1/01, 5A)
1872 Jul 16, Roald Amundsen
(d.1928), Norwegian explorer, discoverer of the South Pole, was
(Ind, 4/27/02, 5A)(MC, 7/16/02)
1872 Aug 3, Haakon VII, King of
Norway, was born in Charlottenlund, Denmark.
1876 Feb 24, Henrik Ibsen's
"Peer Gynt," premiered in Oslo.
1879 Henrik Ibsen wrote his
play "A Doll’s House." Much of the dialogue was written to move
characters on and off stage.
(WSJ, 4/4/97, p.A7)(SFC, 1/7/99, p.A8)
1882 May 20, Henrik Ibsen's
"Ghosts" (Gengangere, 1881) premiered in Chicago.
1882 Henrik Ibsen wrote his
moral melodrama "An Enemy of the People."
(WSJ, 8/11/98, p.A16)
1887 Feb 5, Peder Balke
(b.1804), Norwegian painter, died. He was known for portraying the
nature of Norway in a positive manner and influenced a dramatic and
romantic view of Norwegian landscape.
1887 Jul 18, Vidkum Quisling,
Norwegian minister of Defense, premier (1942-45), was born. He was
considered a traitor to his country for allowing an easy takeover by
(HN, 7/18/98)(MC, 7/18/02)
1887 Sophus Lie (1842-1899),
Norwegian mathematician, recognized a mathematical structure called
E8, which contained 248 dimensions. It took 120 years to solve. In
2007 Dr. Garrett Lisi proposed that this structure could be used to
describe fully the laws of physics.
1888 Mar 4, Knute Rockne,
Norwegian-US football player, coach for Notre Dame, was born.
(HN, 3/4/98)(SC, 3/4/02)
1888 Fridtjof Nansen of Norway
led a 5-man team across Greenland on skis.
(ON, 7/05, p.1)
1891 Feb 26, Henrik Ibsen’s
"Hedda Gabler" premiered in Oslo.
(SFC, 4/14/01, p.B1)(SC, 2/26/02)
1882 May 20, Sigrid Undset,
Norwegian novelist (Kristin Lavransdatter), was born.
1893 Jun, Fridtjof Nansen left
Norway for the North Pole aboard the Fram. He theorized that the
ship would become ice-bound and cross the Arctic and the North Pole
in 3 years.
(ON, 7/05, p.1)
1893 Edvard Munch (1863-1944),
Norwegian artist, painted "The Scream." The red sky in the painting
was later said to have resulted from his views of the red skies over
Norway during the 1883 volcano explosion at Krakatoa. In 2012 an
1895 version sold for a record $119,922,500 at auction in New York
(AP, 12/10/03)(AP, 5/3/12)
1894-1895 Edvard Munch (1863-1944), Norwegian
artist, painted "Madonna." In 2004 it was stolen from the Oslo Munch
(WSJ, 8/24/04, p.D8)
1895 Mar 3, Ragnar Frisch,
economist (1st Nobel prize in economy-1969), was born in Norway.
1895 Mar 15, Fridtjof Nansen
and Hjalmar Johansen left their ship Fram in an attempt to reach the
North Pole by dogsled. [see Jun 17, 1896]
(ON, 7/05, p.5)
1895 Jul 12, Kirsten Flagstad,
Norwegian opera singer, was born.
1896 Jun 17, Fridtjof Nansen
and Hjalmar Johansen met up with English explorer Frederick Jackson
at Franz Joseph Land in the Arctic.
(ON, 7/05, p.5)
1896 Aug 20, Fridtjof Nansen
and Hjalmar Johansen arrived back in Norway following a 3 year
Arctic venture. In 1898 Nansen published “Farthest North," a
best-selling account of his adventure. In 1922 Nansen was awarded
the Nobel Prize for Peace.
(ON, 7/05, p.5)
1896 Jul 16, Trygve Lie, first
secretary-general of the United Nations (1946-52), was born in
(HN, 7/16/98)(MC, 7/16/02)
1896 Dec 10, Alfred Nobel (63),
Swedish Nobel Prize ceremony on this date, died. By the time of his
death Nobel had acquired a massive fortune. In his will, he left
instructions that the bulk of his estate should endow the annual
Nobel prizes for those who had most contributed to the areas of
physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. In 1968, a sixth
award for economics was established [see Nov 27, 1895]. The
Nobel Peace Prize is therefore awarded on December 10. The first of
the Nobel Prizes was presented in 1901 according to instructions in
his will. At his death he was one of the richest men in the world,
he also felt it would be wrong to leave his fortune to relatives.
"Inherited wealth is a misfortune which merely serves to dull man's
faculties." Nobel wished the Peace Prize to be administered in
1896 Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian
playwright, authored “John Gabriel Borkman." This was Ibsen’s
1899 Feb 18, Sophus Lie
(b.1842), Norwegia