From Wikipedia
Milan Rastislav Štefánik (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmilan ˈɾascislaʊ̯ ˈʃcɛfaːɲik]; 21 July 1880 – 4 May 1919) was a Slovak politician, diplomat, aviator, Freemason and astronomer. During World War I, he served at the same time as a general in the French Army and as Minister of War for Czechoslovakia. As one of the leading members of the Czechoslovak National Council (the resistance government), he contributed decisively to the cause of Czechoslovakian sovereignty, since the status of Czech- and Slovak-populated territories was one of those in question until shortly before the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in 1918.

                                         21st July it will be 140 years since the birth of this remarkable personality.
M.R.Štefánik was not only a prominent politician, who together with T.G.Masaryk and E.Beneš is considered founder of Czechoslovakia but he was also scientist, pilot, general of French army, astronomer. Though he dies already at the age of 38 his life is full of interesting events. 
His personal motto was "To Believe, To Love, To Work"

Photo in Wikipedia

        Born in family of lutheran pastor he has 11 siblings, in 1898 he began to study construction engineering in Prague but he later changed it to studying of  astronomy, physics, optics, mathematics and philosophy. In 1904 he graduated and went to Paris were he continued his astronomical works. During years when living in France he reached to the highest levels of french society.  
        Work in astronomical field brought him not only to climb Mont Blanc to observe Moon and Mars Since 1908, he had been also charged by the French authorities with astronomical and meteorological observations. Mainly he made observations of solar eclipses. His scientific and political tasks in various countries all over the world brought him also to Algeria, Morocco, Turkistan, Russia, India, the United States, Panama, Brazil, Ecuador, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti - were he observed Halley comet, Fiji, and Tonga. It can be said he was a globetrotter. As scientist in astrophysics and solar physics he became well known for his spectral analysis of the sun's corona.
       Though he returned several times to Slovakia - at that time still part of Austrian-Hungarian Empire  - in 1912 he received French citizenship and on 20 October 1917, he was made a Grand Officier of the Legion of Honour.

                                                                          
        When WW I begun he entered French army and became a pilot. In 1915 he met T.G.Masaryk and  E.Beneš and began to co-operate with them on the conception of an independent Czechoslovak state . During WW I he continued to travel - he was in Serbia, Roumania and in 1917 in Russia were so called Czechoslovak legions - volunteer armed forces were formed. In 1917 he also visited  USA were he  introduced his compatriots to the idea of a common state of Czechs and Slovaks. 
        In January 1919, after the war ended, Štefánik went from Russia to France and Italy, where he organized the March retreat of Czechoslovak troops from Siberia to Paris.
        On 4th May 1919 Štefánik decided to return back to his family in Slovakia, at that time already part of newly founded Czechoslovakia. His goal was Bratislava. When the first attempt to land failed, during the second the plane unexpectedly crashed. An entire crew of four has died. The cause of the plane's crash has never been reliably clarified. Most likely it was caused by strong wind, a technical fault or pilot error in the maneuver. The official investigation also cited the possibility that Štefánik fainted in the pilot's seat or that the plane was shot down - either by mistake (confusion with the Hungarian plane), or deliberately.
        Historians would write much more about this great man, his interesting fate and his rich activities in many fields which he managed during his relatively short life.
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Airport in capital of Slovak Republic Bratislava was named M.R.Štefánik airport.
In 2019, Štefánik was selected as the "Greatest Slovak" in the Slovak version of the British programme 100 Greatest (Britons)

In Praha is astronomical observatory called with his name.

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Quotes by M.R. Štefánik

"An dishonest person can not perform a big act.“

"I, with astonishment, look into space and try to determine in it the coordinates of my soul. "

" I lived a beautiful life. I've been through eternity in seconds. "

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    Thanks for reading 

                                                            Margaret