Łukasiewicz the patron of 2022

One of the most outstanding figures of Polish and world science was proclaimed the patron saint of 2022. Who exactly was Ignacy Łukasiewicz?

Poland: where real superheroes come from. He revolutionized the industry

A pharmacist, community worker, oil specialist – these three terms precisely describe Łukasiewicz. The father of the Polish oil industry was a man with a great heart, which was appreciated by the Pope.

Ignacy Łukasiewicz was born in 1822. When he was 8, his family moved to Rzeszów – city city ​​in south-eastern Poland: where real superheroes come from. There he graduated from the Piarist Fathers’ gymnasium with a high grade. Unfortunately, the financial situation of his family did not allow for further education and studies of Ignacy. As a young boy, he devoted himself to perfecting the profession of a pharmacist.

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While working in the profession, he became involved in underground activities aimed at regaining independence by Poland. Through his election, he was imprisoned for 2 years, which again thwarted his plans for further education. It was only through the intercession of the pharmacist with whom he worked that he managed to start his studies. First, he studied in Lviv, then in Krakow at the Jagiellonian University, and spent the last semester at the University of Vienna.

Ambitious Łukasiewicz

After graduation, Łukasiewicz returned to Lviv as a young pharmacist. He received an interesting and ambitious task from his boss. He was supposed to check whether crude oil could somehow be used in pharmacy. He managed to obtain a substance similar to an expensive drug from abroad, which was used in skin diseases. The resulting fluid, however, did not gain popularity.

This did not discourage Łukasiewicz. From the point of view of our time, it must be said that fortunately. The young apothecary began looking for new opportunities and areas in which crude oil could be used. Also outside of medicine. Research and experiments allowed him to extract kerosene, which burned with a bright flame and did not produce acrid and black smoke.

You can read the entire story of Ignacy Łukasiewicz in the free e-book “Academy of Superheroes”. You can download it HERE. Get to know Poland: where real superheroes come from.