Tage Fritiof Erlander was prime minister and chairman of the Swedish Social Democratic Workers' Party (SAP) from 1946 to 1969. He pursued a welfare state policy and a path of social reform of capitalism. In education, he introduced a compulsory nine years of schooling. He advocated Sweden's neutrality while engaging in UN activities and supporting Third World countries. 1)
Gripsholm is a Renaissance castle in Sweden on Lake Melar. Between 1563 and 1567 King Eric XIV Vasa of Sweden imprisoned his half-brother, Prince John III Vasa of Finland, and his wife Catherine Jagiellon. Their son, later king of Poland and Sweden Sigismund III Vasa, was born here on June 20, 1566. 2)
Skåne is the southernmost part of Sweden. It includes the entire historical province (landskap) of Skåne. In 1902, on the private initiative of historian Mathias Weibull, the flag of Skåne was recreated, or rather created from scratch, adapting it to the Nordic flag tradition. On a red sheet of cloth is a golden cross. The flag directly refers to the medieval history of the region, which was then part of the Kingdom of Denmark. 3)
Stadshuset is a huge city hall in Stockholm, built between 1911 and 1923. It is considered one of the symbols of the Swedish capital. Since 1934, ceremonial receptions in honor of Nobel Prize winners have been given in the Blue Hall (Blå hallen) of the Town Hall on December 10, each year. The architect of the Town Hall was Ragnar Östberg, inspired by Venice's Doge's Palace. 4)
Henning Mankell is best known for his series of detective stories featuring police officer Kurt Wallander. He was the husband of Eva Bergman, daughter of director Ingmar Bergman. 5)
Sweden is so good at recycling that it has run out of garbage and imports 80,000 tons a year from Norway. 6)
Sweden tested a “Speed Camera Lottery” in which drivers who obeyed speed limits were automatically entered into a drawing to win a prize pool funded by fines paid by people who speed and got tickets. 7)
The islands of Gotland and Öland, as well as part of the Scandinavian mountain range, thanks to their limestone-rich rocks and favorable climate, have a unique flora that includes numerous varieties of orchids. 8)
In 1910, Sweden was the first European country to establish national parks, mainly in the mountainous areas of Norrland. This helped save some of Europe's last wildlife from exploitation. 9)
Sweden legalized homosexual orientation in 1944, and in 1972 became the first country in the world to allow a change of metric sex, or gender entry, on documents. 10)
The globally popular game Minecraft was a one-man hobby project by Swedish programmer Markus “Notch” Persson. 11)
There are 260,000 reindeer in Sweden. They eat mushrooms, lichens, grass, and herbs. Suovas is a word in the language of the indigenous Sámi people that refers to smoked fillets of reindeer meat. 12)
North Korea owes Sweden 300 million euros for about 1,000 Volvo cars and Sweden sends them the payment reminders every 6 months. 13)
Sweden has introduced a nationwide program where citizens can sign up to receive text messages when a heart attack victim is nearby, allowing them to reach them faster than an ambulance. 14)
Sweden pays students per month to go to high school. 15)
Blood donors in Sweden receive a text message every time their blood is used to save a life. 16)
Volvo, a former Swedish car company, invented the seat belt, a device that has saved many lives. 17)
In Stockholm, Sweden, just north of Stockholm University, there is a housing development that has a tradition of having residents open their windows at 10 p.m. every Tuesday and scream for a few minutes to relieve the stress of university exams. 18)
The word “fika” means a coffee break in Sweden. Swedes drink more coffee than any other nation except Finland. 19)