in the laboratory of professor Spring in the chemistry department until 1869. In 1893, to emphasize his Polishness, Artzt asked the Belgian government for permission to change his name to Arctowski.

Belgian Antarctic Expedition

In 1895 he applied to participate in the

Belgian Antarctic Expedition The Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–1899 was the first expedition to winter in the Antarctic region. Led by Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery aboard the RV ''Belgica'', it was the first Belgian Antarctic expedition and is considered the firs ...

, the first expedition to spend the winter in the Antarctic. Shipmates included

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen beg ...

and Frederick A. Cook. He coordinated the scientific work and performed physical observations himself, assisted by Antoni Bolesław Dobrowolski.

Brussels and New York

After his return from the Antarctic he lived in Brussels, analyzing the results of the expedition at the

Royal Observatory of Belgium The Royal Observatory of Belgium (french: link=no, Observatoire Royal de Belgique, nl, Koninklijke Sterrenwacht van België), has been situated in the Uccle municipality of Brussels (Belgium) since 1890. It was first established in Saint-Josse ...

, at that time headed by Lecointe, the second-in-command of the expedition. Besides publishing, he presented lectures on the expedition both in Belgium and abroad. On a lecture tour in London he met the American actress and opera singer Arian Jane Addy, whom he married in March 1909. During this period he obtained the Belgian nationality. In 1909 he moved with his wife to New York, where he headed the science division of the New York Public Library from 1911 to 1919. In 1915 he became an American citizen. Arctowski joined

The Explorers Club The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904, and has served as a meeting point fo ...

in New York in 1920.

Return to Poland

In 1920 he returned to newly independent Poland. Prime minister

Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (; – 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist and composer who became a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the new nation's Prime Minister and foreign minister during which he signed the Treaty of Versail ...

had offered him the position of minister of education, but he refused and became professor of geophysics and meteorology at Jan Kazimierz University. He was very active in research (144 papers were published by him and his assistants) and involved in the

International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG; french: Union géodésique et géophysique internationale, UGGI) is an international non-governmental organization dedicated to the scientific study of Earth and its space environment us ...

. In 1939 he traveled with his wife to the United States to attend a conference of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, when the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany invaded Poland. They never managed to return to Poland and lost all their possessions.

Exile in the United States

He accepted a position as a research associate at the Smithsonian and continued doing research until his death, even when he was obliged to resign in 1950 due to an illness. He died in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

Tributes

His name has been given to a phenomenon in which a halo resembling a

rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

, with two other partial arcs symmetrical to the main one, forms around the sun as light is refracted through ice crystals in the atmosphere. In recognition of his work and his contribution to science, his name has been given to a number of geographical features: In

: * Arctowski Dome * Arctowski Cove *

Arctowski Peninsula The Arctowski Peninsula () is a peninsula, long in a north-south direction, lying between Andvord Bay and Wilhelmina Bay on the west coast of Graham Land. It was discovered by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition, 1897–99, under Adrien de Gerlache. ...

Arctowski Nunatak Arctowski Nunatak () is a nunatak northwest of Hertha Nunatak in the Seal Nunataks group, off the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was charted by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition under Otto Nordenskiöld during a sledge journey in 1902, a ...

* Arctowski Peak In Spitsbergen: * Arctowskifjellet (Mt. Arctowski) * Arctowskibreen (Arctowski glacier) The Polish research station on King George Island, Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station, is also named after him. His widow established the Arctowski Medal through the Henryk Arctowski Fund, awarded every two years by the National Academy of Sciences for "studies in solar physics and solar-terrestrial relationships." The Polish Navy named its survey ship ORP Arctowski after him.

References

External links

*
The Polish Antarctic Station "Henryk Arctowski"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arctowski, Henryk Members of the Lwów Scientific Society 1871 births 1958 deaths Explorers of Antarctica Polish explorers Polish oceanographers Scientists from Warsaw Poland and the Antarctic Polish exiles Belgian Antarctic Expedition New York Public Library people University of Paris alumni Expatriates from the Russian Empire in Germany Expatriates from the Russian Empire in France Expatriates from the Russian Empire in Belgium Polish emigrants to the United States