Svalbard This week in history, 19 December
2015
Avalanche in Longyearbyen
On 19 December 2015 a large avalanche from Sukkertoppen hit ten houses in Longyearbyen and killed two people.
History Store norske leksikon
Tuesday 17 December 2024Before the Wire, which starts 26 October 2026Updated 23:59
Polar night, day 53 of 112. The sun returns 15 February.
Svalbard Wire starts on 26 October 2026. Pages before that date show the history of the island.
From the timeline, The coal town
1962
Explosion in the Ny-Ålesund mine
On 5 November 1962 an explosion in the coal mine at Ny-Ålesund, on the south side of Kongsfjorden on Spitsbergen, killed the whole shift of 21 men. Mining at Ny-Ålesund stopped for good the following year, and criticism of conditions at the state-owned company brought down the Gerhardsen government.
History Store norske leksikon
The timeline by era
- 1596Discovery and whaling, 3 entries
- 1715Hunting and expeditions, 4 entries
- 1905The coal town, 6 entries
- 1920The Svalbard Treaty, 4 entries
- 1941War and rebuilding, 4 entries
- 1975The modern town, 3 entries
- 2015The present transition, 6 entries