FROM DYNAMITE to SKYPE – a Small Guide to Research Sweden
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FROM DYNAMITE TO SKYPE – a small guide to research Sweden Vänd för en svensk version. ”Oh, Abba!” What is Sweden actually most known for abroad? What do people say when we're on holiday and tell people we're from Sweden? Is it a cheerful ”Oh, Abba!”? An extensive discussion of IKEA or Volvo? Or perhaps a dissertation on the beautiful women? Even in a post-Abba world, our musical exports have spread the Sweden brand beyond national boundaries. ”The Swedish fashion miracle” with H&M at the vanguard has achieved the same effect in recent years. Renowned director and producer Ingmar Bergman is at least as big a star in Hollywood as on Fårö, Björn Borg's characteristic headband is recognized in both London and Tokyo, and successes for the Swedish culinary team have elevated Swedish cuisine to international heights. Music, cars, furniture, fashion, sports, movies, gastronomy – not a bad list of credentials for a small country like Sweden. But that's not where it ends. What many people don't realize is that there is a completely different type of Swedish export that affected large portions of the world far more than Abba. In some cases this type of export has played a crucial role in how we live our lives today. The fact is that Sweden has produced more world-famous inventors in proportion to its population than any other country. One day a German traveller who had listened to the voices on our trains stopped me. He was struck by the fact that not a single one of them was a scientist or researcher and asked with amazement why this was the case. We didn't have a good answer, so we asked the same question. We decided then and there to take the opportunity to present some of the Swedish inventors whose innovations have made a difference all over the world. We can now proudly add four of them as new voices on our trains. Enjoy! Per Thorstenson CEO Arlanda Express Swedish Inventors Through the Ages Christopher Polhem ”T”he father of Swedish mechanics ”, 17th century In 1697 Polhem started Sweden's first school of engineering, where he developed Polhem's mechanical alphabet. In 1699 he founded the factory Stjärnsunds Manufakturverk in Dalarna. Polhem is responsible for both the ”Polhem knot” and the ”Polhem padlock”; he was one of the first people to be elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and in 1716 he was raised to the nobility. Every other year since 1878, the Swedish Association of Graduate Engineers has awarded the prestigious Polhem Prize. Anders Celsius Celsius Thermometer, 18th century During the eighteenth century the Celsius thermometer became a world-class instrument to measure temperature. The measurement scale was based on the freezing and boiling point of water (0-100 degrees) and Celsius was the first to succeed in precisely identifying these fixed points. Alfred Nobel Dynamite, 1865 In the middle of the nineteenth century, chemist Alfred Nobel combined nitroglycerine with an absorbent clay, thereby laying the foundation for a global empire – he had invented dynamite. Nobel's will clearly stated that part of his wealth should be used for prizes in science, literature, and peace. The Nobel Prize is now awarded every year on the date of Nobel's death, December 10. Ulrika Eleonora Lindström Västerbotten cheese, 1872 When dairymaid Ulrika Eleonora was forced to leave her workplace where she made cheese, the curds cooled and were heated several times. The result of this ”mistake” was a cheese with a completely different taste than was intended. The cheese quickly became a huge national success and Ulrika Eleonora was soon forgiven for her carelessness. Carl Boberg O Store Gud , 1885 One hot summer day – right after a heavy thunderstorm – Carl Boberg, just 26 years old, wrote the psalm O Store Gud (O Great God ). It was the source of the English language hymn How Great Thou Art and in the early 1950s the hymn was discovered by the US revival prea - cher Billy Graham. Today How Great Thou Art is one of the world's most widely spread songs. Johan Petter Johansson Adjustable wrench (spanner), 1891 One year after Johan Petter Johansson found the ideal design for the adjustable wrench (spanner) he succeeded in patenting his practical tool. The Swedish origin of the wrench is recognized in several countries, including in the United States. Sven Wingqvist Ball bearing, 1907 In 1907 Swedish engineer Sven Wingqvist took out a patent on a special ball bearing, which was more durable and reliable thanks to its spherical shape and design. The ball bearing became the origin of SKF (Svenska Kullagerfabriken), one of the largest companies in Sweden today. Alexander Samuelson The Coca-Cola bottle, 1916 Alexander Samuelson was a glass engineer who in 1915, inspired by the shape of the cocoa bean, designed famous glass Coca-Cola bottle. The bottle was