Episodes
Greenland's 1940s Weather Stations: Arctic Forecasts for D-Day
In the early years of World War II, Greenland's remote weather stations became a silent battleground. This episode follows the Danish-American race to keep the Arctic's vital meteorological data out of Nazi hands. We meet the Coast Guard cutter Northland, the Greenland Patrol, and the brave Greenlandic sled patrols who scouted for German weather outposts. From the 1941 agreement with the Danish envoy Henrik Kauffmann to the dramatic 1944 capture of a German station at Bass Rock, we uncover how…
Greenland's 200th Episode: The Ice Sheet's Hidden History
For 200 episodes, Lucas and Luna have explored Greenland's rugged past. Now they turn to the island's frozen heart: the Greenland Ice Sheet itself. This isn't about glaciers melting or climate science—it's about the history locked inside the ice. From the first scientific expeditions to the Cold War's Camp Century, the ice has been a silent witness to human ambition, curiosity, and secrecy. They discuss how ice cores have revealed centuries of climate patterns, the remarkable story of the GISP2…
The Skræling Slaughter: Norse-Inuit Violence in 14th-Century Greenland
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the dark and contested history of Norse-Inuit contact in medieval Greenland. They examine the archaeological and saga evidence for violent encounters, from the brutal descriptions in the Icelandic sagas to the skeletal trauma found at sites like Sandnes and the Farm Beneath the Sand. The conversation covers the mysterious Skræling warriors, the possible role of Thule culture migration, and the debates among historians about how much conflict actually…
The 1721 Mission That Shaped Greenland's Future
In 1721, a Norwegian priest named Hans Egede set sail for Greenland with a mission to convert the Norse settlers he believed still lived there. He found no Vikings, but he did find the Kalaallit, and his arrival marked the beginning of a new colonial era. This episode explores Egede's voyage, his encounters with Inuit communities, the establishment of Godthåb (now Nuuk), and the unexpected consequences of his mission—from the spread of Christianity to the devastating impact of European…
Greenland's 1937 Labor Strike: Arctic Workers Unite
In 1937, a small group of Greenlandic workers on the remote island of Ivittuut walked off the job, sparking a labor dispute that would ripple across the Danish colony. This episode explores the strike at the cryolite mine—the world's only source of the mineral vital to aluminum smelting—and the unlikely alliance between Greenlandic miners and Danish engineers. We meet the strike's leader, a young Kalaallit named Jens—whose full name is lost to the archives—and the colonial administrator, Eske…
Greenland's First Votes: 1861 Newspaper Democracy
Before Greenland had a parliament, it had a newspaper. Atuagagdliutit, founded in 1861 by Danish administrator Hinrich Rink, gave the Kalaallit a public voice decades before the first provincial councils. This episode traces how this paper — printed in Kalaallisut with woodcut illustrations — became a platform for political debate, cultural pride, and a quiet push for self-determination. We look at early editors like Lars Møller, the paper's role in spreading news of the 1933 International…
The Lost Norse Colony of Greenland
In this episode of The History of Greenland, Lucas and Luna explore the mystery of the vanished Norse settlements. They discuss the founding by Erik the Red in 985, the thriving Eastern and Western Settlements, the daily life of the Norse farmers, and the slow decline that culminated in abandonment by the 15th century. They examine the role of climate change, economic shifts, and encounters with the Thule Inuit, and consider the latest archaeological evidence from sites like Gården Under…
The Greenlandic Norse and the Medieval Warm Period
In 985 CE, Erik the Red led a fleet of settlers from Iceland to Greenland, founding a Norse colony that would thrive for nearly five centuries. This episode traces the rise and fall of the Eastern Settlement, from the first sod houses at Brattahlíð to the mysterious abandonment of the last Norse outposts in the fifteenth century. We explore how the Norse adapted to the unforgiving Arctic environment, traded walrus ivory with Europe, built a cathedral at Garðar, and eventually vanished while the…
The 1906 Etah Rescue: Greenland's Frozen Frontier
