How a Fake Typhus Epidemic Saved a Polish City From the Nazis | Hacker News Reader

How a Fake Typhus Epidemic Saved a Polish City From the Nazis

atlasobscura.com

109 pointsdsr124 comments

Nice hack. There are many stories from that period, one of my favourite ones is about Witold Pilecki [1] among several things like founding secret army he was basically responsible for intel on concentration camps - people didn't know what was happening there/they didn't believe they were mass killing people; so he arranged himself to be taken to Auschwitz, organised resistance there, built communication device with mates to send info out; after sitting there for more than two years waiting for allies to take it over he decided to speak to them personally, so he escaped and did manage but west said they can't do it without soviets and soviets didn't want to do it; then he started organising resistance just in case soviets are going to take over govt - he was right, they did... his story goes on and on [1].

[1] http://www.poloniainstitute.net/witold-pilecki-bravery-beyon...

I grew up there and had no idea about the story. Yet I had to memorize egyptian pharaohs and tons of dates of historic events which everybody forgot a week later.

Anyway, a "glimpse into Rozwadow today" photo seems slightly biased. It's a small town but it doesn't looks that bad[1] (knowing HN probably only first few of you will be able to check that..)

1. http://fotografialotnicza.blox.pl/tagi_b/190925/Stalowa-Wola...

Why forget the dates after the effort shoving them in?

And why not ask what is the value of knowing the dates of important events? The polish school system is hardly unique in this requirement.

I hated memorizing dates as a kid. Horrible at short term memory. But I was good at putting them in long term memory. Now what I hated anchors my understanding of history.

For example, does the modern Polish state obtaining independence have any meaning except in the 20s and 30s? (That is after the fall of the Czar, after WW1, before the Molotov pact). Despite Polish longing, 1917 had to happen. 1917 is an anchor.

Or consider that the discovery of America, 1492, happened less than 40 years after the fall of Constantinople and in the same year as the fall of Granada (ending the Reconquista). 1492 (and 1453) is another anchor

> because the Germans were inclined to avoid such territories and the population was relatively free from atrocities

The small comforts one accepts in times of war.

Amazing story, thank you for posting.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com