Why aren't Polish people abroad influential?

[JamesBond007]

Wasn't Igor Sikorsky of Polish descent? What about Chopin, Marie Curie, Lewandowski? Also bunch of Russian scientists and composers carried Polish surnames. There are influential Poles but even Russia is a less influential and successful than cultures you mentioned above. Eastern Europeans are just less influential than Western Europeans.

LOL, you forgot about Copernicus ? How could you !

[Laly]

Also, the current queen of Belgium, Mathilde, is half Polish. Her mother is a Polish noble, cousin of former Polish president Bronisław Komorowski.

She is an influential fashion icon:

[Methuselah]

LOL, you forgot about Copernicus ? How could you !

Wasn't he German? Passes in Poland tho.

His mother was an ethnic German it seems so he was at least half German. Maybe he had Polish identity nonetheless? He is often classified as Polish-German i think.

[Cristiano viejo]

Because Polack people are retard maybe?

[LostSoul]

Because Polack people are retard maybe?

That was not nice.

[KirillMazur]

The Slavs have never been geniuses of marketing and PR - these are not Slavic qualities.
There are a huge number of people of Polish (Russian, etc.) origin all over the world as real specialists who do their job with high quality and without unnecessary noise. Their laurels are most often appropriated by others.

[Cristiano viejo]

That was not nice.

Apologizes, it was a joke.

[Mikula]

Poland has 19 Nobel prize laureates - it is not bad - there are larger countries who have less or even no one laureates

[Ouistreham]

Geography, and history.

When you’re squeezed between strongly assertive cultures like Russia, Prussia, Sweden, the Austrian Empire, it’s not easy to play a role of your own.

This has certainly shaped a significant part of the Polish psyche.

Compare to minor nations like The Netherlands or Portugal, who took cleverly advantage of their geographical location in the West of the continent to preserve their independence and managed to become hugely influential over large parts of the world.

Many people of Polish origin have been successful and influential (artists, scientists, military and political leaders), but each time as Austrians, Frenchmen, Russians, Englishmen, Americans etc., never as Poles.

[Methuselah]

Poland has 19 Nobel prize laureates - it is not bad - there are larger countries who have less or even no one laureates

Half of them are Jewish tho. If Jews count then there are a lot of interesting and influential people. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benoit_Mandelbrot There are many great Polish scientists who were never awarded Nobel prizes by the way.