In 1906, the Denmark Expedition set out to map the last unmapped corners of Northeast Greenland, but a brutal winter stranded the team at their base in Danmarkshavn. When Captain Ejnar Mikkelsen and his crew returned from a grueling sledge journey, they found the camp abandoned. The rescue of the remaining men—penned by the young Danish officer Johan Peter Koch and the Norwegian explorer Gustav Holm—became one of the Arctic's most harrowing tales of survival. This episode reconstructs the…
The 1933 Greenlandic Radio Pioneers of the Arctic
In 1933, as the world's attention was fixed on the Permanent Court of International Justice's ruling over Greenland's borders, a quieter revolution was unfolding on the island's remote west coast. Lucas and Luna explore the story of the first Kalaallit radio operators — men like Karl Egede and Peter Rosing — who, with a few fragile transmitters, began broadcasting in Kalaallisut to scattered settlements. This episode follows how a handful of amateur signals grew into the Kalaallit Nunaata…
The 1888 Crossing of Greenland's Ice Sheet
In 1888, Fridtjof Nansen led a small team across Greenland's unexplored interior, a feat that reshaped Arctic exploration and launched his legendary career. This episode follows Nansen's audacious plan, his near-disastrous landing on the east coast, the grueling trek over the ice cap, and the scientific findings that transformed our understanding of the island. It also examines the expedition's impact on Greenland's Indigenous peoples and its role in the wider scramble for Arctic dominance.…
The Thule Tribe's Dog Sled Legacy
In this episode, we trace the dog sledge from its origins among the Thule people to its role in the survival and exploration of Greenland. We discuss how the Inughuit of Qaanaaq perfected the art of dog sledging, the breed's unique adaptations to the Arctic, and how the sledges were used in Knud Rasmussen's expeditions. We also explore the impact of snowmobiles and modern changes, and how the tradition persists today despite challenges like climate change. Join us for a deep dive into a vital…
Greenland's 1953 Thule Cover-Up: The Hunt for the Lost Bomb
In January 1968, a US B-52 carrying four nuclear bombs crashed near Thule Air Base in Greenland, spreading plutonium across the sea ice. The initial cover-up claimed all weapons were recovered, but decades later, a missing bomb—‘the lost Thule bomb’—became an Arctic legend. This episode follows the crash, the cleanup, the political fallout with Denmark, and the 1995 expedition that reignited the mystery. Lucas and Luna also explore how the incident shaped Greenland's modern identity, from…
Greenland's Cold War Radar: The DEW Line and Early Warning
In the 1950s, the United States and Denmark quietly carved a string of radar stations across Greenland's ice cap, part of the Distant Early Warning Line meant to detect Soviet bombers before they reached North America. This episode follows the construction of the DEW Line's Greenland sector, from the first surveys over the ice sheet to the remote sites at Thule and Dye bases, where engineers and Kalaallit workers faced brutal conditions. We also look at the political friction it caused between…
Greenland's 1833 Hans Egede and the Birth of Kalaallisut
In this episode of The History of Greenland, Lucas and Luna explore the legacy of Hans Egede, the Norwegian missionary who arrived in 1721 and inadvertently shaped the Greenlandic language. They trace how his early translations of religious texts into Kalaallisut laid the groundwork for a written standard, a process later formalized by Samuel Kleinschmidt's 1851 grammar. The conversation uncovers Egede's initial struggles—his failed settlement at Godthåb, his wife Gertrud's pivotal role, and…
Greenland's 1953 Referendum: The Vote to Become Danish
In 1953, Denmark revised its constitution to integrate Greenland as an equal county, replacing colonial rule. But was the vote legitimate? This episode explores the controversial referendum held in Greenland's Provincial Council, the role of Danish administrators, and the silence of Greenlandic opposition. We meet the first Greenlandic politicians elected to the Folketing, including Nikolaj Rosing, and examine how the 1953 decision shaped the drive for home rule two decades later. Featuring the…
Project Iceworm: The Secret Nuke Plan Under Greenland's Ice
In the 1960s, the US Army secretly conceived Project Iceworm: a plan to hide hundreds of nuclear-tipped missiles in a network of tunnels under the Greenland ice sheet, within striking distance of Moscow. Camp Century, publicly a polar research station, was the cover. Built 230 feet below the surface, it housed a nuclear reactor and laboratories, but its true purpose was to test whether a mobile missile launch complex could operate beneath the ice. In this episode, Lucas and Luna dig into the…
