Svalbard This week in history, 3 January
1920
The Mine 1 accident
A large accident in Mine 1 on 3 January 1920 was marked a hundred years later, in 2020.
History Store norske leksikon
Sunday 4 January 2026Before the Wire, which starts 26 October 2026Updated 23:59
Polar night, day 70 of 111. 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, Hunting and expeditions
1715
Russian trappers stay the winter
Russian fur trappers overwintered on Svalbard from the early eighteenth century: Store norske leksikon gives 1704 in one article and 1715 in another. Their hunting faded out around 1850, while Norwegian sealing vessels and wintering expeditions carried on.
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