Historiens 100 viktigaste svenskar
Encyclopedia
Historiens 100 viktigaste svenskar (The 100 Greatest Swedes) is a book by Niklas Ekdal and Petter Karlsson
, published in 2009. Before the book was released, the list was published by Dagens Nyheter
between April 14 and May 6. The book is a list of the 100 Swedes that according to the authors has had "the greatest influence on swedish peoples lives, and also peoples lives around the world". There are 84 men and 16 women on the list. Around 40 of them lived in the last century and 16 are still alive today.
Petter Karlsson
Petter Karlsson is a multi instrumentalist and singer of Holocoaster and was a member of Swedish symphonic metal band Therion , lead vocalist and guitarist of Argento, member of other several bands: Master Massive, Kajarr, Conspiracy.He had a big impact on Therion's 13:th album Gothic Kabbalah,...
, published in 2009. Before the book was released, the list was published by Dagens Nyheter
Dagens Nyheter
is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It has the largest circulation of Swedish morning newspapers, followed by Göteborgs-Posten and Svenska Dagbladet, and is the only morning newspaper that is distributed to subscribers across the whole country. In 2009 DN had a circulation of 316,000, reaching 881...
between April 14 and May 6. The book is a list of the 100 Swedes that according to the authors has had "the greatest influence on swedish peoples lives, and also peoples lives around the world". There are 84 men and 16 women on the list. Around 40 of them lived in the last century and 16 are still alive today.
Selection Criteria
The selection criteria was the following:"How much, how long, and how many people has the person influenced - primarily domestically but also internationally - with his thoughts, his reign, his deeds or his example? And how much does this person mean to us living here today, in 2009?"The List
- Gustav I of SwedenGustav I of SwedenGustav I of Sweden, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known simply as Gustav Vasa , was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death....
(1496-1560), king (reigned 1523-1560), the founding father of modern SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - Astrid LindgrenAstrid LindgrenAstrid Anna Emilia Lindgren , 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish author and screenwriter who is the world's 25th most translated author and has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide...
(1907-2002), author, writer of children's books including the Pippi LongstockingPippi LongstockingPippi Longstocking is a fictional character in a series of children's books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, and adapted into multiple films and television series...
series. - Axel OxenstiernaAxel OxenstiernaAxel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre , Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of first Gustavus Adolphus and then Queen Christina.Oxenstierna...
(1583-1654), statesman, Lord High ChancellorLord High Chancellor of SwedenThe Lord High Chancellor was a prominent and influential office in Sweden, from 1561 until 1680, excluding periods when the office was out of use. The office holder was a member of the Privy Council of Sweden...
from 1612-1654. Confidant of both Gustavus AdolphusGustavus Adolphus of SwedenGustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
and Queen ChristinaChristina of SwedenChristina , later adopted the name Christina Alexandra, was Queen regnant of Swedes, Goths and Vandals, Grand Princess of Finland, and Duchess of Ingria, Estonia, Livonia and Karelia, from 1633 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustav II Adolph and his wife Maria Eleonora...
. - Alfred NobelAlfred NobelAlfred Bernhard Nobel was a Swedish chemist, engineer, innovator, and armaments manufacturer. He is the inventor of dynamite. Nobel also owned Bofors, which he had redirected from its previous role as primarily an iron and steel producer to a major manufacturer of cannon and other armaments...
(1833-1896), inventor, founder of the Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895... - Olof PalmeOlof PalmeSven Olof Joachim Palme was a Swedish politician. A long-time protegé of Prime Minister Tage Erlander, Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 to his assassination, and was a two-term Prime Minister of Sweden, heading a Privy Council Government from 1969 to 1976 and a cabinet...
(1927-1986), socialist politician, Prime Minister (1969-1976 and 1982-1986) - Marcus WallenbergMarcus WallenbergMarcus Wallenberg, born 2 September 1956 in Stockholm, is a Swedish banker and industrialist, B. Sc of Foreign Service. Son of the banker Marc Wallenberg, and his wife Olga Wehtje, he is a member of the prominent Wallenberg family. His nickname "Husky" came from his grandfather, Marcus "Dodde"...
(1899-1982), industrialist and banker - Evert TaubeEvert TaubeEvert Axel Taube was a Swedish author, artist, composer and singer. He is best known for his folk songs, and is widely regarded as one of Sweden's most respected musicians.-Biography:...
(1890-1976), composer - Lars Magnus EricssonLars Magnus EricssonLars Magnus Ericsson was a Swedish inventor, entrepreneur and founder of telephone equipment manufacturer Ericsson ....
(1846-1926), inventor, entrepreneur and founder of telephone equipment manufacturer EricssonEricssonEricsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks... - Charles XIV JohnCharles XIV John of SwedenCharles XIV & III John, also Carl John, Swedish and Norwegian: Karl Johan was King of Sweden and King of Norway from 1818 until his death...
