Bien was a Danish language newspaper published weekly in the United States from the late 19th through the early 21st century.
Bien was founded and edited by the Norwegian Synod minister I.L.P. Dietrichsen, a pastor in San Francisco, on April 22, 1882. [1] Initially, it had 16 pages, four to six of which were dedicated to pictures, features, and short stories, and about two pages of advertising. In 1890, the newspaper came under Danish management when Danish typographers Sophus Hartwick and Peter Freese became co-editors of the paper. In 1897, Sophus Hartwick assumed control of the paper and worked as the chief editor until 1930. [2] During the last decades of the 19th century, the Danish immigrants in the United States had founded 34 Danish-language newspapers and aided in 24 other Danish-Norwegian newspapers. Of those, 15 remained in 1900, including papers such as Den Danske Pioneer, Bikuben, Danskeren, Dannevirke, Bien, Revyen and Nordlyset. [3] After World War II, only Den Danske Pioneer and Bien remained.
Bien was considered the last newspaper in California to be printed using Linotype, switching to computer typesetting in 2001 under the management of Danish resistance movement member Poul Andersen. The last printed issue of Bien was released on May 24, 2018; some digital content beyond that date is archived online. [4]
According to the newspaper's former website, Bien was published to serve four fundamental purposes: to provide news from Denmark to keep its readers up to date with people and relevant events there, to inform Danes in America about each other and be the Danish connection between them, to entertain and inform its readers of issues relevant to Danes living in America, and to include contributions from its readers about themselves and their lives and give the readers their own voice. [1]
Bien also served as an outlet for social clubs and local interest groups to gather and organize. Such organizations would notify readers of meetings in the “Foreninger i San Francisco” (Associations in San Francisco) section of Bien, where one could find the times and locations of local Scandinavian related organizations. Groups such as Danske Damers Hjælpeforeninger (the Danish Women's Relief Society), the Danish-American Women's Auxiliary of San Francisco Dannevirke Chapter, and the Danish-American Women's Club all made listings in Bien, noting the various locations at which one interested could become involved in the association. [5]
The culture of Denmark has a rich scientific and artistic heritage. The astronomical discoveries of Tycho Brahe (1546–1601), Ludwig A. Colding's (1815–1888) neglected articulation of the principle of conservation of energy, and the foundational contributions to atomic physics of Niels Bohr (1885–1962); in this century Lene Vestergaard Hau in quantum physics involving the stopping of light, advances in nano-technology, and contributions to the understanding of Bose-Einstein Condensates, demonstrate the range and endurance of Danish scientific achievement. The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875), the philosophical essays of Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855), the short stories of Karen Blixen, penname Isak Dinesen, (1885–1962), the plays of Ludvig Holberg (1684–1754), modern authors such as Herman Bang and Nobel laureate Henrik Pontoppidan and the dense, aphoristic poetry of Piet Hein (1905–1996), have earned international recognition, as have the symphonies of Carl Nielsen (1865–1931). From the mid-1990s, Danish films have attracted international attention, especially those associated with Dogme 95 like those of Lars Von Trier. Denmark has had a strong tradition of movie making and Carl Theodor Dreyer has been recognised as one of the world's greatest film directors.
Politiken is a leading Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1884 and played a role in the formation of the Danish Social Liberal Party. Since 1970 it has been independent of the party but maintains a liberal stance. It now runs an online newspaper, politiken.dk. The paper's design has won several international awards, and a number of its journalists have won the Cavling Prize.
Danes are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural.
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Berlingske, previously known as Berlingske Tidende, is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen. It is considered a newspaper of record for Denmark. First published on 3 January 1749, Berlingske is Denmark's, as well as the Nordic region's, oldest continually operating newspaper and among the oldest newspapers in the world.
Rasmus Bjørn Anderson was an American author, professor, editor, businessman and diplomat. He brought to popular attention the fact that Viking explorers were the first Europeans to arrive in the New World and was the originator of Leif Erikson Day.
Danish literature a subset of Scandinavian literature, stretches back to the Middle Ages. The earliest preserved texts from Denmark are runic inscriptions on memorial stones and other objects, some of which contain short poems in alliterative verse. In the late 12th century Saxo Grammaticus wrote Gesta Danorum. During the 16th century, the Lutheran Reformation came to Denmark. During this era, Christiern Pedersen translated the New Testament into Danish and Thomas Kingo composed hymns. Fine poetry was created in the early 17th century by Anders Arrebo (1587–1637). The challenges faced during Denmark's absolute monarchy in 1660 are chronicled in Jammersminde by Leonora Christina of the Blue Tower. Ludvig Holberg (1684–1754), influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment and Humanism, is considered the founder of modern Danish and Norwegian literature. Neoclassical poetry, drama, and the essay flourished during the 18th century influenced by French and English trends. German influence is seen in the verse of the leading poets of the late 18th century such as Johannes Ewald and Jens Baggesen. Other 18th century writers include the hymn writer Hans Adolph Brorson and the satirical poet Johan Herman Wessel.
Danish Americans are Americans who have ancestral roots originated fully or partially from Denmark. There are approximately 1,300,000 Americans of Danish origin or descent.
Den Danske Pioneer is the oldest Danish-language newspaper published in the United States. Den Danske Pioneer is one of two remaining Danish-language newspapers in the United States. The other is Bien, a weekly newspaper based in California.
Poul Dalby Andersen was a printer who served in the Danish resistance movement during World War II and later published one of the remaining two Danish-language newspapers in the United States.
In Denmark, photography has developed from strong participation and interest in the very beginnings of the art in 1839 to the success of a considerable number of Danes in the world of photography today.
Paul Johansen Geleff was a Danish socialist organizer. He was one of the founders of the socialist movement in Denmark.
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The Danish people in Omaha, Nebraska, were a predominant ethnic group in the city in the 1920s, and were notable for that compared to other cities across the United States. Omaha, as well as its neighbor, Council Bluffs, had "major colonies of Danes for many years."
Anders Christian Nielsen, known only as A. C. Nielsen, was a real estate speculator in early 20th century Junction City, Oregon. His efforts helped to create a Danish farming community in Lane County, Oregon. The annual Scandinavian Festival would not exist without Mr. Nielsen's Danish colony. He also helped to found the Junction City Danish United Evangelical Lutheran Church, now known as Faith Lutheran Church.
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Hans Borchsenius was an American politician and newspaperman.
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