Iceland
Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic.
In context
- When
- Saturday, June 17 194482 years ago
- Category
- Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Era
- 20th century · 1940s
- Recorded from
- Wikipedia “On this day” feed
At a glance
Dates: From 1944.
What happened
Iceland is a Nordic island country between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Europe and North America. It is Europe's westernmost and most sparsely populated country. Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which is home to about 35% of the country's roughly 395,000 residents. The official language of the country is Icelandic. Iceland is on a rift between tectonic plates, and its geologic activity includes geysers and frequent volcanic eruptions.
June 17 through the years
Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.
- 1944Iceland
- 1987Dusky seaside sparrow
- 1989Interflug Flight 102
- 1991Apartheid
- 1992George H. W. Bush
- 1994O. J. Simpson
- 2009Czech Pirate Party
- 2015Charleston church shooting
- 2015White supremacy
- 2017June 2017 Portugal wildfires
- 2021Juneteenth
Also in 1944
- September 15World War IIWorld War II: American and Australian forces landed on the Japanese-occupied island of Morotai.
- October 20World War IIWorld War II: Fulfilling a promise he made two years previously, General Douglas MacArthur landed on Leyte to begin the recapture of the…
- May 25WehrmachtThe Wehrmacht and their collaborationist allies launched Operation Rösselsprung, a failed attempt to assassinate the Yugoslav Partisan le…
- June 14World War IISecond World War: The British Army abandoned its attempt to capture the German-occupied city of Caen.
- November 27RAF Fauld explosionBetween 3,500 and 4,000 tonnes of ordnance exploded at the RAF Fauld underground munitions storage depot in the largest non-nuclear explo…
- September 3DiaryHolocaust: Diarist Anne Frank and her family are placed on the last transport train from the Westerbork transit camp to the Auschwitz con…
- July 5World War IISecond World War: Canadian troops defeated the last German counterattacks against Carpiquet, Normandy, France.
- November 5World War IIWorld War II: Allied forces began a military campaign on Japanese-occupied Singapore.
Sources
- Wikipedia article (text, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 for adapted text · how we source this
Cite this page
“Iceland”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/iceland-1944-june-17, accessed October 28, 2026.
Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.
Questions about this entry
When did Iceland happen?
June 17 1944 — 82 years ago, on a Saturday.
Where does this text come from?
Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.
How do I cite this page?
Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.
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