Hans Egede: The Apostle of Greenland
In 1721, a Norwegian Lutheran minister named Hans Egede set sail for Greenland, convinced that the medieval Norse colonies still survived somewhere along the coast. What he found instead was a land inhabited by Inuit, the Kalaallit, whose ancestors had arrived centuries earlier. This episode follows Egede's decade-long mission: his arrival at the site of the old Eastern Settlement, the harsh Arctic winters, the death of his wife Gertrud Rask, his attempts to learn the Kalaallisut language, and…
Greenland's First Newspaper: Atuagagdliutit 1861
In 1861, a Danish geologist named Hinrich Rink founded Greenland's first newspaper, Atuagagdliutit, printed in the Kalaallisut language. This episode explores how the paper became a vital tool for literacy, a platform for emerging Greenlandic writers like Mathias Storch, and a foundation for modern Kalaallit identity. We discuss the challenges of distributing a serial publication across Greenland's scattered coastal settlements, the content that connected readers from Qaanaaq to Nanortalik, and…
Knud Rasmussen's Fifth Thule Expedition Across the Arctic
In 1921, Knud Rasmussen set out from Greenland on an epic journey across the Canadian Arctic to Alaska, aiming to trace the migration routes of the Inuit. The Fifth Thule Expedition lasted three years, covered 20,000 miles by dogsled, and produced a treasure trove of myths, artifacts, and ethnographic data. Rasmussen, who spoke Kalaallisut and was part Greenlandic, was uniquely positioned to document the oral traditions of the Copper Inuit, Netsilik, and other groups. This episode explores how…
Greenland's 1933 Cryolite Strike: Arctic Labor and Colonial Tensions
In the early 20th century, Greenland's Ivittuut mine was one of the world's only sources of cryolite, a mineral essential to aluminum production. In 1933, Greenlandic workers organized a strike that shook the Danish colonial administration. This episode digs into the origins of the mine, the grueling conditions underground, and the strike that forced Copenhagen to listen. We explore how the Royal Greenland Trade Company (KGH) controlled every aspect of the miners' lives, the role of the Danish…
Greenland's 2009 Self-Government: The Road to Independence
In 2009, Greenland took a historic step toward self-determination with the Self-Government Act, granting the Kalaallit people control over most internal affairs and recognizing them as a distinct people under international law. This episode traces the journey from the 1979 Home Rule to the 2008 referendum and the act's provisions, exploring the transfer of powers over natural resources, police, and the judiciary, while Denmark retained foreign affairs and defense. We delve into the political…
The 1933 Court Ruling That Settled Greenland's Borders
In 1933, the Permanent Court of International Justice in The Hague delivered a landmark verdict that confirmed Danish sovereignty over all of Greenland, ending a dispute that had nearly sparked war with Norway. This episode dives into the legal battle over Eirik Raudes Land—the Norwegian-claimed territory in eastern Greenland—and the arguments of effective occupation, historic rights, and international law. We explore how the court's decision not only strengthened Denmark's hold but also set a…
The 1966 Ice Core That Rewrote Climate History
In 1966, scientists drilling into the Greenland ice sheet at Camp Century pulled up a 1,390-meter ice core that contained a 110,000-year record of Earth's climate. This episode follows the story of that remarkable scientific achievement: how physicist Willi Dansgaard first realized that the oxygen isotopes in ice could reveal ancient temperatures, how the US Army Corps of Engineers drilled through nearly a mile of ice to bedrock, and the shocking discovery that the last ice age was not a long…
Greenland's 1982 Referendum: The Only Exit from the European Union
In 1982, Greenland held a referendum that made it the only territory ever to leave the European Economic Community — a decision rooted in fisheries, home rule, and the desire for self-determination. This episode explores the campaign, the narrow 52% vote to leave, the tense negotiations with Brussels, and the 1985 Greenland Treaty that established the territory's special Overseas Countries and Territories status. We discuss key figures like Greenland's first premier Jonathan Motzfeldt, Danish…
Greenland's WWII Sledge Patrol: Arctic Guardians vs Nazi Weather Stations
