This Day in History
no:6 ~ Icelandic Independence Day
Happy Independence Day, Iceland!
This day celebrates the foundation of The Republic of Iceland on June 17, 1944
Here’s a few random facts about what many consider the best country in the world, to both live in and to visit.
ICELAND WAS THE LAST LOCATION IN THE WORLD SETTLED BY HUMANS
1: Iceland was discovered by Vikings somewhere between the late 9th & early 10th Century. Although there were signs of Irish monks being there before this, the Norwegians settled there.
2: The Icelandic people hold their traditional culture very well protected, not allowing any random to reside there.
3: They have the longest standing government in the world, the Alþingi (Allthing) which was established in 930.
4: Their language, Icelandic, is one of the least mutated languages in the world. It is so close to Old Norse (the language of the Vikings) that most of them can understand Old Norse.
5: Heathenism, the ancient pre-Christian religion of Northern Europe, is a legally recognised religion in the country.
6: Iceland became Christianised around the year 1,000 when King Olaf of Norway pretty much said to the Jarls (district leaders of Iceland) that they have 1 year to convert their country. If they didn't convert he would kill their sons and stop all trade to the country, starving and killing everyone there. This of course led to a mass conversion, but not all the citizens became Christian and many have kept their ancestral faith, even to this day.
BEER WAS BANNED IN ICELAND UNTIL 1989 :(
7: Nearly all literature and records that we have of the Vikings were recorded in Iceland, most of them being compiled in the 13th century.
8: Iceland is super pretty, just google ‘Icelandic landscape’.
9: Ownership of Iceland was tossed between Norway and Denmark for about 1,000 years until they got their independence in 1944.
ICELAND IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S OLDEST DEMOCRACIES
History can be fun. Drink mead and be joyful!
Hope you learned something!
Skål.
