1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey guys, welcome to this Day in History class, 3 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:11,399 Speaker 1: where we bring you a new tidbit from history. Every day. 4 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 1: Today is August. The day was August nineteen seventy three. 5 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 1: On leave from prison, Jan Eric Olsen entered this Veryages 6 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: Credit Bank, a busy bank in Stockholm, Sweden. He was 7 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 1: equipped with a submachine gun, ammunition, explosives, a knife, walkie talkies, 8 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: a transistor radio, and other materials to assist him in 9 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: his planned bank robbery. The robbery turned into a six 10 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 1: day hostage crisis that led to the coining of the 11 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: term Stockholm syndrome. When he entered the bank, Olsen wore 12 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: toy glasses, a brown wig, and makeup to disguise his appearance. 13 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,559 Speaker 1: He spoke English with an American accent, hoping he would 14 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: be mistaken for a foreigner. He fired his submachine gun 15 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: at the ceiling, saying the party has just begun. Olsen 16 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 1: took four bank employees hostage. Over the following days, Olsen 17 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: would make more references to US pop culture. He demanded 18 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:30,119 Speaker 1: seven dred and ten thousand dollars from the police and 19 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:33,919 Speaker 1: a getaway car. He also called for his friend Clark 20 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: Olofsson to be released from prison. All Offsen was in 21 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: prison for armed robbery and being an accessory in the 22 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:47,039 Speaker 1: murder of a police officer. Law enforcement did honor most 23 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: of Olsen's requests. Olafson was released from prison and escorted 24 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: into the bank, and police got them a blue Ford 25 00:01:56,120 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: Mustang and the ransom, but police refus used to let 26 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: the hostages ride in the car with Olson and helmets 27 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:08,519 Speaker 1: and bulletproof vests as he demanded for safe passage, so 28 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: a standoff ensued. The hostage crisis was covered extensively in 29 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: print and on television. People gave police unsolicited suggestions on 30 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:23,520 Speaker 1: how to end the standoff. Meanwhile, inside the bank, the 31 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: hostages were held inside a vault. One of the hostages 32 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: said that she was more afraid of the policeman than 33 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 1: Olsen and Olafson, and that they were having a good 34 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: time in the bank. Olsen gave one hostage a wool 35 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: jacket when she was cold, and he consoled another when 36 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: she could not get in touch with her family over 37 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 1: the phone. He let another leave the vault attached to 38 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: a rope so she could have some relief from the 39 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:57,080 Speaker 1: cramped space. Hostage spin Softstrom said that when Olsen treated 40 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: them well, they could quote think of him as an 41 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: emergency god. When the police commissioner went into the bank 42 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: to check on the hostages health, he noted that they 43 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: were more hostile toward him than their captors. They trusted 44 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: Olsen and Oliveson to take them away in the car safely, 45 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: but we're scared that the police's actions would cause their death. 46 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: The captors threatened to harm their hostages, but they never did, 47 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:28,080 Speaker 1: although Oliveson did wound a police officer by firing into 48 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 1: a hole the police had drilled into the vault. On 49 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: the night of August, the police sent tear gas into 50 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: the bank vault and the robbers surrendered. As they exited 51 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: the building, the hostages wanted to walk out in front 52 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: so police would not shoot the robbers. The police and 53 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: the public were confused by the hostages attachment to their captors. 54 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: Psychiatrists said that the hostages were grateful that their captors 55 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: did not kill them and were emotionally indebted to them. 56 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: Once I colleges coined the term Stockholm syndrome to describe 57 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:08,120 Speaker 1: the phenomenon, though it wasn't widely used until later. Olson 58 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: and Oliveson. Both were sentenced to prison, but Oliveson's conviction 59 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: was overturned in appeals court. I'm Eves Jeff Cote, and 60 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than 61 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If there are any upcoming days in 62 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:26,839 Speaker 1: history that you'd really like me to cover on the show, 63 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 1: give us a shout on social media at t D 64 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: I h C podcast. Thanks for joining me on this 65 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:46,919 Speaker 1: trip through history. See you here, same place tomorrow. For 66 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 67 00:04:49,760 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.