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into one of the most unusual theaters of World War II: the frozen coast of Greenland. While most of Europe was embroiled in conventional warfare, a tiny Danish-led sledge patrol—the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol—raced against German weather stations that were providing critical forecasts for U-boats and Luftwaffe raids. We follow the patrol's origins in 1941, the grueling conditions of Arctic survival, and the dramatic shootout at Eskimonæs in 1943. Hear about the…
Greenland's 1952 Forced Relocation of the Inughuit
In 1952, the Danish government forcibly relocated the Inughuit—an Indigenous group in northern Greenland—from their ancestral hunting grounds to make way for the expanding Thule Air Base. This episode examines the events leading up to the relocation, the experiences of the displaced families, and the long-term consequences for the Inughuit community. We discuss the Harrigan Report, the role of Danish authorities, and the ongoing struggle for recognition and compensation. The story sheds light…
Greenland's 1823 Vanished Colony: The Kongesarssuk Mystery
In 1823, a Danish expedition led by Christian Ludvig von Klincker founded a settlement on Greenland's east coast, near what is now Kap Dan. They called it Kong Oscar's Havn. Within a decade, it vanished without a trace. No bodies, no abandoned supplies — just empty huts and a ghostly silence. This episode follows the mystery: the optimistic colony's first winter, the strange signs of a hasty departure, and the decades of fruitless searches by Kalaallit hunters and Danish officials. We explore…
Greenland's 1917 Land Claim That Shaped the Arctic
In 1917, as World War I raged, Denmark quietly traded away its centuries-old claim to Greenland's northern coast in exchange for recognition of sovereignty over the entire island. This episode unpacks the little-known 1917 Treaty of Copenhagen, which resolved a territorial dispute with the United States and Canada and set the stage for Greenland's strategic importance in the Cold War. We explore the treaty's origins—rooted in the 1905 separation of Norway and Sweden and Denmark's need to sell…
The 1860 Qitdlarssuaq Migration from Baffin Island to Greenland
This episode of The History of Greenland uncovers the remarkable story of Qitdlarssuaq, the Inuit shaman who led a group of around 40 people from Baffin Island in Canada to northwest Greenland in the 1860s. We trace the journey across the treacherous Melville Bay, the hardships they faced, and how this migration reunited the Inughuit with their long-separated kin. The episode also explores the cultural and spiritual motivations behind the move, including the introduction of Christianity from…
Greenland's 1949 NATO Accession: The Deal That Sealed the Arctic
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore Greenland's entry into NATO in 1949, a pivotal moment that transformed the island from a remote Danish colony into a strategic Arctic outpost. They discuss Denmark's delicate decision to join the alliance under US pressure, the secret negotiations led by foreign minister Gustav Rasmussen, and the Greenlandic perspective largely ignored at the time. The episode covers the Danish ambassador Henrik Kauffmann's controversial 1941 defense agreement without…
The 1863 Qanaaq Migrant Saga: How Greenland's Ancestors Found a New Home
In 1863, a small group of Inughuit from the Baffin Bay region made a desperate journey southward across Melville Bay to escape starvation and isolation. This episode follows the 1863 Qanaaq migrant saga—a little-known chapter in Greenland's human history. We trace the route of these ten families, led by a man named Qitdlarssuaq, who had heard rumors of other Inuit communities to the south. Their trek over the ice and open water brought them to the coast near present-day Qaanaaq, where they…
Greenland's Norse Settlers: Why They Really Vanished
For centuries, the disappearance of Greenland's Norse colonies has been one of history's great mysteries. In this episode, Lucas and Luna dig into the real story — not just the old narrative of stubborn farmers who refused to adapt, but the complex mix of climate change, economic collapse, trade disruption, and cultural isolation that doomed the settlements. Drawing on the latest archaeological and climatological research, they explore how the Norse of Brattahlíð and Garðar actually thrived for…
Greenland's 1968 Polaris Missile Crisis with Denmark
In 1968, a B-52 bomber carrying four nuclear weapons crashed near Thule Air Base in Greenland, igniting a secret diplomatic crisis between the United States and Denmark. While the nuclear accident itself has been covered, this episode focuses on the politically explosive aftermath: how Danish Prime Minister Jens Otto Krag was kept in the dark about the actual nature of the US flights over Greenland, leading to the 'Thulegate' scandal that nearly toppled his government. Lucas and Luna explore…
