SPEAKER_01: Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Encyclopedia Womanica. Today's Olympian was a cross between athlete and celebrity. Her routines on the ice eventually made her a famous actor on screen. She changed the world of figure skating with her decade-long reign over the sport. Today, we're talking about the ice queen of Norway, Sonja Henne. Sonja was born on April 8, 1912, in Oslo, Norway. In her own memoir, Sonja placed her birth during one of the biggest snowstorms to rock the country, perhaps a foreshadowing of the career that lay ahead. Sonja grew up well off. In addition to inherited wealth, her father, Vilam, was successful in the fur business. Vilam had also enjoyed a career as a competitive speed skater. He passed on his love for athletics to Sonja. Growing up, Sonja was a multi-sport athlete. She was an acclaimed competitor in tennis, horseback riding, and swimming. The story of Sonja's first time on skates is up for debate. Vilam claimed that one day, five-year-old Sonja stole her brother's skates and ended up winning a children's skating championship. Sonja herself said her brother gifted her the skates and helped her learn before winning that first competition. Either way, once Sonja was in the skates, there was no way of getting her out of the rink. Soon, all of Sonja's energy was spent figure skating. She even stopped going to school to make time for day-long practice sessions. At the age of 11, Sonja made her Olympic debut. She came in last in her field. The next time she entered the rink, she did so as a new competitor altogether. She shed the sport's standard baggy skate suit and black skates. Instead, she wore a white velvet dress with a hemmed skirt. It ended just above her knee, simultaneously shocking audiences and giving her the flexibility to perform tricks and jumps usually only available to men. That year, at just 14 years old, Sonja won her first World Figure Skating Championship. It was the first of an unparalleled, consecutive 10-year domination of the world championships. The following year, in 1928, she won the first of three consecutive Olympic gold medals in figure skating, another unprecedented record. To this day, neither of Sonja's winning streaks have been matched. Sonja rocketed to fame in her early skating career, as did rumors about her political affiliations. Just before the 1936 Winter Olympics, where Sonja would win her third gold medal, she skated into a Berlin rink. After being told Adolf Hitler was in attendance, she began her routine with a Heil Hitler. It didn't go over well in the Scandinavian press, and Sonja never fully outlived the scandal. That same year, Sonja turned away from the competition circuit and set her eyes on a new horizon, Hollywood. She signed a contract with 20th Century Fox, and from 1936 to 1943, she starred in 10 box office hits that showcased her skating. She also started a yearly skating review called Sonja Henny Night at Madison Square Garden in New York City. During her years of stardom, Sonja earned another nickname, Little Miss Money Bags. She was often seen wearing luxurious furs, staying at the best hotels, and throwing parties for the Hollywood elite. According to some stories, she even entered one of these parties on the back of an elephant. In 1937, Sonja's father died. His death marked a change in Sonja's work ethic. She saved more money and took more control over her skating shows and movie roles. During the 1940s, Sonja was married and divorced twice. By 1952, Sonja entered her 40s and her athletic career started to suffer. Her ice review required her to complete eight figure skating numbers back to back, a tough ask even for an athlete in their prime. By that point, Sonja had been skating at a professional level for more than three decades. Fatigue and a falling out with her previous manager combined for a less than stellar season. This disappointing performance led Sonja to retire in 1956. That same year, Sonja married for the final time to Niels Onstad, a childhood friend. In the 1960s, Sonja and her husband ventured into art collection. They built a museum to house their modern collection in Oslo. In 1968, Sonja was diagnosed with leukemia. She died on October 12, 1969, at 57 years old.
SPEAKER_00: Well, look who it is. Yes, you're right. It's little Sonja Henny, some years before she brought her silver skates to America and turned them into gold. She wins here, again in 1968, 1932, again in 1936, and will always be the queen of skaters everywhere.
SPEAKER_01: All month we're talking about Olympians. For more on why we're doing what we're doing, check out our newsletter, Womanica Weekly. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at Encyclopedia Womanica. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow.
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