During our recent visit to the Czech Republic, twelve of AFoCR's directors had the opportunity to meet with a range of leaders including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jan Lipavsky (pictured above).
His commitment to deepening the relationship between the Czech Republic and the U.S. was impressive. We are grateful for his time and insights, and looking forward to continuing our work together!
Stay tuned for more updates from our trip!
Born on April, 1876. Tomáš #Baťa was a #Czech entrepreneur and founder of the Bata Shoes company. It became one of the world's biggest multinational retailers, manufacturers, and distributors of footwear and accessories. #CzechInnovation
Physical map of Czech Republic showing major cities, terrain, national parks, rivers, and surrounding countries with international borders and outline maps. Key facts about Czech Republic.
Today is the birthday of Josef Klička. Czech conductor, violinist, music educator, composer and organist. Born on this day in 1855 in Klatovy, Plzeň Region. #CzechHistory.
On Christmas Eve of 1961, Professor Otto Wichterle invented a soft, water-permeable, contact lens producing machine, which he constructed using his son’s toy building set, and a motor from a small bike.
After it was invented, the Czech government sold the patent to an American entrepreneur before they began selling the contact lenses.
The machine that Otto made is the same kind that is still used today.
#CzechInnovation #CzechBusiness
Soft contact lenses, worn these days by an estimated 125 million people worldwide, were invented in the early 1960s by Otto Wichterle (1913-1998), an ingenious Czech organic chemist. #CzechInnovators #CzechScience #CzechBusiness #AFoCR
Milada Horáková was put to death at age 49 by hanging in Pankrác Prison, Prague on June 27, 1950. Of the 248 persons executed for political reasons in Communist Czechoslovakia during the Cold War, she was the only woman executed. She is a national heroine in the Czech Republic, and June 27th is the official day of “Commemoration for the Victims of the Communist Regime.”
Karel Kryl was an iconic Czech singer-songwriter and performer of many protest songs in which he strongly criticized and identified the shortcomings and inhumanity of the Communist and later also post-communist regime in his home country #Czechmusic
