Short answers, pulled from the story.
Praga takes its name from the Polish verb prażyć, meaning to burn or to roast. The settlement was built on forested land that was deliberately burned down to clear space for a village, and the name stuck.
Praga was first mentioned in 1432. It received a city charter from King Władysław IV on the 10th of February 1648, and was attached to Warsaw as a borough in 1791 during the reign of Stanisław August Poniatowski.
The Battle of Praga was a Russian assault during the Kościuszko Uprising in 1794. It was followed by a massacre in which 12,000 inhabitants of the Praga district lost their lives.
Unlike the central parts of Warsaw, Praga remained relatively untouched during the German occupation in World War II. Its survival made it a practical location for ministries and public facilities during the postwar period of reconstruction.
Warsaw has two Catholic dioceses because of Praga's centuries-long separate status from the rest of the city. The Archdiocese of Warsaw is centered on St. John's Cathedral, while the Diocese of Warsaw-Praga is centered on St. Florian's Cathedral in Praga.
After the end of communism in 1989, young artists moved into many of Praga's former factory buildings, drawing crowds looking for something different from the Old Town. The district has since been described as one of the "trendiest neighbourhoods across Europe."