National Network for Equitable Library Service

The untold story of how one tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic has shaped the world for centuries. The history of Iceland began 1,200 years ago, when a frustrated Viking captain and his useless navigator ran aground in the middle of the North Atlantic. Suddenly, the island was no longer just a layover for the Arctic tern. Instead, it became a nation whose diplomats and musicians, sailors and soldiers, volcanoes and flowers, quietly altered the globe forever. But those who visit Iceland are often unaware of its outsize importance. So journalist, historian, and native Icelander Egill Bjarnason has set out to reveal the untold sagas of Iceland's pivotal role in events as monumental and far-flung as the French Revolution, the moon landing, and the foundation of Israel. Again and again, one humble nation of fishermen has found itself at the helm of historic events, shaping the world as we know it.