author
Rasmus Björn Anderson
1846–1936
A Norwegian-American writer, teacher, and diplomat who helped spark broad interest in Norse history in the United States. He is especially remembered for championing the idea that Viking explorers reached North America long before Columbus and for promoting what became Leif Erikson Day.
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About the author
Born in Albion, Wisconsin, in 1846 to Norwegian immigrant parents, he built a career around Scandinavian history, language, and culture. He studied at Luther College and later became the first professor of Scandinavian languages at the University of Wisconsin, helping bring Nordic studies into American academic life.
Beyond the classroom, he wrote and edited books and publications that introduced many readers to Icelandic sagas, Viking history, and the wider heritage of northern Europe. His best-known public cause was arguing that Leif Erikson and other Norse voyagers reached North America centuries before Columbus, a view he worked hard to popularize.
He also served as United States minister to Denmark in the 1880s. Across his long career as an author, editor, professor, and public advocate, he played an important part in shaping Norwegian-American cultural identity and keeping Old Norse history alive for a broad audience.