The Alternative History of Iceland: What If Iceland Had Been Wiped Out By a Volcano?

The Reykjavík Grapevine's Almost Completely True History of Iceland

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For almost a thousand years, nature had been torturing the poor residents of Iceland. Then, in 1783, it decided to finish the job. A volcano erupted that was felt around the world, nowhere more so than in Iceland itself. About a third of the population perished and the Danes considered transporting the survivors to Denmark. What if they had? How would they have fared? And what would have become of the unpopulated island?

Hosted by historians and The Reykjavík Grapevine founders Valur Gunnarsson and Jón Trausti Sigurðarson