... AS A MAN
He was born in Košariská, in the family of evangelical parson Pavol Štefánik and his wife Albertina as 6th child. He had 11 siblings.
The first 3 classes of the folk school he attended in his home village,where the slovak nationalist Martin Kostelný taugth him. According to the teacher's testimony Milan Rastislav was the best pupil at school. If he wanted to study at high school, he had to learn Hungarian language. So when he was 9 years old he left home and went to Šamorín to prepare for high school.
Then he started to study at the Evangelical lyceum in Bratislava. There was Milan Rastislav great student too. After 3 years he had to go with his Brother to Šopron and later to Sarvaš. Here Milan Rastislav reached excellent results, too and he got an one-time Teleki scholarship.
And he got to know his first love Emília Chovanová. In Sarvaš he graduated and he decided to go study to Prague. In Prague he became a hlasist and follower of T.G.Masaryk. Then in march 1998 he became secretary of the association Detvan. But he had a problems in this association, so he left.
During summer semester in 1902 he went to study to Zurich, and when he came back to Prague he became member of Detvan again and then he was elected as a headmaster.
Last year at university he was doing the best to finish study.
The result was dissertation work „Nové hviezdy z doby predtychonovej a Nová Cassiopea“. He defended his work, did the examinations and on 12th of October in 1904 he graduated as Phylosophy doctor.
His life motto: VERIŤ-MILOVAŤ-PRACOVAŤ (BELIEVE-LOVE-WORK)
He was seriously ill, suffered from a stomach and underwent an operation that was not successful.
His life love was Italian awning Guilliana Benzoni. He got to know her in hospital in Rome,when he had problems with stomach.
He planned to marry her. After his death Guilliana regularly visited his grave on Bradlo until 1948. The last time she was at Bradlo in 1968.
He died on 4th of May in 1919 when he was returning back home from abroad. Airplane,which he was flying in, suddenly collapsed near Ivanka pri Dunaji.
AN ORDinary man
He lived also normal life with all the problems and pleasure moments
5
... Ako Človek
M.R.Štefánik sa narodil v roku 1880 v Košariskách a zomrel v roku 1919 v Ivanke pri Dunaji. Bol slovenský astronom , fotograf, vojenský letec , brigádny generál ozbrojených síl Francúzska , diplomat a politik. Mal najväčšiu zásluhu na formovaní česko-slovenského zahraničného odboja počas prvej svetovej vojny. Zohral dôležitú úlohu pri organizovaní česko-slovenských légií. Spolu s Tomášom Garriguom Masarykom a Edvardom Benešom bol kľúčovou osobou pri založení ČSR. Bol podpredsedom Československej národnej rady a ministrom vojny. Milan Rastislav Štefánik sa narodil v rodine evanjelického farára Pavla Štefánika.Mal 10 súrodencov. Síce vyrastal v biednom prostredí ,ale už od detstva bol obklopený knihami . Už ako deväťročný sa pripravoval na štúdium na strednej škole, pretože sa musel naučiť hovoriť plynule po Maďarsky . Štefánik dosahoval výborné výsledky a v škole mal vynikajúci prospech. Stal sa hlasistom a stúpencom myšlienok T. G. Masaryka. V marci 1898 sa Štefánik stal tajomníkom spolku Detvan. V roku 1900 nastal v jeho živote zlom. Po vyhnaní otcom z domu sa uchýlil k Vavrovi Šrobárovi. V jeseni sa dal zapísať na odbor astronómia , ktorý sa vtedy študoval na Filozofickej fakulte a napriek začínajúcim problémom so žalúdkom sa pustil do štúdia.