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History Daily

The Return of The Scream

History Daily

History Daily

History

4.42.5K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2025

⏱️ 20 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

May 7, 1994. Edvard Munch's painting The Scream is recovered undamaged after being stolen from the National Gallery of Norway. This episode originally aired in 2024.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

There are more ways than ever to listen to History Daily ad-free.

0:04.1

Listen with Wondry Plus in the Wondry app.

0:06.0

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0:10.6

or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com.

0:31.6

Thank you. It's early morning on February 12, 1994, outside the National Art Gallery in Oslo, Norway. Snow falls softly onto the face of 18-year-old William Osheim as he stops walking and stares up at the arched second-floor window of the grand brick building.

0:41.5

William silences the timer on his wristwatch. The moment he's been worrying about for weeks has arrived.

0:48.1

He signals to his accomplice to get the ladder from the roof of their car, which is parked on the street nearby.

0:55.4

Together, the two men placed the ladder against the window, and then William begins to climb. His hands tremble,

1:00.7

adrenaline surging through him. William's heart beats faster and faster. But in the falling snow,

1:06.7

the rungs of the ladder are becoming slippery. William is not eight feet above the ground when he slips.

1:13.5

The soft snow breaks his fall, and William is unhurt.

1:17.1

His accomplice scowls silently at him, though,

1:19.3

so William quickly gets to his feet and starts climbing again.

1:22.9

This time he reaches the top.

1:24.9

William checks his watch again.

1:26.8

Despite his fall, he's still on schedule.

1:28.9

And if all goes to plan, the next action will be perfectly timed with the arrival of the

1:33.8

cleaners at the back of the building. From his jacket pocket, William pulls out a small hammer

1:39.9

and breaks the window in front of him. No alarm sound.

1:48.0

Just as expected, the cleaners have switched off the security system.

1:53.1

Careful not to cut himself on the glass, William climbs through and into the gallery.

1:58.4

Inside, the room is dark, and at first, William finds it hard to make out what's around him.

...

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