The 1932 Greenland War: Norway vs Denmark in the Arctic
In 1932, a tiny Norwegian flag was planted on a desolate stretch of Greenland's east coast, sparking a diplomatic crisis that nearly turned into a shooting war between Norway and Denmark. For five years, the two kingdoms had been locked in a battle over sovereignty of Eirik Raudes Land, a vast, uninhabited region claimed by Norwegian trappers and explorers. This episode dives into the forgotten conflict: the Norwegian occupation of Myggbukta, the Danish response led by the Greenlandic governor…
Greenland's 1979 Home Rule: The Quiet Revolution for Self-Government
In 1979, Greenland achieved home rule from Denmark, a landmark shift that redefined the island's political identity. This episode explores the decade-long push for autonomy, the role of the Greenlandic Council (Grønlands Landsråd), and the architects of change: Moses Olsen, Jonathan Motzfeldt, and the G70 movement. We trace the campaign from the 1972 referendum on Danish membership in the European Economic Community, which Greenland opposed, to the 1978 Home Rule Act and the first elections to…
The 1968 B-52 Crash at Thule: A Nuclear Accident in the Arctic
On January 21, 1968, a B-52 Stratofortress carrying four hydrogen bombs crashed onto the sea ice of North Star Bay near Thule Air Base in Greenland. The accident—known as the Thule B-52 crash or the '1968 Thule accident'—released plutonium and other radioactive materials into the Arctic environment, triggered a massive cleanup operation in extreme cold, and forced a re-evaluation of Cold War nuclear safety protocols. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the details of the crash: what went…
Greenland's 1888 Fridtjof Nansen Crossing of the Ice Sheet
In this episode, Lucas and Luna delve into Fridtjof Nansen's 1888 crossing of the Greenland ice sheet, a feat of endurance and ingenuity that reshaped Arctic exploration. We trace Nansen's route from the uninhabited east coast—landing at Umivik Fjord after a hair-raising drift on ice floes—to the arduous climb to the high plateau, and the final descent to Godthåb (Nuuk). Along the way, we explore his revolutionary use of skis and lightweight sledges, his experiments with pemmican, and the…
Greenland's 1818 British Mapping Expedition That Opened the Arctic
In 1818, the British Royal Navy dispatched two ships under Captain John Ross to search for a Northwest Passage and map Greenland's remote coastline. This episode follows Ross's expedition, including his encounter with the Inughuit in the Cape York region—the first recorded European contact with this isolated group. We explore Ross's controversial decision to turn back at Lancaster Sound, the later vindication by his nephew James Clark Ross, and the expedition's lasting impact on Arctic…
Greenland's 1953 CIA Spy Base Project Iceworm
In the depths of the Cold War, the United States launched a secret project to build a network of mobile nuclear missile launch sites under the Greenland ice sheet. Project Iceworm, as it was called, aimed to hide missiles in tunnels carved into the ice, moving them along a 4,000-kilometer rail system to evade Soviet detection. But the ice proved a treacherous host: the tunnels shifted, collapsed, and the project was abandoned in 1966, leaving behind toxic waste and a buried nuclear reactor.…
Greenland's 1972 Marijuana Cultivation in the Arctic
In 1972, Danish agricultural researchers attempted something unprecedented: growing cannabis in Greenland's harsh Arctic climate. This episode uncovers the little-known story of a government-funded experiment in Qaqortoq, where scientists tried to cultivate marijuana for fiber and medicine. We look at the colonial context, the Greenlandic reaction, and why this botanical project failed. Featuring insights from the Kongelige Grønlandske Handel's agricultural branch, the role of Danish botanist…
The Qivittoq: Greenland's Lost Hunters of the Ice
In this episode of The History of Greenland, Lucas and Luna explore the shadowy figure of the qivittoq — a person who, in traditional Kalaallit belief, deliberately chose to disappear into the wilderness rather than remain in their community. This is not a ghost story but a cultural and historical phenomenon rooted in survival, shame, and resilience. Drawing on 18th- and 19th-century Danish colonial records, oral traditions collected by Knud Rasmussen during the 1921-1924 Fifth Thule…