(1763-1844), king (reigned 1818-1844) - Carl LarssonCarl LarssonCarl Larsson was a Swedish painter and interior designer, representative of the Arts and Crafts Movement. His many paintings include oils, watercolors, and frescoes...
(1853-1919), painter - St. BridgetBridget of SwedenBridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden Bridget of Sweden (1303 – 23 July 1373; also Birgitta of Vadstena, Saint Birgitta , was a mystic and saint, and founder of the Bridgettines nuns and monks after the death of her husband of twenty years...
(1303-1373), saint - Johan August GripenstedtJohan August GripenstedtBaron Johan August Gripenstedt was a Swedish businessman and politician. During his political career, Gripenstedt was a member of the Swedish Estates Assembly from 1840 to 1848, Minister without Portfolio from 1848 to 1856, Minister for Finance from 1856 to 1866, and Member of Parliament from...
(1813-1874), Finance Minister (1856-1866), liberal reformer and free trader - OdinOdinOdin is a major god in Norse mythology and the ruler of Asgard. Homologous with the Anglo-Saxon "Wōden" and the Old High German "Wotan", the name is descended from Proto-Germanic "*Wodanaz" or "*Wōđanaz"....
(170-240), king, later considered the chief god in Norse paganismNorse paganismNorse paganism is the religious traditions of the Norsemen, a Germanic people living in the Nordic countries. Norse paganism is therefore a subset of Germanic paganism, which was practiced in the lands inhabited by the Germanic tribes across most of Northern and Central Europe in the Viking Age... - August StrindbergAugust StrindbergJohan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
(1849-1912), playwright and writer - Charles XICharles XI of SwedenCharles XI also Carl, was King of Sweden from 1660 until his death, in a period in Swedish history known as the Swedish empire ....
(1655-1697), king (reigned 1660-1697) - Carl Michael BellmanCarl Michael Bellmanwas a Swedish poet and composer. Bellman is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a very important influence in Swedish music, as well as in Scandinavian literature in general, to this day....
(1740-1795), poet and composer - Anders ChydeniusAnders ChydeniusAnders Chydenius was the leading classical liberal of Nordic history. Born in Sotkamo, Ostrobothnia, Sweden and having studied under Pehr Kalm at the Royal Academy of Åbo, Chydenius became a priest, Enlightenment philosopher and member of the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates.The world's first...
(1729-1803), priest - Ingvar KampradIngvar KampradIngvar Feodor Kamprad is a Swedish and the founder of IKEA, a retail company.According to Forbes magazine, as of 2011 he is the 162nd wealthiest person in the world with an estimated net worth of around US$6 billion in 2011...
(1926- ), entrepreneur, founder of IKEAIKEAIKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer... - Ingmar BergmanIngmar BergmanErnst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
(1918-2007), director - Gustav IIIGustav III of SwedenGustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
(1746-1792), king (reigned 1771-1792) - Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), botanist, founder of the modern scheme of binomial nomenclatureBinomial nomenclatureBinomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages...
- Charles XIICharles XII of SwedenCharles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
(1682-1718), king (reigned 1697-1718), skilled military leader and tactician of the Great Northern WarGreat Northern WarThe Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of... - Selma LagerlöfSelma LagerlöfSelma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf was a Swedish author. She was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and most widely known for her children's book Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige ....
(1858-1940), author - Rutger Macklean II (1742-1816), land reformist
- Albert BonnierAlbert Bonniers förlagBonniers förlag, or Albert Bonniers förlag, is the largest book publishing company in Sweden and also one of the oldest.Established by Albert Bonnier in Stockholm in 1837 and still owned by the Bonnier family, the company is currently publishing around 150 books every year.Karl Otto Bonnier at...
(1820-1900), publicist - Dag HammarskjöldDag HammarskjöldDag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld was a Swedish diplomat, economist, and author. An early Secretary-General of the United Nations, he served from April 1953 until his death in a plane crash in September 1961. He is the only person to have been awarded a posthumous Nobel Peace Prize. Hammarskjöld...
(1905-1961), diplomatDiplomatA diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
, Secretary-General of the United Nations 1953-1961 - Per Albin HanssonPer Albin HanssonPer Albin Hansson , was a Swedish politician, chairman of the Social Democrats from 1925 and two-time Prime Minister in four governments between 1932 and 1946, governing all that period save for a short-lived crisis in the summer of 1936, which he ended by forming a coalition government with his...
(1885-1946), Prime Minister (1932-1946) - Ellen KeyEllen KeyEllen Karolina Sofia Key was a Swedish difference feminist writer on many subjects in the fields of family life, ethics and education and was an important figure in the Modern Breakthrough movement...
(1849-1926), writer - Lennart HylandLennart HylandLennart Hyland , was a Swedish TV-show host and journalist and one of the most popular and renowned TV personalities in the history of Swedish television...
(1919-1993), TV-show host and journalist - Gustav IV Adolf of SwedenGustav IV Adolf of SwedenGustav IV Adolf of Sweden also Gustav Adolph was King of Sweden from 1792 until his abdication in 1809. He was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and his queen consort Sophia Magdalena, eldest daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and his first wife Louise of Great Britain. He was the last Swedish...
