Monday 10 August 2026Before the Wire, which starts 26 October 2026Updated 23:59
Midnight sun, all 24 hours. The sun sets again 25 August.
Svalbard Wire starts on 26 October 2026. Pages before that date show the history of the island.
This week in history, 14 August
1925
Norway formally took over sovereignty on 14 August 1925. Of 74 reported property claims, 40 were approved, spread over 17 companies and private persons, covering 4223 square kilometres.
History Store norske leksikon
From the timeline, The coal town
1973
On 15 November 1973 Norway, Denmark, Canada and the United States signed the international agreement on the conservation of polar bears in Oslo, at the end of a three-day conference of the five Arctic states; the Soviet Union signed later. Under the agreement polar bear hunting on Svalbard became unlawful.
History Store norske leksikon
The timeline by era
Svalbard