page_title: Norwegian of the Century
hierarchical_section_title: Norwegian of the Century
caption_attribution_description: Norsk bokmål: Mari Boine opptrer på Riddu Riddu-festivalen 2006
context_page_description: Norwegian of the Century was a poll carried out by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation in 2005, the 100-year anniversary of Norwegian independence. The poll was SMS-based and over 400,000 Norwegians voted over the course of the year. To qualify as "Norwegian of the Century", the nominee must have lived between 1905 and 2005. All Norwegians were eligible for nomination, and there were initially 600 people on the list. A "Great Norwegian Committee" consisting of Nils Arne Eggen, Astrid Nøklebye Heiberg, Guri Hjeltnes, Harald Norvik, Erling Sandmo and Cathrine Sandnes narrowed the list down to 50. Another poll was conducted, again SMS-based, with the results presented live on NRK1 on 17 December 2005. The winner, with 41% of the vote, was King Olav V. Former Prime Minister Einar Gerhardsen was second with 24%, followed by Erik Bye with 15%. The results for the top 50 spots were as follows:
  Olav V - King of Norway
  Einar Gerhardsen - politician and Prime Minister of Norway
  Erik Bye - Norwegian journalist, artist, author, film actor, folk singer and radio and television personality
  Kim Friele - gay rights and human rights activist
context_section_description: Norwegian of the Century (Norwegian: Århundrets nordmann) was a poll carried out by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation in 2005, the 100-year anniversary of Norwegian independence. The poll was SMS-based and over 400,000 Norwegians voted over the course of the year.  To qualify as "Norwegian of the Century", the nominee must have lived between 1905 and 2005. All Norwegians were eligible for nomination, and there were initially 600 people on the list. A "Great Norwegian Committee" (Store Norske komiteen) consisting of Nils Arne Eggen, Astrid Nøklebye Heiberg, Guri Hjeltnes, Harald Norvik, Erling Sandmo and Cathrine Sandnes narrowed the list down to 50. Another poll was conducted, again SMS-based, with the results presented live on NRK1 on 17 December 2005. The winner, with 41% of the vote, was King Olav V. Former Prime Minister Einar Gerhardsen was second with 24%, followed by Erik Bye with 15%.   The results for the top 50 spots were as follows:
   
   
   
  Olav V (1903–1991) - King of Norway (21 September 1957 – 17 January 1991)
  Einar Gerhardsen (1897–1987) - politician and Prime Minister of Norway (1945–1951, 1955–1963, 1963–1965)
  Erik Bye (1926–2004) - Norwegian journalist, artist, author, film actor, folk singer and radio and television personality
  Kim Friele (1935–) - gay rights and human rights activist
  Thor Heyerdahl (1914–2002) - ethnographer, led Kon-Tiki expedition
  Mari Boine (1956–) - Norwegian Sami musician
  Gro Harlem Brundtland (1939–) - politician and 22nd Prime Minister of Norway (1981, 1986–1989, 1990–1996)
  Haakon VII (1872–1957) - King of Norway (18 November 1905 − 21 September 1957)
  Christian Michelsen (1857–1925) - shipping magnate, statesman, and 1st Prime Minister of Norway (1905–1907)
  Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930) - explorer, diplomat, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
  Ivar Asbjørn Følling (1888–1973) - physicist and biochemist known for describing the disease commonly known as Følling's disease or phenylketonuria
  Grete Waitz (1953–2011) - marathon runner, first woman to run a marathon in under two and a half hours
  Alf Prøysen (1914–1970) - author, poet, playwright and musician
  Helge Ingstad (1899–2001) and Anne Stine Ingstad (1918–1997) - archaeologists and explorers of Viking (Norsemen|Norse) settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in 1960
  Anne-Cath. Vestly (1920–2008) - author of children's literature
  Gunnar Sønsteby (1918–2012) - member of the Norwegian resistance movement during the German occupation of Norway in World War II.
  Knut Hamsun (1859–1952) - writer, laureate of Nobel Prize
  Kjell Aukrust (1920–2002) - poet
  Eivind Berggrav (1884–1959) - Lutheran bishop, figure in resistance against German occupation of Norway
  Kirsten Flagstad (1859–1962) - opera singer and dramatic soprano
  Ole Gunnar Solskjær (1973–) - football player and manager
  Hjalmar Andersen (1923–2013) - speed skater, won three gold medals at the 1952 Winter Olympic Games held in Oslo, Norway
  Edvard Munch (1863–1944) - painter and print-maker, best known for painting The Scream
  Bjørn Dæhlie (1967–) - Norwegian businessman and retired cross–country skier, won a total of 29 medals in the Olympics and World Championships from 1991 and 1999
  Carl Joachim Hambro (1885–1964) - journalist, author and politician
  Katti Anker Møller (1868–1945) - feminist, children's rights advocate, reproductive rights activist
  Kristian Ottosen (1921–2006) - non–fiction writer and public servant
  Rosemarie Köhn (1939–) - bishop in the Diocese of Hamar of the Church of Norway
  Bjørn Wirkola (1943–) - ski jumper
  Sam Eyde (1866–1940) - engineer and industrialist
  Olav Selvaag (1912–2002) - residential contractor, responsible for innovative design for building affordable housing in Post–World War II economic expansion
  Arne Arnardo (1912–1995) - circus performer, generally known as the "circus king" of Norway
  Karl Evang (1902–1981) - physician and civil servant
  Thorbjørn Egner (1912–1990) - playwright and songwriter for children
  Halldis Moren Vesaas (1907–1995) - poet for children
  Jan Garbarek (1947–) - jazz saxophonist
  Finn Lied (1916–2014) - military researcher and politician
  
caption: Mari Boine
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