200 Norwegians

Knute Rockne

The seventh episode of 200 Norwegians tells the story of legendary football coach Knute Rockne. What made him so great? How did he achieve the highest winning percentage in college football history? What was the Rockne system? And why was he called the "Coach for a Nation"?
We trace Rockne’s journey from the snow-covered village of Voss to the bustling streets of Chicago. Learn how the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair lured his inventor father—and eventually the entire Rockne family—across the Atlantic. Discover how Knute fell in love with football, excelled as an athlete, and later transformed the game itself.
We explore how his creativity and forward-thinking helped turn football from a fringe blood sport into a national pastime.
Featuring sports historian Jim Lefebvre, author of Coach for a Nation and executive director of Knute Rockne Memorial Society.

Belle Gunnes

In the sixth episode of 200 Norwegians, you’ll hear the story of Belle Gunness—the most dangerous Norwegian church lady in American history. Follow her journey from Selbu, Norway, to the outskirts of La Porte, Indiana, where she built a deadly empire of matrimonial ads, life insurance scams, and disappearing suitors.
Discover how an immigrant woman became one of America’s most prolific serial killers—and how one suspicious brother helped bring her story to light.
Was it greed that drove Belle to kill? Or something even darker?
This episode follows the strange, violent arc of a woman who didn’t just change the lives of those around her—she may have changed how Americans saw Norwegian immigrants altogether.

Andrew Furuseth

He never wanted his picture taken.He never accepted a higher salary than the average seaman.
Andrew Furuseth was a humble, yet remarkably effective leader. That’s why he was—ironically—given the not-so-humble title: The Abraham Lincoln of the Sea.
In this episode, we trace his roots—back to Norway’s golden age of sail.We’ll journey across the oceans, round the Cape, and land in the lawless boomtown of San Francisco.You’ll hear about the shanghaiers, the crimps, and the ruthless shipowners. And you’ll meet the relentless figure who stood up to them all—Andrew Furuseth.
The man who famously said: "You can put me in jail. But you cannot give me narrower quarters than as a seaman I have always had. You cannot give me coarser food than I have always eaten. You cannot make me lonelier than I have always been."

Margarethe Cammermeyer

In the fourth episode of 200 Norwegians, we share the remarkable story of Margarethe Cammermeyer — the colonel who took on the U.S. military after being discharged for being a lesbian.
Cammermeyer's life reads like a Forrest Gump-style journey through modern history. Born in Nazi-occupied Norway to parents active in the resistance, she went on to serve in the Vietnam War, became a top-ranking officer in the National Guard, and found herself at the center of a national controversy in the 1990s.
Her legal battle led to a landmark court victory — and even inspired a made-for-TV movie starring Glenn Close. Along the way, she’s crossed paths with figures like Barbra Streisand and several U.S. presidents.
In this episode, we dig into it all.

Cleng Peerson Part 3

In the third and final chapter of the Cleng Peerson saga, you will hear what happened when the father of Norwegian emigration joined a cult and married a woman 26 years his junior. You will also learn about his final walk toward the Texas sun—and why Clifton, in Bosque County, is called the Norwegian Capital of Texas.
This episode features Kirk Mies, Marty Ray, Thomas Mannes, and Chris Ardis.

Cleng Peerson Part 2

In this second episode of 200 Norwegians, you’ll hear how Cleng Peerson’s grand plan failed—and how, in the end, President John Quincy Adams stepped in to rescue the Sloopers after their arrival in America. We’ll explore the brutal early years in Kendall, New York, a place that came to be known as the "Black North." Then, we’ll follow in Peerson’s footsteps as he pushes west in search of a new settlement, culminating in a fateful night under a tree in the Fox River Valley, where he experienced a biblical vision that would seal the destiny of his countrymen.

Cleng Peerson Part 1

In this first episode, you'll hear the story of Cleng Peerson, the father of Norwegian emigration. Discover his humble beginnings, and how an unlikely chain of events—spurred by the Napoleonic Wars and an unhappy marriage—set him on the path to becoming a Moses figure for a group of persecuted Norwegians. The episode also follows the journey of the Norwegian Mayflower across the Atlantic, where a casket of sweet wine nearly sent them to the bottom of the sea.