introduced in 1916 and Coca- Cola soon became the world's most well-known brand. Victor Hasselblad System camera, 1948 In 1947 Victor Hasselblad presented the first model of the Hasselblad camera, a system camera that later became one of the most respected cameras in the world. NASA chose it as the official camera in space, after it was the first camera used on the moon. Ruben Rausing Tetra Pak, 1950 Tetra Pak was founded in Lund in 1950 by Dr. Ruben Rausing. The name comes from a tetrahedral package shaped milk carton invented by Erik Wallenberg. The company conquered the international market and its products still dominate the industry today. Rune Elmqvist Pacemaker, 1958 In 1958, six years after the first stationary pacemaker was designed, engineer and inventor Rune Elmqvist developed the first implantable pacemaker. It was unique because it was small enough to be surgically implanted in the body. A doctor from Karolinska Institutet commissioned the invention. Nils Alwall Artificial kidney, 1967 In 1946 Swedish doctor and inventor Nils Alwall developed an artificial kidney for dialysis. The invention was tested on a patient and it became the first cornerstone for the global medical device company Gambro. In 1967 Gambro launched its first artificial kidney and then began to produce them on a large-scale. Niklas Zennström Skype, 2003 In 2003 IT entrepreneur Niklas Zennström founded telephony company Skype (free calls, video calls, and instant messaging over the Internet) together with Janus Friis from Denmark. In September 2005 Skype was purchased by US company eBay for more than SEK 19 billion. The deal made Niklas Zennström one of the wealthiest men in Sweden. Our voices Laila Ohlgren Engineer Laila Ohlgren was born in 1937 in Stockholm and began her career with the Swedish Telecommunications Administration in 1956. In the 1970s she worked on the development of Nordic mobile telephony (Nordisk Mobiltelefoni, NMT). In May 2009 she was the first woman ever to be awarded the prestigious Polhem Prize, for the concept of increasing security in the phone call connection by entering and storing digits in the mobile phone and then releasing the entire number to the network by pushing the green ”ring” button. This concept is now the global standard in mobile phones and has also spread to other telephones with a memory function, such as portable telephones in the home. Håkan Lans Håkan Lans, born in 1947, is an internationally recog - nized inventor and researcher. Early in his career, Lans was acclaimed for developing a system for a computer color graphics display and a few years later for a means of communication that increases security for navigation by planes and ships. This method is now the global standard for both maritime shipping and aviation. Lans is also behind the development of a digitizing tablet that is a precursor to today's computer mouse. In 1995 Lans was awarded the Polhem Prize for his color graphics display and his positioning system transponder. Other prizes include a gold medal from the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (1993) and a prize from the Royal Institute of Technology (1996). He was elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) and holds an honorary doctor's degree from Uppsala University. Håkan Lans is currently still in - volved in litigation against several American computer companies over his color graphics system for computer displays, and has an unresolved dispute with Saab over his satellite navigation patent. Mats Leijon After completing the five-year engineering curriculum in just three years, Mats Leijon was awarded the John Ericsson medal in 1984 for his outstanding accomplishment. He then earned his PhD in high-voltage engineering and began working at ABB, where he became the brain behind several significant innovations. In 2000 he became a professor in electricity at Uppsala University. His work there resulted in several new solutions for extracting energy from renewable sources. Leijon has also started several companies in this field, including Seabased, Vertical Wind, Current Power and Electric Line AB. Bengt Samuelsson Bengt Samuelsson is one of Sweden's leading researchers in medical biochemistry. His dis - coveries have led to several new medications. Samuelsson's research has won international recognition and in 1982 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. His list of credentials is long and includes titles such as professor and dean at Karolinska Institutet, chairman of the Nobel Foundation, an honorary doctor's degree at Uppsala University in honor of Linnaeus, and an honorary doctor's degree at universities in Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, China, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Milan, and New Orleans. He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the American and French Academies of Science and the Royal Society in London.