Svalbard From the timeline, Discovery and whaling
1610
Coal is seen in Kongsfjorden
The English whaler Jonas Poole found coal deposits in the Ny-Ålesund area in 1610. Mining there did not begin until 1916.
History Store norske leksikon
Wednesday 30 September 2026Before the Wire, which starts 26 October 2026Updated 23:59
Daylight 07:25 to 18:06, 10 h 41 min. The sun sets for the winter on 26 October.
Svalbard Wire starts on 26 October 2026. Pages before that date show the history of the island.
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