Over the centuries Białystok has produced a number of persons who have provided unique contributions to the fields of science, language, politics, religion, sports, visual arts and performing arts. This environment was created in the mid 18th century by the patronage of Jan Klemens Branicki for the arts and sciences. A list of recent notable persons includes, but is not limited to:
Ryszard Kaczorowski, last émigré President of the Republic of Poland
L. L. Zamenhof, the creator of Esperanto
Albert Sabin, co-developer of the polio vaccine
Izabella Scorupco, actress
Max Weber, painter.
Max Białystok of The Producers (1968 film)
Tomasz Bagiński, Polish illustrator, animator and director, (The Cathedral).
Sala Burton (née Galante), United States Representative from California.
Marek Citko, Polish former footballer.
Aleksandra Ekster, painter and designer.
Tomasz Frankowski, Polish footballer.
Hermann Friedmann, philosopher.
Małgorzata Guzowska, Polish heptathlete.
Ryszard Kaczorowski, last émigré President of the Republic of Poland.
Boris Kaufman, cinematographer.
Mikhail Kaufman, cinematographer and photographer.
Ernst Krenkel, Arctic explorer
Jarosław Kazberuk, Polish rally driver.
Wojciech Kowalewski, Poland national team goalkeeper.
Rufus Learsi, American educator and author
Abraham ben Eliezer Lipman Lichtstein, rabbi, author and Talmudic scholar.
Maxim Litvinov, Russian revolutionary and prominent Soviet diplomat.
Jacek Markiewicz, Polish football player.
Mariusz Piekarski, Polish football player.
Samuel Pisar, lawyer and writer.
Albert Sabin, co-developer of the polio vaccine.
Izabella Scorupco, actress.
Simon Segal, painter.
Radosław Sobolewski, Polish football player.
Mischa Spoliansky, composer.
Eleazar Sukenik, archaeologist.
Aneta Todorczuk-Perchuć, Polish actress and vocalist.
Łukasz Tupalski, Polish football player.
Marek Twardowski, Polish sprint canoer.
Robert Tyszkiewicz, Polish politician.
Ephraim Urbach, Talmud scholar and recipient of the Israel Prize.
Marek Wasiluk, Polish football player.
Max Weber, painter.
Dziga Vertov (Kaufman), a Soviet documentary film and newsreel director.
Dariusz Zakrzewski, Polish professional road racing cyclist.
L. L. Zamenhof, the creator of Esperanto.
Hans Ziglarski, German boxer
Mirosław Złotkowski, Polish Greco-Roman wrestler.
Michał Kulesza, painter.
Paweł Małaszyński, Polish TV and film actor.
During the 2006 mayoral elections, a humorous and peculiar TV spot of one of the candidates, Krzysztof Kononowicz of the electoral committee Podlaskie of the 21st Century (Polish: Podlasie XXI Wieku), attracted some notoriety for his purposely unsophisticated political advertisement, first aired on local TV and featured heavily on YouTube. Within several days, over 3 million Internet users had seen the commercial on YouTube, posted by Kononowicz's electoral committee, with additional exposure on Polish national TV.
