Icelandic politician, 21st Prime Minister of Iceland (died 2026)

Davíð Oddsson

Davíð Oddsson was an Icelandic politician, and the longest-serving prime minister of Iceland, in office from 1991 to 2004. From 2004 to 2005 he served as foreign minister and as the chairman for the Independence Party from 1991 to 2005. Previously, he was Mayor of Reykjavík from 1982 to 1991, and chaired the board of governors of the Central Bank of Iceland from 2005 to 2009. The 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis led to vocal demands for his resignation, both from members of the Icelandic public and from the new Icelandic Prime Minister Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, which resulted in his being replaced as head of the Central Bank in March 2009.

Born

1948

January 17

Died

Living

Era

1940s

Country

—

About

Davíð, in brief

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Life timeline

Key dates

1948 Born

Also on January 17

What else happened on this day, through history

-38 Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey.
1362 Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on the shores of the North Sea.
1377 Pope Gregory XI reaches Rome, after deciding to move the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon.
1524 Giovanni da Verrazzano sets sail westward from Madeira to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean.

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The world in 1948

When Davíð arrived

april 1 Cold War: Communist forces respond to the introduction of the Deutsche Mark by attempting to force the western powers to withdraw from Berlin.
april 1 Faroe Islands gain autonomy from Denmark.
april 13 In an ambush, 78 Jewish doctors, nurses and medical students from Hadassah Hospital, and a British soldier, are massacred by Arabs in Sheikh Jarrah. This event came to be known as the Hadassah medical convoy massacre.
april 16 The Organization of European Economic Co-operation is formed.

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Same-day contemporaries

Also born on January 17

Alain Badiou 1937– French philosopher and academic Calvin Harris 1984– Scottish singer-songwriter, DJ, and producer Clyde Walcott 1926–2006 Barbadian cricketer and coach (born 1926) Denis O'Hare 1962– American actor and singer Derrick Mason 1974– American football player Dwyane Wade 1982– American basketball player Gyude Bryant 1949–2014 Liberian businessman and politician (born 1949) Kang Chan-hee 2000– South Korean singer and actor Naveen Andrews 1969– English actor

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Same-year contemporaries

Also born in 1948

Art Spiegelman 1948– Swedish-American cartoonist and critic Buck Martinez 1948– American baseball player and manager Carl Weathers 1948–2024 American football player and actor (born 1948) Carlos Salinas de Gortari 1948– Mexican economist and politician, 53rd President of Mexico Christopher Guest 1948– British-American actor and director Claude Jade 1948–2006 French actress (born 1948) Cliff Thorburn 1948– Canadian snooker player Dayle Haddon 1948– Canadian model and actress (died 2024) East Bay Ray 1948– American guitarist

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More to explore

Davíð's birthday January 17 Davíð's zodiac Capricorn When Davíð arrived 1948