Norwegian of the Century

rdf:langString Norwegian of the Century

rdf:langString 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. 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. 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%. The results for the top 50 spots were as follows: 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–) - 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