October 17

On October 17, 1558, King Sigismund II Augustus issued a royal charter creating Poczta Polska to oversee mail delivery and courier services. The new institution introduced regular routes linking major cities of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, improving government administration and commerce. Riders known as kurierzy carried official dispatches, while expanding networks reached rural areas in subsequent decades. Poczta Polska implemented standardized rates and timetables, setting a model for later European postal systems. Over time, it would evolve into a modern state-run corporation, adapting to technological changes such as railways and telegraphs. Its founding is celebrated as a milestone in Poland's communication history.

On October 17, 1943, the Japanese completed the Burma–Thailand Railway, often called the "Death Railway", spanning 415 kilometers. Constructed by roughly 60,000 Allied POWs and 250,000 Asian laborers, the project was marked by horrific conditions and disease. An estimated 12,000 prisoners and tens of thousands of laborers died due to malnutrition, overwork, and tropical diseases. The line served Japanese military logistics but became a symbol of wartime atrocity and forced labor exploitation. After the war, sections of the railway were dismantled, though parts remain as memorials and a tourist attraction. The Burma Railway endures as a testament to human suffering and resilience, inspiring films, books, and historical research.