Milan Rastislav Štefánik
Milan Rastislav Štefánik (; 21 July 1880 – 4 May 1919) was a
Slovak politician, diplomat, aviator 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 Czechoslovak 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.
His personal motto was "To Believe, To Love, To Work" (''Veriť, milovať, pracovať'').
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