Ronald Reagan

“ From the Viking voyages a millennium ago to the myriad Scandinavians who have come here in more recent times, the Nordic people have made an indelible contribution to the greatness that is America. Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Norwegians and Swedes landed on our East coast and went West, expanded our frontier, tamed the prairie and helped make America the great Nation it is today. ”

“ We have received much from Scandinavia: The Icelandic sagas are monuments of literature; Niels Bohr was a vital link in modern science; Jan Sibelius was one of the giants of music; and Edvard Munch gave the world the visual beauty of his art. ”

“ Yet, for America, there is more still. The immigrants from Nordic countries infused us with their cultural and intellectual wealth and balanced their traditions with those of immigrants from other countries to help give America its enormous strength and unique resilience. ”