Aug 31, 2015
On this date in the year 1314, the city of Oslo became the
capital of Norway.
Here are some things you may not have known about the
city.
Oslo traces its history to about 1000 AD with the building of
St. Clement’s Church. King Hakkon the Fifth moved the capital of
Norway from Bergen on the western coast to Oslo, which is located
at the head of a fjord in the eastern part of the country. The new
location being closer to trading partners in Sweden and Denmark.
Soon after the move, the Black Death devastated Norway, killing
about three-quarters of the population of Oslo.
The population loss left Norway in a vulnerable position and
it soon entered into the Kalmar Union with Denmark and Sweden and
was ruled from Copenhagen by Queen Margaret of Denmark. In 1624
after being destroyed by fire 14 times, King Christian the Fourth
ordered the city of Oslo moved across the bay and rebuilt with the
new name of Christiania. Norway would remained tied to Denmark
until 1814, and then Sweden until 1905.
In 1905, Norway became independent under King Hakkon VII, the
grandfather of Harald the Fifth, the reigning monarch. In 1925, the
city of Christiania reverted to the name Oslo.
As of 2014, Oslo had a population of more than 630,000.
Slightly more than 70 percent are ethnically Norwegian. Pakistanis
are the largest ethnic minority, followed by Poles and
Swedes.
Our question, Oslo is the site of the annual presentation of
the Nobel Peace Prize. Who was the first American honored with the
Peace Prize?
Today is Independence Day in Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia and Trinidad
and Tobago. In the United States, it’s unofficially National Trail
Mix Day. It’s the birthday of educator Maria Montessori, baseball
Hall of Famer Frank Robinson and musician Van Morrison.
Our weekly take-home test: What two Norwegian cities have
hosted the Winter Olympics?
Tweet the answer to us @triviapodcast or submit an answer at
triviapeople.com/test and we’ll add the name of the person with the
first correct answer to our winner’s wall at triviapeople.com.
We'll reveal the correct answer on Friday's episode.
LINKS
Also, if you’re enjoying the show, please consider supporting
it through
Patreon.com