(1778-1837), king (reigned 1792-1809) - Assar GabrielssonAssar GabrielssonAssar Thorvald Nathanael Gabrielsson was a Swedish industrialist and co-founder of Volvo.- Family :He married Anna Theresia Andreasson in 1916...
(1891-1962), industrialist, co-founder of VolvoVolvoAB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services... - Björn BorgBjörn BorgBjörn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
(1956- ), tennis legend, winner of five consecutive WimbledonThe Championships, WimbledonThe Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
tournaments 1976-1980 - John EricssonJohn EricssonJohn Ericsson was a Swedish-American inventor and mechanical engineer, as was his brother Nils Ericson. He was born at Långbanshyttan in Värmland, Sweden, but primarily came to be active in England and the United States...
(1803-1889), mechanical engineer, inventor of the two screw-propellerPropellerA propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
and iron warship USS MonitorUSS MonitorUSS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She is most famous for her participation in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, the first-ever battle fought between two ironclads... - Hans AlfredsonHans AlfredsonHans Folke "Hasse" Alfredson is a Swedish actor, film director, writer and comedian. He was born in Malmö, Sweden. He is known for his collaboration with Tage Danielsson...
(1931- ), entertainer - Tage DanielssonTage DanielssonTage Danielsson was a Swedish author, actor, poet and film director. He was born in Linköping and died in Stockholm...
(1928-1985), entertainer - Jonas WenströmJonas WenströmJonas Wenström was a Swedish engineer and inventor. He invented in Sweden the three-phase electric power system, the basis for ASEA ....
(1855-1893), engineer, inventor of the three-phase electric powerThree-phase electric powerThree-phase electric power is a common method of alternating-current electric power generation, transmission, and distribution. It is a type of polyphase system and is the most common method used by grids worldwide to transfer power. It is also used to power large motors and other heavy loads...
system, the basis for ASEA (later ABB Group) - Karl StaaffKarl StaaffKarl Albert Staaff was a Swedish liberal politician and lawyer. He was chairman of the Liberal Coalition Party and served twice as Prime Minister of Sweden ....
(1860-1915), Prime Minister, chairman of the Liberal Coalition PartyLiberal Coalition PartyThe Liberal Coalition Party was a political party in Sweden represented in the Swedish parliament from 1900 to 1924. The party was in government from 1905 to 1906 and from 1911 to 1914 under the leadership of Karl Staaff, and from 1917 to 1920 under the leadership of Nils Edén.In 1924 the party...
1907–1915 and champion of universal suffrageUniversal suffrageUniversal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens... - Vilhelm MobergVilhelm MobergKarl Artur Vilhelm Moberg was a Swedish author and historian, most commonly associated with his four novels known as The Emigrants Series.-Early life:...
(1898-1973), author - Erik Gustaf GeijerErik Gustaf GeijerErik Gustaf Geijer was a Swedish writer, historian, poet, philosopher, and composer. His writings served to promote Swedish National Romanticism. He also was an influential advocate of Liberalism.-Biography:...
(1783-1847), historian - Raoul WallenbergRaoul WallenbergRaoul Wallenberg was a Swedish businessman, diplomat and humanitarian. He is widely celebrated for his successful efforts to rescue thousands of Jews in Nazi-occupied Hungary from the Holocaust, during the later stages of World War II...
(1912- ?), diplomat - Carl Olof RoseniusCarl Olof RoseniusCarl Olof Rosenius was a Swedish revivalist preacher, author and editor of the newspaper Pietisten from 1842-1868.-Biography:...
(1816-1868), preacher - Christopher PolhemChristopher PolhemChristopher Polhammar , better known as , which he took after his ennoblement, was a Swedish scientist, inventor and industrialist. He made significant contributions to the economic and industrial development of Sweden, particularly mining.-Biography:Polhem was born on the island of Gotland...
(1661-1751), scientist, inventor and industrialist, significant contributor to industrial development, particularly in mining - Olaus PetriOlaus PetriOlof Persson , better known under the Latin form of his name, Olaus Petri , was a clergyman, writer, and a major contributor to the Protestant Reformation in Sweden...
(1493-1552), reformist - Hjalmar BrantingHjalmar Brantingwas a Swedish politician. He was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party , and Prime Minister during three separate periods . When Branting came to power in 1920, he was the first Social Democratic Prime Minister of Sweden...
(1860-1925), Prime Minister - Gustavus AdolphusGustavus Adolphus of SwedenGustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
(1594-1632), king (reigned 1611–1632), founder of the Swedish EmpireSwedish EmpireThe Swedish Empire refers to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721 . During this time, Sweden was one of the great European powers. In Swedish, the period is called Stormaktstiden, literally meaning "the Great Power Era"...
and the Golden AgeGolden Age (metaphor)A golden age is a period in a field of endeavour when great tasks were accomplished. The term originated from early Greek and Roman poets who used to refer to a time when mankind lived in a better time and was pure .-Golden Age in society:...
of Sweden. - Fredrika BremerFredrika BremerFredrika Bremer was a Swedish writer and a feminist activist. She had a large influence on the social development in Sweden, especially in feminist issues.-Background:...
