Jan Zaprudnik was born into a family of school teachers in what was then the
Second Polish Republic. During the
Occupation of Belarus by Nazi Germany, Zaprudnik graduated from the Gymnasium in
Baranavičy and studied at a high school there. In 1944, Jan Zaprudnik fled to
Germany because of his likely persecution for collaboration with invaders by Soviet authorities. In 1954, he graduated from the
history faculty of the
Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. Later he worked for the Belarusian service of
Radio Free Europe. In 1957, Jan Zaprudnik moved to the
United States and was a member of the
Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic working "to ensure that the world did not forget about the Belarusians and their right to their own independent state". In 1969, he received a doctorate in history from
New York University about Belarusian representatives in the
State Duma of the Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20th century and later worked as a professor in
history at several universities. ==Works==