As a pupil, young Mikuláš was highly impressed by the democratic ideals promoted by the Czech teacher Bláha, who came to Slovakia to teach underprivileged local children.

Not satisfied with the life of a simple miner, he pursued further education in the Slovak capital of Bratislava, where he obtained a High School diploma and started working at the General Directorate of the Handlová mining company.

Nonetheless, he never made it home as his train was boarded by anti-fascist fighters in Poprad, who informed the passengers about the start of the uprising and invited male travelers to join the fight.

Answering their call, Mikuláš joined the local partisan garrison and, following a military training, fought against the regime and its German allies.

[4] Upon returning home after the war, he discovered his father died in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where he was deported following his arrest by Gestapo due to his Social Democratic convictions.

He resented what he saw as disproportionate blame being laid on miners for the climate change, arguing other human activities such as transpiration are also responsible for the harmful emissions.

[7] The public broadcaster Radio and Television of Slovakia commemorated the legacy of Mikuláš by airing a documentary about his life on 14 January.