(1801-1865), author - Oscar IOscar I of SwedenOscar I was King of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to his death. When, in August 1810, his father Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was elected Crown Prince of Sweden, Oscar and his mother moved from Paris to Stockholm . Oscar's father was the first ruler of the current House of Bernadotte...
(1799-1859), king (reigned 1844-1859) - Jan StenbeckJan StenbeckJan Stenbeck was a Swedish media owner. He was brother of the former Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Margaretha af Ugglas...
(1942-2002), capitalist, founder of MTGModern Times GroupModern Times Group is a Swedish media company. MTG was formed out of the media holdings of investment company Kinnevik, which in 1997 was distributed to the company stockholders. Among the assets were Viasat and Metro International...
, Tele2Tele2Tele2 AB is a major European telecommunications operator, with about 34 million customers in 11 countries. It serves as a fixed-line telephone operator, cable television provider, mobile phone operator and Internet service provider.- Overview :...
, MillicomMillicomMillicom International Cellular, also known as Tigo, is a mobile phone network provider in America and Africa. Based in Luxembourg, the company provides mobile services in 14 countries. With operations across Central America, South America, South-east Asia, and Africa, using GSM, CDMA and TDMA on...
and leading global free newspaper company MetroMetro InternationalMetro International is a Swedish media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the Metro newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41% since launch of the first newspaper edition in 1995. It is a freesheet, meaning that distribution is...
, etc - Anna Maria Roos (1862-1938), author
- Stig AndersonStig AndersonStig 'Stikkan' Erik Leopold Anderson was born in Hova, Sweden, and is best known as the manager of the pop group ABBA.- Polar Music:Anderson was the founder of the Polar Music record label in 1963...
(1931-1997), music producer, manager of ABBAABBAABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog... - Ivar KreugerIvar KreugerIvar Kreuger was a Swedish civil engineer, financier, entrepreneur and industrialist. In 1908 Kreuger co-founded the construction company Kreuger & Toll Byggnads AB which specialized in new building techniques. By aggressive investments and innovative financial instruments he built a global match...
(1880-1932), financier and industrialist - Carl Edvard JohanssonCarl Edvard JohanssonCarl Edvard Johansson was a Swedish inventor and scientist.Johansson invented the gauge block set, also known as "Jo Blocks" . He was granted his first Swedish patent on 2 May 1901, Swedish patent No. 17017 called "Gauge Block Sets for Precision Measurement". He formed the Swedish company CE...
(1864-1943), scientist, inventor of the gauge block set - Birger JarlBirger jarl, or Birger Magnusson, was a Swedish statesman, Jarl of Sweden and a member of the House of Bjelbo, who played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden. Birger also led the Second Swedish Crusade, which established Swedish rule in Finland. Additionally, he is traditionally attributed to have...
(1210-1266), statesman, played a pivotal role in the consolidation of Sweden, founded StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1250 - Urban Hjärne (1641-1724), physician
- Lennart NilssonLennart NilssonLennart Nilsson is a Swedish photographer and scientist. He is noted for his photographs of in vivo human embryos and other medical subjects once considered unphotographable, and more generally for his extreme macro photography...
(1922- ), photographer - Olaus RudbeckOlaus RudbeckOlaus Rudbeck was a Swedish scientist and writer, professor of medicine at Uppsala University and for several periods rector magnificus of the same university...
(1630-1702), scientist and writer - Greta GarboGreta GarboGreta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
(1905-1990), actor - Engelbrekt EngelbrektssonEngelbrekt EngelbrektssonEngelbrekt Engelbrektsson was a Swedish rebel leader and later statesman. He was the leader of the Engelbrekt rebellion in 1434 against Eric of Pomerania, king of the Kalmar Union.-Biography:...
(1390-1436), rebel leader and statesman - Lars Johan HiertaLars Johan HiertaLars Johan Hierta was a Swedish newspaper publisher, social critic, businessman and politician. He is best known as the founder of the newspaper Aftonbladet in 1830. Hierta was a leading agitator for political and social reform in Sweden during the 19th century...
(1801-1872), newspaperman - Alice TegnérAlice TegnérAlice Charlotta Tegnér was a Swedish music teacher, poet and composer. She was recognized as a foremost composer of Swedish children's songs during the first half of the 20th century.-Background:...
(1864-1943), composer - Carl Jonas Love AlmqvistCarl Jonas Love Almqvistthumb|right|Painted by Almqvist, 1823Carl Jonas Love Almqvist , was a romantic poet, early feminist, realist, composer, social critic and traveller....
