1988 in Iceland

← 1987 1986 1985 1988 in Iceland → 1989 1990 1991
Decades:	1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
See also:	Other events of 1988 Timeline of Icelandic history

The following lists events that happened in 1988 in Iceland .

Incumbents

• President – Vigdís Finnbogadóttir
• Prime Minister – Þorsteinn Pálsson, Steingrímur Hermannsson

Events

• 17 November – Linda Pétursdóttir is crowned Miss World at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK.
• 22 April – The Shop and Office Workers Union begins a nationwide pay strike that halts most retail and clerical services for a fortnight. ^[1]
• 30 April – Iceland’s entry “Þú og þeir (Sókrates)” places sixteenth at the Eurovision Song Contest final in Dublin. ^[2]
• 10 May – After an all-night debate the Althing votes 13–8 to repeal Iceland’s 73-year ban on full-strength beer, with legal sales scheduled for 1 March 1989. ^[3]
• 16 May – The government devalues the Icelandic króna by 10 percent to support the struggling fishing industry amid sliding export prices. ^[4]
• 25 June – President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir wins re-election, securing a third consecutive four-year term. ^[5]
• 24 November – U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs amendments strengthening the Marine Mammal Protection Act, explicitly threatening sanctions against whaling nations such as Iceland. ^[6]

Births

Birkir Bjarnason

• 15 February Sævar Birgisson, cross country skier. ^[7]
• 18 April – Salka Sól Eyfeld, singer, actress, voice actress, radio host and TV-presenter
• 27 May – Birkir Bjarnason, footballer
• 28 July – Gunnar Nelson, martial artist
• 12 September – Guðmundur Ari Sigurjónsson, politician ^[8]
• 22 November – Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, strongman
• 27 December – Hera Hilmar, actress

Deaths

Alfred Eliasson

• Alfred Eliasson, businessman (b. 1920)

References

1. "Shop- and Office-Workers Strike in Iceland". United Press International. 22 April 1988. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
2. "Eurovision 1988 Results: Voting & Points". Eurovisionworld. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
3. "73-Year Beer Ban Lifted in Iceland". Los Angeles Times. 11 May 1988. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
4. "Iceland Devalues Currency 10% to Aid Fishing Industry". Los Angeles Times. 17 May 1988. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
5. "Iceland President Wins Third Term Overwhelmingly". Los Angeles Times. 26 June 1988. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
6. "Good News for Marine Mammals: Reagan Signs Legislation to Strengthen U.S. Protections". Deseret News. 24 November 1988. Retrieved 2025-06-13.
7. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Sævar Birgisson". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
8. "Þingmenn: Alþingismannatal - Æviágrip þingmanna frá 1845 - Guðmundur Ari Sigurjónsson" (in Icelandic). Reykjavík, Iceland: Althing . Retrieved 12 December 2024.