1988 in Iceland

The following lists events that happened in 1988 in Iceland.

Incumbents

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

Events

• 22 April – The Shop and Office Workers Union begins a nationwide pay strike that halts most retail and clerical services for a fortnight.
• 30 April – Iceland’s entry “Þú og þeir (Sókrates)” places sixteenth at the Eurovision Song Contest final in Dublin.
• 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.
• 16 May – The government devalues the Icelandic króna by 10 percent to support the struggling fishing industry amid sliding export prices.
• 25 June – President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir wins re-election, securing a third consecutive four-year term.
• 17 November – Linda Pétursdóttir is crowned Miss World at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK.
• 24 November – U.S. President Ronald Reagan signs amendments strengthening the Marine Mammal Protection Act, explicitly threatening sanctions against whaling nations such as Iceland.

Births

• 15 February Sævar Birgisson, cross country skier.
• 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
• 22 November – Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, strongman
• 27 December – Hera Hilmar, actress

Deaths

• Alfred Eliasson, businessman (b. 1920)

References