Iceland: Timeline

Iceland: Timeline

795 Irish monks settle in Papey, a small island off the Eastern coast of Iceland, to live in peace and solitude.

825 The Irish scholar Dicuíl records that Irish hermit monks have been leaving Ireland to settle in the island of Thule.

850 The Viking Naddoður accidentally discovers Iceland and names it Snæland (The land of snow).

930 The settlement of Iceland is largely complete and Alþingi, a parliamentary assembly, is founded at Þingvellir.

999 Leifur-the-Lucky explores Canada´s coast and discovers Newfoundland (Vínland).

1000 Alþingi (Iceland’s parliament) bans duelling as it didn’t reconcile very well with Christianity.

1104 A great eruption from the volcano Hekla destroys a whole valley of farms, killing large amounts of cattle with ash and fumes.

1117 The first book of Icelandic law, Hafliðaskrá, is written.

1244 ”Flóabardagi”, the greatest sea battle ever to be fought along the coasts of Iceland takes place in Húnaflói Bay.

1343 Sister Katrín, found guilty of selling her soul to the devil, is the first person to be burnt on a stake in Iceland.

1627 Algerian pirates invade the Westman Islands and abduct 242 of the inhabitants.

A mountain. Photo by Olga

1783 ”Skaftáreldar”, one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history begins, its effects killing over half of the population.

1800 Alþingi is abolished with a royal decree from the Danish crown.

1830 The last execution in Iceland is carried out.

1850 Icelandic lawmakers pass legislation granting daughters equal right of inheritance as sons

1870 The Danish government passes the socalled Statuslaws (Stöðulög) in Iceland, about the relations between Iceland and Denmark.

1874 The Danish crown confirms the first constitution of Iceland, giving Alþingi, the national assembly, legislative and appropriate authority.

1882 Unmarried women and widows over 25 years old are granted the right to vote in community elections.

1904 Iceland is granted home rule. Hannes Hafstein is elected Iceland’s first government minister.

1906 The first Icelandic telecommunications company, Bæjarsíminn, is founded, connecting 15 telephones.

1906 Iceland’s first cinema opens in Reykjavík.

1907 Married women in Reykjavík are given eligibility and the right to vote in community elections.

1908 Education is declared compulsory for children 10 to 14 years old.

1913 Iceland’s first and only railway is laid from Öskjuhlíð hill to Reykjavík Harbour. It was used to transport rocks and gravel for the harbour’s construction.

1922 Icelandic currency is issued for the first time.

1922 The first woman is elected to take a seat in the national assembly, Alþingi.

1935 Telecommunication between Iceland and foreign countries becomes a reality.

1935 Golf is played for the first time in Iceland.

1940 World War II: British forces occupy Iceland.

1949 Iceland’s first traffic lights are set up in Reykjavík.

1963 A great volcanic eruption below sea level, close to the Westman Islands, forms a new island named Surtsey.

1968 The Icelandic people change from driving on the left side of the road to driving on the right side.

1971 The first Icelandic manuscripts are brought back to Iceland from Denmark, after being kept there since the 18th century.

1972 Chess players Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky meet in “the duel of the century” for the World Championship.

1973 Volcanic eruption begins on Heimaey in the Westman Islands, leaving the island uninhabitable for a few months.

1974 The last bridge over rivers in Skeiðarársandur in the southeast is finished and the first road around the island thus completed.

1975 Iceland’s territorial waters are expanded to cover 200 miles.

1980 Vigdís Finnbogadóttir becomes the first woman in the world to be elected head of state in democratic elections.

1986 The first privately owned radio station in Iceland starts broadcasting.

1995 Iceland hosts the World Cup in handball.

2007 Smoking is banned by law in all restaurants, bars and nightclubs in Iceland.

2009 Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, leader of the Social Democratic party is elected as the first female prime minister in Iceland.