Portrait of Alexander Dale Oen

Birthday profile

Alexander Dale Oen

Alexander Dale Oen, Norwegian swimmer (died 2012)

Born
May 21, 1985
Died
April 30, 2012
Zodiac sign
Gemini
Birth year
1985

About Alexander Dale Oen

Alexander Dale Oen (Norwegian pronunciation: [ɑɫɛkˈsɑ̀ndər ˈdɑ̀ːɫə ˈùːən]; 21 May 1985 – 30 April 2012) was a Norwegian competitive swimmer. He was an Olympic silver medallist, World Championships gold medallist, World Championships (25m) bronze medallist, two-time European Championships gold medallist and European Short Course Championships gold medallist in the 100 metre breaststroke. Dale Oen competed at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, and represented the clubs Vestkantsvømmerne (1995–2010) and Bærumsvømmerne (2011–2012). He was the first Norwegian swimmer in history to win an Olympic medal and the first Norwegian male swimmer to win medals at the World Championships and European Championships. Dale Oen was the former Olympic and European record holder in the 100 m breaststroke, and holds the Nordic record in the 100 m long course breaststroke and the Norwegian national record in the 50 m, 100 m and 200 m long course breaststroke and the 100 m and 200 m short course breaststroke. On 30 April 2012, Dale Oen died after suffering a heart attack caused by chronic, undetected coronary heart disease. He was attending a training camp with the Norwegian swimming team in Flagstaff, Arizona at the time of his death. At the 2006 World Championships (25m) in Shanghai, Dale Oen won a bronze medal in the 100 m breaststroke and became the first Norwegian swimmer to win a World Championships medal in 28 years. Dale Oen won his first short course medal at the 2006 European Short Course Championships in Helsinki, taking bronze in the 100 m breaststroke and setting a new personal best and Nordic record with a time of 58.70. He set a new Nordic Record in the event at the latter championship with a time of 59.05 seconds during the qualification heats and became the first Norwegian to swim the distance in less than 1 minute.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Alexander Dale Oen timeline

  1. At the 2006 World Championships (25m) in Shanghai, Dale Oen won a bronze medal in the 100 m breaststroke and became the first Norwegian swimmer to win a World Championships medal in 28 years.
  2. Dale Oen won his first short course medal at the 2006 European Short Course Championships in Helsinki, taking bronze in the 100 m breaststroke and setting a new personal best and Nordic record with a time of 58.70.

The world when Alexander Dale Oen was born

Alexander Dale Oen was born in 1985. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1985

  • #1 song"We Are the World" – USA for Africa
  • Top movieOut of Africa
  • Top TV showThe Cosby Show
  • Best-selling bookThe Handmaid's Tale – Margaret Atwood

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMichael Jordan named NBA Rookie of the Year
  • Top headlineLive Aid concert raises awareness for African famine
  • Technology milestoneNintendo NES released in the US
  • Defining fadNintendo NES
  • Notable inventionNintendo Entertainment System (NES) launches in US
  • World population4.85 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championKansas City Royals (World Series)
  • Also wonLos Angeles Lakers (NBA)
  • U.S. population237.9M

1985 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Alexander Dale Oen's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19852026
Gas$1.12$3.45/gal
Average home$75,500$435,000
Average income$27,735$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$3.55$11.95
Postage stamp$0.22$0.73
Population237.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, International Olympic Committee, Olympedia, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.