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A look back at the 1960's from Norway's perspective.
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1960 was the year television came to Norway. That same year, Enerhaugen was leveled, the Tromsø Bridge was opened, and it became possible to buy a car without a special permit. In the U.S., Kennedy was elected president, and in Africa, a total of 17 countries gained independence. Three personalities who helped define the year comment on its events. Knut Johannesen skated his way into our hearts with his Olympic gold medal, Nora Brockstedt became our first star in the Eurovision selection with «Voi Voi», and Inger Lise Haug, our first female TV announcer, became Norway’s first television celebrity.
1961 was the year humanity conquered space with Yuri Gagarin’s orbit of the Earth. Freezers entered Norwegian homes, and female priests entered the Church of Norway. The Berlin Wall was built, while Connie Francis sang «Where the Boys Are». Three Norwegians who shaped the year reflect on the events. Singer Grynet Molvig broke through on film and TV, Jarle Høysæter was a pioneer in TV sports, and Kjetil Bang-Hansen made his acting debut.
1962 was the year the Nordland Railway reached Bodø. The world stood on the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis, and The Beatles had their breakthrough with “Love Me Do.” The mining accident in Kings Bay on Svalbard triggered the biggest political crisis in Norway since WWII, and 15-year-old Wenche Myhre became a star with «Katta vår». Three Norwegians who helped define the year comment on its events. The Nordic region’s best gymnast, Åge Storhaug, acted as a courier through the Berlin Wall while studying in Germany. Ada Haug began hosting youth programs on TV, and Knut Eide won over moviegoers as "Bodø" in the film Stompa & Co.
1963 was the year U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Jonny Nilsson crushed the confident Norwegians in the World Speed Skating Championships. King Olav turned 60 and allowed television into Skaugum for an extended interview for the first time. The intense 38-hour Kings Bay debate in Parliament, broadcast in full on TV over four days, resulted in Norway’s first non-socialist government since 1935. Kåre Willoch gained his first ministerial experience in the short-lived Lyng government. Toralv Maurstad was a familiar face in Norwegian films and theaters both at home and abroad, and Anne Torjusson Diesen had the dream job as a script girl in the TV network’s new entertainment division.
1964 was the year an American report concluded that smoking cigarettes was harmful, and The Beatles created hysteria during their world tour. We were visited by two elderly gentlemen — Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and one of the world's greatest actors, Charlie Chaplin. Three Norwegians who influenced the year comment on its events. Long jumper Berit Tøien, a world-class athlete, became a media darling when she married her coach. Rolv Wesenlund used television to reach a wide audience, and Olav Øverland got close to all kinds of events as a newly hired reporter for the Dagsrevyen (TV news).
1965 was the year the twenty-year Gerhardsen era came to an end. Einar Gerhardsen stepped down as prime minister, and Per Borten took over as the head of a center-right government. A Russian cosmonaut made the first spacewalk, and the U.S. began using napalm bombs in the Vietnam War. «The Grenade Man» terrorized Oslo’s population with several explosions, and The Beatles sang «Yesterday». Three Norwegians who shaped the year comment on its events. Sverre Kjelsberg experienced Beatles-like hysteria with the band Pussycats, Bjørn Nilsen traveled the country as a Dagsrevyen reporter, and Wenche Foss acted in film and radio by day and performed on stage at the National Theatre by night — all while being a mother to Fabian.
1966 was the year Indira Gandhi was elected Prime Minister of India. Swedes made cross-border shopping trips to Norway because sugar and butter were cheaper here. Frank Sinatra married the 30-years-younger Mia Farrow and topped the charts in Norway for 14 weeks with «Strangers in the Night». England beat West Germany 4–2 on home turf in the World Cup final after extra time. Three Norwegians who influenced the year reflect on its events: Gjermund Eggen won three gold medals in the World Ski Championships — also on home turf. Monna Tandberg played in A Doll’s House as the youngest-ever Norwegian actress to portray Nora on stage, and Yngvar Numme and his colleagues in Dizzie Tunes got their own TV show.
1967 was the year Jens Bjørneboe was convicted under the pornography law for his book Without a Stitch. Sweden switched to driving on the right side of the road. Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza, and the West Bank during the Six-Day War. A military junta seized power in Greece and forced King Constantine into exile. Fashion icon Twiggy introduced new beauty ideals — women were now supposed to be extremely thin and look melancholic. Three Norwegians who shaped the year reflect on the events. Pål Bang-Hansen, who had previously been kept off the air by NRK leadership for having too light a voice, became host of Filmmagasinet on TV. Helge Rønning was a rising radical politician and the socialist candidate for party leader, and jazz singer Karin Krog got to record an album in Los Angeles.
1968 was the year Crown Prince Harald’s engagement to commoner Sonja Haraldsen turned Norway upside down. The Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia, and two prominent American politicians — presidential candidate Robert Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King — were assassinated. Student protests spread from Paris to other cities, and Americans faced worldwide opposition to the Vietnam War. Three Norwegians who shaped the year comment on the events. Ingrid Wigernæs trained the women’s relay team «Jentut’n», who won their first Olympic gold. Jan Erik Vold released his poetry collection Mother Kindheart’s Happy Version. And Sigurd Allern led the political left as chairman of SUF.
1969 was the year the Norwegian oil platform Ocean Viking discovered oil in the North Sea. Americans landed on the moon, and Mette Janson shocked TV viewers with programs about sex and relationships. Marxist-Leninists split from SUF, and Kirsti Sparboe came last in the Eurovision final with «Oj, oj, oj, så glad jeg skal bli». The final was held in the dictatorship of Spain, sparking controversy over Norway’s participation. Three Norwegians who influenced the year reflect on the events. Doctor Aud Blegen Svindland demonstrated a condom on television. Erik Tandberg guided viewers through space events on TV, and Thorbjørn Berntsen debuted in Parliament after a dramatic election where, as they said, «people went to bed with Bratteli and woke up with Borten».