(1793-1866), author - Gunnar MyrdalGunnar MyrdalKarl Gunnar Myrdal was a Swedish Nobel Laureate economist, sociologist, and politician. In 1974, he received the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with Friedrich Hayek for "their pioneering work in the theory of money and economic fluctuations and for their penetrating analysis of the...
(1898-1987), professor - Alva MyrdalAlva MyrdalAlva Myrdal was a Swedish sociologist and politician. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982. She married Gunnar Myrdal in 1924....
(1902-1986), politician - Carl Wilhelm ScheeleCarl Wilhelm ScheeleCarl Wilhelm Scheele was a German-Swedish pharmaceutical chemist. Isaac Asimov called him "hard-luck Scheele" because he made a number of chemical discoveries before others who are generally given the credit...
(1742-1786), pharmaceutical chemist - Arvid HornArvid HornCount Arvid Bernhard Horn of Ekebyholm was a Swedish soldier, diplomat and politician. He served twice as President of the Privy Council Chancellery and was one of the leading figures of the Swedish Age of Liberty.- Soldier and diplomat :He was born Arvid Bernhard Horn in Vuorentaka ,...
(1664-1742), politician, President of the Privy Council Chancellery (1710–1719 and 1720–1738) - Cajsa WargCajsa WargAnna Christina Warg , better known as Cajsa or Kajsa Warg, was a Swedish cookbook author, who is today among the most well-known cooks in Swedish history....
(1703-1769), cookbook author - Anders CelsiusAnders CelsiusAnders Celsius was a Swedish astronomer. He was professor of astronomy at Uppsala University from 1730 to 1744, but traveled from 1732 to 1735 visiting notable observatories in Germany, Italy and France. He founded the Uppsala Astronomical Observatory in 1741, and in 1742 he proposed the Celsius...
(1791-1744), scientist - Benny AnderssonBenny AnderssonGöran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
(1946- ), musician and composer, member of ABBA - Björn UlvaeusBjörn UlvaeusBjörn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
(1945- ), musician and composer, member of ABBA - Carl GrimbergCarl GrimbergCarl Gustaf Grimberg was a Swedish historian. Grimberg's most famous work is his history of Sweden, Svenska folkets underbara öden . In 1926 Grimberg began to publish his history of the world, Världshistoria, but he did not finish it before his death.-External links:*...
(1875-1941), historian - Sven HedinSven HedinSven Anders Hedin KNO1kl RVO was a Swedish geographer, topographer, explorer, photographer, and travel writer, as well as an illustrator of his own works...
(1865-1952), explorer - Jöns Jakob BerzeliusJöns Jakob BerzeliusJöns Jacob Berzelius was a Swedish chemist. He worked out the modern technique of chemical formula notation, and is together with John Dalton, Antoine Lavoisier, and Robert Boyle considered a father of modern chemistry...
(1779-1848), chemist, worked out the modern technique of chemical formula notationChemical formulaA chemical formula or molecular formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound....
, and considered one of the fathers of modern chemistryChemistryChemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
. - Erik Johan StagneliusErik Johan StagneliusErik Johan Stagnelius was born October 14, 1793 in Gärdslösa, on the island Öland, Sweden, and died on April 3, 1823 in Stockholm. He was a Romantic poet and playwright....
(1793-1823), poet - Gunnar SträngGunnar SträngGunnar Sträng was a Swedish Social Democratic politician, most known for being Sweden's longest serving Minister for Finance....
(1906-1992), Finance Minister (1955-1976) - Emanuel SwedenborgEmanuel Swedenborgwas a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian. He has been termed a Christian mystic by some sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica online version, and the Encyclopedia of Religion , which starts its article with the description that he was a "Swedish scientist and mystic." Others...
(1688-1772), scientist, philosopher and theologian - Gustaf FrödingGustaf FrödingGustaf Fröding was a Swedish poet and writer, born in Alster outside Karlstad in Värmland. The family moved to Kristinehamn in the year 1867. He later studied at Uppsala University and worked as a journalist in Karlstad....
(1860-1911), poet and writer - Zlatan IbrahimovićZlatan IbrahimovicZlatan Ibrahimović is a Swedish footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Milan and the Swedish national team for which he is captain....
(1981- ), soccer player - Eva EkebladEva EkebladEva Ekeblad , née Eva De la Gardie, was a Swedish agronomist, scientist, Salonist and noble . Her most known discovery was to make flour and alcohol out of potatoes...
(1724-1786), agronomist and scientist - Carl-Adam Nycop (1909-2006), newspaper editor
- Bruno LiljeforsBruno LiljeforsBruno Andreas Liljefors was a Swedish artist, the most important and probably the most influential wildlife painter of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century...
(1860-1939), artist, very influential wildlife painter of the late 19th and early 20th century. - Jan GuillouJan GuillouJan Oskar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou is a Swedish author and journalist. Among his books are a series of spy fiction novels about a spy named Carl Hamilton, and a trilogy of historical fiction novels about a Knight Templar, Arn Magnusson...
