This year’s Eurovision contest has ended. The winners of the competition were Ukrainians that were favorites to win first place without any doubt. People around the globe love this competition for a wide range of reasons. Apart from the love for music, they also respect the tradition that this contest has. They love to see the competition as well as the union of all the people around Europe (+ Australia, of course). Because of that, we believe the popularity of Eurovision will never drop.
But, there are certain pieces of information that a lot of people do not even know. These facts only confirm how many people stand behind the organization of this multinational singing competition. Apart from that, it also confirms how valuable it is. Are you willing to find out some interesting facts? Continue reading!
1. The First Eurovision Was Pretty “Small”
In 2024, a huge number of countries from Europe (and outside of Europe) are participating in the Eurovision contest. Some countries have never managed to reach the finals, while others invest a lot of effort to confirm the quality of their songs. But, did you know that things were not the same at the beginning?
The first Eurovision ever was organized in 1956. However, in that year, there were only seven countries involved. Those countries were actually the members of the European Broadcasting Union. They were – Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The host of the competition was Switzerland, and the singers had the chance to show their talents in Lugano.
Another interesting fact here that we need to highlight is that there was only one person hosting the entire competition. The name of that person was Lohengrin Filipello. Until today, that’s the only case where only one person was hosting singers from different countries.
The rules of that competition were different compared to the ones present today. These six countries/six different singers or groups were singing two different songs. So, what was the outcome? Switzerland one that competition. Its representative was Lys Assia, and the name of her song was Refrain. Believe it or not, that’s the only competition that Switzerland won.
2. Eurovision Had Purpose to Unite People
Source: ebu.ch
Well, the purpose of this competition, for many people, is to bring entertainment on three different nights and allow talented people to show what they know. However, that was not the only idea that the creators of this competition had. After World War II, countries across the blue continent had the idea of some sort of union. The politicians realized that people start to hang out and respect each other more when there is music that connects them. Because of that, they decide to organize a competition that will connect all of them. That is the reason why they organized Eurovision. As we said, it started small, but the idea was too strong. It seems that people that thought of that idea managed to reach their goals on a long-term basis.
But, there is also another thing that people in Europe wanted to check out. Keep in mind that technology was still not at its highest level after world war two. International broadcast technology needed time to develop into something we have today. Well, Eurovision was the moment when different machines finally got the chance to get tested. So, we can say that the most popular singing competition in the world is also some sort of technological revolution.
3. Ireland Is Still the Best
In the last couple of years, Ireland has not been one of the most competitive countries in the Eurovision contest. It will probably sound strange to the youngest generations that this country holds the record as the competitor with the most “Eurovision trophies”
At Betway, you can find some of the greatest Eurovision hits of all time. You will easily notice that there are many wonderful Irish songs that some people gladly listen to even today.
So, how many times have they managed to become winners? Believe it or not, they participated in this competition for the first time in 1965. From 1965to 1997, they managed to reach the top seven times. A more fascinating thing is that they managed to do that 3 years in a row, from 1993 to 1995. In 1996, they failed to win the contest, but they did that again only a year later. This was the golden era of Irish music!
Is some other country threatening to take the lead? Well, the only country that has a high chance to do that is Sweden. Currently, they have six wins, and they are often one of the main favorites. Because of that, we are sure Swedish people will soon manage to get to the top!
4. In 1969, There Were Four Winners
We bet something like this will seem ridiculous to you. But, a strange thing happened in 1969, when 4 different countries were announced as winners. Those four countries were Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the UK. The reason for that is simple to understand – they had the same number of points. There were many speculations back then, and some people even claimed that the competition was rigged. However, something like that was never proven. So, we can only say that everything happened accidentally.
5. Norway – 0 Points
The worst scenario that performers simply do not want to experience is to receive 0 points from experts and fans all over the world. Unfortunately, at the top of the “zero points” list is Norway. Believe it or not, they managed to do that 11 times. However, the good news for them is that something like that happened in 2001. Since then, they have won Eurovision 3 times, and they usually are at the top of the list.
6. Sweden Actually Broke One Record
Source: aussievision.net
As we stated above, Sweden has the potential to become the country with the most number of Eurovision titles. But, they have already broken one crucial record! Believe it or not, Loreen, with song euphoria, is the most successful Eurovision song ever. She managed to get 12 points from 18 different countries. No one has ever managed to be that successful so far, and we doubt someone ever will.
Conclusion
There are probably hundreds of interesting facts and anecdotes about Eurovision. However, we have highlighted the most interesting ones. We invite you to follow this competition regularly in the future and enjoy some of the loveliest music in the world!
