Rhemalogy

General Pulaski Memorial Day is a public holiday in the United States honoring General Kazimierz Pułaski (Casimir Pulaski in English), a Polish hero of the American Revolution. This holiday is held every year on October 11 by Presidential Proclamation, to commemorate his death from wounds suffered at the siege of Savannah on October 9, 1779, and to honor Polish Americans’ heritage. This observance was established in 1929 when Congress passed a resolution designating October 11 as General Pulaski Memorial Day. Every President has issued a proclamation for this annual observance since; with the exception of 1930.

However, this is a separate holiday from the regional holiday in the Chicago area titled Casimir Pulaski Day which commemorates Pulaski’s birth on March 4, 1746. New York City hosts an annual Pulaski Day Parade and Grand Rapids, Michigan also holds Pulaski Day at this time. Some areas with larger Polish-American populations celebrate Casimir Pulaski Day on the first Monday of March, marking Pulaski’s March 4, 1746 birth. Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, and Indiana have state recognition of this holiday, which is very popular in Chicago and Milwaukee.

General Pulaski’s Day is also a holiday recognized by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, “in commemoration of the death of revolutionary General Casimir Pulaski”. General Pulaski’s Day is observed on October 11 each year in Kentucky. General Pulaski’s Day was created by a statute enacted by the Kentucky General Assembly before 1942.

Accessed Wikipedia 10 October 2022.