(1944- ), journalist - Esaias TegnérEsaias TegnérEsaias Tegnér , was a Swedish writer, professor of Greek language, and bishop. He was during the 19th century regarded as the father of modern poetry in Sweden, mainly through the national romantic epos Frithjof's Saga. He has been called Sweden's first modern man...
(1782-1846), poet - Peter Wieselgren (1800-1873), temperance movementTemperance movementA temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
leader - Lars NorénLars NorénLars Norén is a Swedish playwright, novelist and poet. He is considered Sweden's most prominent contemporary playwright of today.Born in Stockholm, Norén wrote his first play at age 19...
(1944- ), playwright, novelist and poet - Anita EkbergAnita EkbergKerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg is a Swedish model, actress and cult sex symbol. She is best known for her role as Sylvia in the 1960 Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita which features the legendary scene of her cavorting in Trevi Fountain alongside Marcello Mastroianni.-Biography:Ekberg was born in...
(1931- ), actor - Carl af Forsell (1783-1848), statistician
- Karl GerhardKarl GerhardKarl Gerhard was a Swedish revue-writer and performer. Many of Karl Gerhard’s plays and songs are politically to the left, and during the 1930s and World War II, they contained clear anti-fascist statements....
(1891-1964), entertainer - Georg StiernhielmGeorg StiernhielmGeorg Stiernhielm was a Swedish civil servant, linguist and poet. Stiernhielm was born in a middle-class family in the village Svartskär in Vika parish in Dalarna...
(1598-1672), polymath - August PalmAugust PalmAugust Teodor Palm was a Swedish socialist activist and a key person in introducing the social democratic labour movement in Sweden, leading it in a reformist direction.-Early activism:...
(1849-1922), agitator, key socialistSocialismSocialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
and labour movementLabour movementThe term labour movement or labor movement is a broad term for the development of a collective organization of working people, to campaign in their own interest for better treatment from their employers and governments, in particular through the implementation of specific laws governing labour...
activist - Barbro SvenssonLill-BabsLill-Babs is a Swedish singer and actress.-Biography:Lill-Babs was born in Järvsö, Gävleborg County, as the first daughter of Britta and Ragnar Svensson...
(1938- ), singer - Viktor BalckViktor BalckViktor Gustaf Balck, KCMG was a Swedish officer and sports personality who was one of the original members of the International Olympic Committee and who is often called "the father of Swedish sports".-Military career:...
(1844-1928), original IOCInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
member and "the father of Swedish sports" - Kjell-Olof FeldtKjell-Olof FeldtKjell-Olof Feldt is a Swedish Social Democratic politician, born 18 August 1931 in Holmsund, since 1974 a part of Umeå Municipality, Västerbottens län. Feldt was Minister of Trade 1970-1975, and assistant Minister of Finance 1975-1976...
(1931- ), Finance Minister - Magnus ErikssonMagnus IV of SwedenMagnus Eriksson as Magnus IV was king of Sweden , including Finland, as Magnus VII King of Norway , including Iceland and Greenland, and also ruled Scania . He has also vindictively been called Magnus Smek...
(1316-1374), king (reigned 1319-1374) - Nathan SöderblomNathan SöderblomLars Olof Jonathan Söderblom was a Swedish clergyman, Archbishop of Uppsala in the Church of Sweden, and recipient of the 1930 Nobel Peace Prize...
(1866-1931), ArchbishopArchbishopAn archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
, one of the principal founders of the ecumenical movementEcumenismEcumenism or oecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation. It is used predominantly by and with reference to Christian denominations and Christian Churches separated by doctrine, history, and practice... - Inga-Britt AhleniusInga-Britt AhleniusInga-Britt Monica Stigsdotter Ahlenius is a Swedish auditor, public servant and former Under-Secretary-General for United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services .Ahlenius was born in Karlstad, Sweden...
(1939- ), Auditor - Gustaf de LavalGustaf de LavalKarl Gustaf Patrik de Laval was a Swedish engineer and inventor who made important contributions to the design of steam turbines and dairy machinery.-Life:De Laval was born at Orsa in Dalarna...
(1845-1913), inventor - Sven-Göran ErikssonSven-Göran ErikssonSven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
(1948- ), soccer manager - Elin WägnerElin WägnerElin Matilda Elisabet Wägner was a Swedish writer, journalist, feminist, teacher, ecologist and pacifist. She was a member of the Swedish Academy from 1944.- Biography :...
(1882-1949), writer - Jan CarlzonJan CarlzonJan Carlzon is a Swedish businessman. He is most noted for being Chief Executive Officer of SAS Group from 1981 - 1994.Jan Carlzon graduated with an MBA from the Stockholm School of Economics in 1967 and immediately started his career in the international hospitality industry at Vingresor. He rose...
(1941- ), management guru - Queen ChristinaChristina of SwedenChristina , later adopted the name Christina Alexandra, was Queen regnant of Swedes, Goths and Vandals, Grand Princess of Finland, and Duchess of Ingria, Estonia, Livonia and Karelia, from 1633 to 1654. She was the only surviving legitimate child of King Gustav II Adolph and his wife Maria Eleonora...