Greenland's Forgotten Colony: The 1823 Danish Settlement That Vanished Without a Trace
In 1823, the Danish government funded an ambitious colony on Greenland's remote east coast, hoping to secure sovereignty and revive Norse settlements. The expedition of 42 settlers, led by Captain Christian Ludvig von Klincker, landed at Kap Dan and established a site called Kong Oscar's Havn. But within a year, the colony was abandoned—its buildings looted, its people scattered or dead. For decades, the site vanished from maps until a 1950s archaeological survey rediscovered the ruins. This…
The 1931 Greenland Viking Ruin That Rewrote History
In 1931, a Danish archeologist named Poul Nørlund uncovered the remains of a Norse farmstead at Brattahlíð in southwestern Greenland, but it was the 1933 discovery of a small, unassuming building that truly stunned historians: a Viking-age church, one of the oldest in the Americas. This episode follows the excavation of what became known as the 'Tjodhildes Church' — named after the wife of Erik the Red, the same legendary figure who led the Norse settlement of Greenland around 985 AD. We…
Greenland's 1951 Defense Agreement: Cold War Arctic Alliance
Episode 157 of The History of Greenland examines the 1951 Defense Agreement between Denmark and the United States, a pivotal Cold War pact that granted the U.S. extensive military rights in Greenland and led to the construction of Thule Air Base. Lucas and Luna explore the geopolitical pressures on Denmark, the secretive negotiations, the impact on Greenlandic communities—particularly the Inughuit in Pituffik—and the long-term consequences for Greenland's sovereignty and modernization. The…
Greenland's Thule Air Base: Cold War Bargain That Reshaped the Arctic
In 1951, the United States and Denmark signed a secret agreement that turned Greenland into a frontline outpost of the Cold War. The result was Thule Air Base, built in northwest Greenland near the Inughuit settlement of Pituffik. This episode explores the 1951 Defense of Greenland Agreement (the 'Greenland Treaty'), the strategic calculus that led to its creation, and the lasting consequences for the Inughuit people, who were forcibly relocated to Qaanaaq to make way for the base. We follow…
Greenland's 2009 Self-Government: A New Chapter
In 2009, Greenland took a historic step toward self-determination with the Self-Government Act, a landmark shift from its colonial past under Denmark. This episode explores the key figures, political negotiations, and cultural aspirations that led to this transformation. We delve into the role of Aleqa Hammond, Greenland's first female prime minister, and the Inatsisartut's push for greater autonomy. The act recognized the Kalaallit as a distinct people under international law, granted…
Greenland's 1953 Constitution and the End of Colonial Status
In 1953, Greenland ceased to be a colony and became an integral part of the Kingdom of Denmark. But what did that actually mean for the Kalaallit people? This episode digs into the 1953 Danish Constitution, which formally integrated Greenland, and the political maneuvering behind it. We explore the role of the Grønlands Landsråd (Greenland Provincial Council), the limited input from Kalaallit representatives like Augo Lynge, and the reality that integration was a Danish-driven project to…
Greenland's 1734 Map That Claimed an Island That Doesn't Exist
In 1734, a German cartographer named Matthias Seutter published a detailed map of Greenland that included a phantom island called 'Grocland' or 'Buss Island'. The island persisted on maps for centuries, leading explorers on wild goose chases. This episode follows the strange cartographic history of Buss Island, its connection to the 1734 map debate, and how it reflects European ignorance of Greenland's coastline. We discuss the role of early mapmakers, the Martin Frobisher voyages that first…
Greenland's 1979 Home Rule: The Path to Self-Government
This episode of The History of Greenland explores the island's journey to self-government, culminating in the 1979 Home Rule Act. We talk about the Greenlandic independence movement, key figures like Moses Olsen and Jonathan Motzfeldt, and the 1978 referendum. We also discuss the impact of Danish colonial policy, the European Economic Community membership, and the balance between autonomy and economic dependence. The conversation touches on the role of the Grønlands Landsråd, the establishment…
Showing the latest 50 episodes. The full archive of 201 is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and every major podcast app — or via the RSS feed above.