How Norway Got Rich (It Wasn't Oil)

Norway is one of the richest countries on Earth: 5.5 million people and a savings account worth about two trillion dollars. Everybody says it's the oil. But Venezuela had oil. Nigeria had oil. Britain had the same North Sea oil right next door. They spent it. Norway didn't. For most of its history, Norway was one of the poorest corners of Europe: rocks, ice, darkness and less than 3% farmland. This is the story of how it got rich anyway, and of the one stubborn rule Norwegians kept repeating for more than a hundred years: what nature gives, everyone owns. In this documentary you'll find out: Why the Vikings got rich from dried fish, not raiding How the Black Death and the Hanseatic League put Norway into a 400-year night How 112 men wrote a constitution in about six weeks in 1814 How a country of farmers built one of the biggest merchant fleets in the world Why about 800,000 Norwegians left for America The 1909 "panic laws" that made foreign companies give Norway's waterfalls back The king who told Hitler no, the sinking of the Blücher, and the heavy water raid The 1958 letter that said there was no oil under the North Sea Ekofisk, Christmas 1969, and the Ten Oil Commandments Farouk Al-Kasim, the Iraqi geologist who helped design Norway's oil system The oil fund that owns about 1.5% of every listed company on Earth The Law of Jante, public tax records, and how Norway made salmon sushi popular in Japan CHAPTERS 0:00 Why is Norway so rich? (It wasn't oil) 1:16 The worst land in Europe 3:25 Vikings, raiders and stockfish 6:19 The Black Death and the 400-year night 9:06 A constitution in six weeks (1814) 10:51 Fish, pine and ships 12:57 The great escape to America 14:50 The waterfalls belong to us (1905) 18:33 The king who said no (WW2) 21:41 The poor cousin of Scandinavia 23:49 The last well: finding oil (1969) 26:11 The Ten Commandments of oil 30:23 The oil fund: the money they won't touch 34:14 Why oil didn't ruin Norway 38:08 Which country next? Watch next: Why Is Switzerland So Rich? (It Wasn't the Banks) Subscribe to Wait, Why? for history's biggest questions, explained. Norway or Switzerland: which is the smarter country? Tell us in the comments.