(1626-1689), monarch (reigned 1632-1654)
Criticism
Inevitably, criticism has been voiced over the list, both in terms of selection and ranking.Selection
It has been argued that the following people should have made it to the list:- Ernst WigforssErnst WigforssErnst Johannes Wigforss was a Swedish politician and linguist , mostly known as a prominent member of the Social Democratic Workers' Party and Swedish Minister of Finance...
(1881-1977), Finance Minister (1925–1926, 1932–1936 and 1936–1949) and socialist ideologue - Charles X Gustav of SwedenCharles X Gustav of SwedenCharles X Gustav also Carl Gustav, was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Zweibrücken-Kleeburg and Catherine of Sweden. After his father's death he also succeeded him as Pfalzgraf. He was married to Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp, who...
(1622-1660), king (reigned 1656-1660), marched across the BeltsMarch across the BeltsThe March across the Belts was a campaign between 30 January and 8 February 1658 during the Second Northern War where Swedish king Karl X Gustav led the Swedish army from Jutland across the ice of the Little Belt and the Great Belt to reach Zealand...
to conquerTreaty of RoskildeThe Treaty of Roskilde was concluded on 26 February or 8 March 1658 during the Second Northern War between Frederick III of Denmark–Norway and Charles X Gustav of Sweden in the Danish city of Roskilde...
the eastern half of DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
which has remained Swedish ever since - Erik Dahlbergh (1625-1703), engineer, painter, and field marshal, the "VaubanVaubanSébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
of Sweden" - Nicodemus TessinNicodemus Tessin the YoungerCount Nicodemus Tessin the Younger was a Swedish Baroque architect, city planner, and administrator.The son of Nicodemus Tessin the Elder and the father of Carl Gustaf Tessin, Tessin the Younger was the middle-most generation of the brief Tessin dynasty, which have had a lasting influence on...
(1654-1728), Baroque architect, city planner, and administrator - Elise Ottesen-JensenElise Ottesen-JensenElise Ottesen-Jensen, also known as Ottar, was a Norwegian-Swedish sex educator, journalist and anarchist agitator, whose main mission was to fight for women's rights to understand and control their own body and sexuality. She was a member of the Swedish anarcho-syndicalist union Central...
(1886−1973), sex educator, journalist, anarchist agitator and women's rights activist - Arne BeurlingArne BeurlingArne Carl-August Beurling was a Swedish mathematician and professor of mathematics at Uppsala University and later at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey....
(1905-1986), mathematician, single-handedly decipherDECIPHERDECIPHER is a web-based resource and database of array comparative genomic hybridization data from analysis of patient DNA. It documents submicroscopic chromosome abnormalities, including microdeletions and duplications, from over 6000 patients and maps them to the human genome using the Ensembl...
ed the Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Geheimfernschreiber - Ingemar JohanssonIngemar JohanssonJens Ingemar Johansson was a Swedish boxer and former heavyweight champion of the world. Johansson was the fifth heavyweight champion born outside the United States. In 1959 he defeated Floyd Patterson by TKO in the third round, after flooring Patterson seven times in that round, to win the World...
(1932-2008), heavyweight boxing champion of the world (1959-1960) - Ingemar StenmarkIngemar StenmarkJan Ingemar Stenmark is a Swedish former skier, active during the 1970s and 1980s. He is regarded as one of the most prominent Swedish sportsmen, and as the greatest slalom and giant slalom specialist of all time. He competed for Fjällvinden Tärnaby.Stenmark was born in the province of Lappland...
(1956-), the greatest slalom and giant slalom specialist of all time - Bo Jonsson Grip (1330s–1386), head of the royal council, Sweden's (and Finland's) largest landowner ever
- Povel RamelPovel RamelBaron Povel Karl Henric Ramel was a Swedish entertainer. Ramel was a singer, pianist, vaudeville artist, author and a novelty song composer. His style was characterized by imaginative wit, both verbal and musical...
(1922–2007), singer, pianist, vaudeville artist, songwriter, author and novelty song composer - Percy BarnevikPercy BarnevikPercy Nils Barnevik is a Swedish business executive, best known as CEO and later Chairman of Asea Brown Boveri 1988–2002, and for being the centre of a giant pension dispute that shook Sweden in 2003.-Background:...
(1941-), businessman, CEO/Chairman ASEA/ABB (1980-2002), GMGeneral MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
Board Member (1996-2009) - Carl BildtCarl Bildt, Honorary KCMG is a Swedish politician, diplomat and nobleman. Formerly Prime Minister of Sweden from 1991 to 1994 and leader of the liberal conservative Moderate Party from 1986 to 1999, Bildt has served as Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs since 6 October 2006...
