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Norwegian of the Century

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Norwegian of the Century (Norwegian: Århundrets nordmann) was a poll carried out by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation in 2005, the 100-year anniversary of Norwegian independence. The poll was SMS-based and over 400,000 Norwegians voted over the course of the year.[1] To qualify as "Norwegian of the Century", the nominee must have lived between 1905 and 2005. All Norwegians were eligible for nomination, and there were initially 600 people on the list. A "Great Norwegian Committee" (Store Norske komiteen) consisting of Nils Arne Eggen, Astrid Nøklebye Heiberg, Guri Hjeltnes, Harald Norvik, Erling Sandmo and Cathrine Sandnes narrowed the list down to 50.[2] Another poll was conducted, again SMS-based, with the results presented live on NRK1 on 17 December 2005. The winner, with 41% of the vote, was King Olav V. Former Prime Minister Einar Gerhardsen was second with 24%, followed by Erik Bye with 15%.[3][4] The results for the top 50 spots were as follows:

King Olav V
Mari Boine
Fridtjof Nansen
Gustav Vigeland
  1. Olav V (1903–1991) - King of Norway (21 September 1957 – 17 January 1991)
  2. Einar Gerhardsen (1897–1987) - politician and Prime Minister of Norway (1945–1951, 1955–1963, 1963–1965)
  3. Erik Bye (1926–2004) - journalist, artist, author, film actor, folk singer and radio and television personality
  4. Kim Friele (1935–2021) - gay rights and human rights activist
  5. Thor Heyerdahl (1914–2002) - ethnographer, led Kon-Tiki expedition
  6. Mari Boine (1956–) - Norwegian Sami musician
  7. Gro Harlem Brundtland (1939–) - politician and 22nd Prime Minister of Norway (1981, 1986–1989, 1990–1996)
  8. Haakon VII (1872–1957) - King of Norway (18 November 1905 – 21 September 1957)
  9. Christian Michelsen (1857–1925) - shipping magnate, statesman, and 1st Prime Minister of Norway (1905–1907)
  10. Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930) - explorer, diplomat, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
  11. Ivar Asbjørn Følling (1888–1973) - physicist and biochemist known for describing the disease commonly known as Følling's disease or phenylketonuria
  12. Grete Waitz (1953–2011) - marathon runner, first woman to run a marathon in under two and a half hours
  13. Alf Prøysen (1914–1970) - author, poet, playwright and musician
  14. Helge Ingstad (1899–2001) and Anne Stine Ingstad (1918–1997) - archaeologists and explorers of a Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in 1960
  15. Anne-Cath. Vestly (1920–2008) - author of children's literature
  16. Gunnar Sønsteby (1918–2012) - member of the Norwegian resistance movement during the German occupation of Norway in World War II.
  17. Knut Hamsun (1859–1952) - writer, Nobel laureate in Literature
  18. Kjell Aukrust (1920–2002) - author and poet
  19. Eivind Berggrav (1884–1959) - Lutheran bishop, figure in resistance against German occupation of Norway
  20. Kirsten Flagstad (1859–1962) - opera singer and dramatic soprano
  21. Ole Gunnar Solskjær (1973–) - football player and manager
  22. Hjalmar Andersen (1923–2013) - speed skater, won three gold medals at the 1952 Winter Olympic Games held in Oslo, Norway
  23. Edvard Munch (1863–1944) - painter and print-maker, best known for painting The Scream
  24. Bjørn Dæhlie (1967–) - cross–country skier, won a total of 29 medals in the Olympics and World Championships from 1991 and 1999
  25. Carl Joachim Hambro (1885–1964) - journalist, author and politician
  26. Katti Anker Møller (1868–1945) - feminist, children's rights advocate, reproductive rights activist
  27. Kristian Ottosen (1921–2006) - non–fiction writer and public servant
  28. Rosemarie Köhn (1939–2022) - bishop in the Diocese of Hamar of the Church of Norway
  29. Bjørn Wirkola (1943–) - ski jumper
  30. Sam Eyde (1866–1940) - engineer and industrialist
  31. Olav Selvaag (1912–2002) - residential contractor, responsible for innovative design for building affordable housing in Post–World War II economic expansion
  32. Arne Arnardo (1912–1995) - circus performer, generally known as the "circus king" of Norway
  33. Karl Evang (1902–1981) - physician and civil servant
  34. Thorbjørn Egner (1912–1990) - playwright and songwriter for children
  35. Halldis Moren Vesaas (1907–1995) - poet for children
  36. Jan Garbarek (1947–) - jazz saxophonist
  37. Finn Lied (1916–2014) - military researcher and politician
  38. Sigrid Undset (1882–1949) - novelist, Nobel laureate in Literature
  39. Wenche Foss (1917–2011) - actress of stage, screen, and television
  40. Erling Stordahl (1923–1994) - farmer and singer
  41. Oscar Mathisen (1888–1954) - speed skater
  42. Sonja Henie (1912–1969) - figure skater and film star
  43. Arne Nordheim (1931–2010) - composer
  44. Trygve Lie (1896–1968) - politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs (1940–1946) and 1st Secretary-General of the United Nations (1946–1952)
  45. Inger Hagerup (1905–1985) - poet
  46. Johs Andenæs (1912–2003) - jurist
  47. Liv Ullmann (1938–) - actress and film director
  48. Ragnar Frisch (1895–1973) - economist, being one of the founders of the discipline of econometrics, and for coining the widely used term pair macroeconomics/microeconomics in 1933; awarded Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 1968
  49. Gustav Vigeland (1869–1943) - sculptor
  50. Francis Bull (1887–1974) - literary historian

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Amundsen, Ulrik Rongved. "Olav 5 er århundrets nordmann" (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  2. ^ Øyen, Ragnhild Sleire. "Store Norske komiteen" (in Norwegian). NRK. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  3. ^ "Kong Olav kåret til århundrets nordmann" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. 17 December 2005. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  4. ^ "Folkekongen ble århundrets nordmann" (in Norwegian). Aftenbladet. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
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