Jim (Drac) wrote: “Off topic but my wife constantly asks me – ‘When did Norse/Scandinavian people get British accents?’ ”

It all depends on who they learnt English from. Those that settled in the US (and their descendants) speak like Americans.
Those who picked up English from Britons will naturally speak with British accents.
But nowadays a great many Europeans (and Asians) learn English to be able to communicate with Americans, and are taught either by Americans or by others who are contracted to teach US English.
Regards,
Mike