(1949-), politician and diplomat, Prime Minister (1991-1994), EU/UN Special Envoy to the BalkansBalkansThe Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
(1995-2001) - Herman Bernhard LundborgHerman Bernhard LundborgHerman Bernhard Lundborg was a Swedish physician. He graduated in medicine at the Karolinska Institutet in 1895, and received his doctorate at the Uppsala University in 1903...
(1868-1943), physician, racialist and eugenicist - Anders RetziusAnders RetziusAnders Retzius , was a Swedish professor of anatomy and a supervisor at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm....
(1796–1860), anatomy professor, credited with defining the cephalic indexCephalic indexCephalic index is the ratio of the maximum width of the head multiplied by 100 divided by its maximum length ....
and retropubic spaceRetropubic spaceRetropubic space is the extraperitoneal space between the pubic symphysis and urinary bladder.It is also known as "Retzius' space", after Anders Retzius.... - Tage ErlanderTage Erlanderwas a Swedish politician. He was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party and Prime Minister of Sweden from 1946 to 1969...
(1901–1985), leader of the Social Democratic Party and Prime Minister (1946-1969) - Bruno MathssonBruno MathssonBruno Mathsson was a Swedish furniture designer and architect with ideas colored by functionalism/modernism, as well as old Swedish crafts tradition. Being the son of a carpenter in the town of Värnamo in the South of Sweden, it was fairly obvious what work the young Bruno would choose...
(1907-1988), furniture designer and architectArchitectAn architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
with ideas colored by functionalism/modernismModernismModernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society... - Oscar IIOscar II of SwedenOscar II , baptised Oscar Fredrik was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death and King of Norway from 1872 until 1905. The third son of King Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, he was a descendant of Gustav I of Sweden through his mother.-Early life:At his birth in Stockholm, Oscar...
(1829–1907), king (reigned 1872-1907), renounced the Norwegian throne, ending the Sweden-Norway UnionUnion between Sweden and NorwayThe Union between Sweden and Norway , officially the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, consisted of present-day Sweden and Norway between 1814 and 1905, when they were united under one monarch in a personal union.... - Anders ZornAnders ZornAnders Leonard Zorn was one of Sweden’s foremost artists who obtained international success as a painter, sculptor and printmaker in etching.-Biography:...
(1860–1920), painter, sculptor and printmaker - Carl MillesCarl MillesCarl Milles was a Swedish sculptor, best known for his fountains. He was married to artist Olga Milles and brother to Ruth Milles and half brother to the architect Evert Milles...
(1875-1955), sculptor - Carl Olof CronstedtCarl Olof CronstedtCarl-Olof Cronstedt the elder was a Swedish naval commander responsible for the overwhelming Swedish victory at the Second Battle of Svensksund, one of the largest naval battles in history...
(1756–1820), naval commander responsible for the overwhelming Swedish victory at the SvensksundBattle of Svensksund (1790)The Battle of Svensksund was a naval battle fought in the Gulf of Finland outside the present day city of Kotka on 9 July 1790. The Swedish naval forces dealt the Russian fleet a devastating defeat that resulted in an end to the Russo-Swedish War of 1788–90...
, one of the largest naval battles in historyLargest naval battle in historyThe title of "largest naval battle in history" is disputed between adherents of criteria which include the numbers of personnel and/or vessels involved in the battle, and the total tonnage of the vessels involved... - Joe HillJoe HillJoe Hill, born Joel Emmanuel Hägglund in Gävle , and also known as Joseph Hillström was a Swedish-American labor activist, songwriter, and member of the Industrial Workers of the World...
(1879–1915), Swedish-American labor activist and songwriter - Jenny LindJenny LindJohanna Maria Lind , better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she is known for her performances in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and for an extraordinarily...
(1820–1887), opera singer, known as the "Swedish Nightingale" - Magnus LadulåsMagnus III of SwedenMagnus III Ladulås of Sweden, Swedish: Magnus Birgersson or Magnus Ladulås was King of Sweden from 1275 until his death in 1290....
(1240–1290), king (reigned 1275-1290) - Esaias TegnérEsaias TegnérEsaias Tegnér , was a Swedish writer, professor of Greek language, and bishop. He was during the 19th century regarded as the father of modern poetry in Sweden, mainly through the national romantic epos Frithjof's Saga. He has been called Sweden's first modern man...
(1782–1846), writer, professor of Greek language, and bishop
Ranking
The ranking has been hotly contested and arguments include:- The authors' liberal orientation has given undue prominence to other liberals such as Chydenius and Gripenstedt while downplaying the impact of socialists such as Branting, Palm and Per Ablin Hansson.
- Internationelly famous persons such as J.J. Berzelius, Queen Christina and John Ericson have lost out to populist choices (Evert Taube, Astrid Lindgren), fads (Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kjell-Olof Feldt) and "overvalued dreamers" (Sven Hedin, Carl Grimberg).
- Inclusion of the authors' employer Albert Bonnier as number 25 undermines the credibility of the list.
External links
- Dagens Nyheter: Historiens 100 viktigaste svenskar