My Top 5 Great Inventions from Sweden



Sweden is a very beautiful country with only 10 million inhabitants. Yes I said 'only' because according to World Population Review, as at 2016, the estimated population of Nigeria (my country) is 190 million. So the population of Sweden is not even up to one-tenth of my country but that is not even the focus of this article, let me not drift away from the main topic😉. Today, I want to share with you guys my top 5 great inventions from Sweden. Before I came to Sweden, I never knew these inventors were Swedes even though I knew most of these companies. I was amazed when I discovered that all these companies are Swedish and I must say I am proud of Swedes. In addition, after living in Sweden for close to three years now, I can say from my own perspective that Swedes are intelligent, innovative and successful. Although, they are shy, a little bit unfriendly and most times reserved but in general, I love their intelligence, innovative spirit and of course the way they have grown over the years.

This is a short list of my top 5 Swedish inventions. There are of course more inventions that are from Sweden but you can check on Google if you care to know more😛. So let's dive into it 👇👇👇👇

1. IKEA: Popularly known for its furniture and DIY (do-it-yourself) home decor is proudly Swedish. The founder began his career at the age of six, selling matches. When he was ten, he criss-crossed the neighbourhood on his bicycle, selling Christmas decorations, fish and pencils. At 17, his father rewarded him with a small sum of money for doing well in school, despite being dyslexic. With it, he founded IKEA. He decided to coin the company's name from his first and last name while Elmtaryd is a small village near Agunnaryd in the Swedish province of SmÃ¥land where he was born and raised as a child. Side Note: It is pronounced as e-keah and not icare 😜


     
Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Full Name: Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnard
Headquarters: Leiden, Netherlands
Founded: 1943
Founder: Ingvar Kamprad
Born: 30th March, 1926 (age 91)
Died (updated): 27th January, 2018 (aged 91)

2. H&M: This is one of the largest retailer clothing line in the world. Erling Persson first opened the Hennes store as the name reveals (hennes is the Swedish word for hers), which only sold women’s clothes. Just over 20 years later Erling acquired Mauritz Widforss, a men’s outfitters that also sold hunting equipment, and the new name was born: Hennes & Mauritz. Side Note: It is pronounced as o-em and not h & m😜

     
Photo Credit: On Strategy


Full Name: Hennes & Mauritz
Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
Founded: 1947
Founder: Erling Persson
Born: 7th April, 1917
Died: 20th October, 2002 (aged 85)

3. Spotify: This online music streaming site allows users to freely listen to, stream and share millions of music tracks to their computers and mobile devices such as smartphones. With its Facebook integration, users can also see and listen to what their friends are currently playing as well.. The company's title, according to Daniel Ek, was misheard from a name shouted by Martin Lorentzon

 
Spotify co-founders Daniek Ek and Martin Lorentzon (L-R). Photo Credit: Wired

Full Name: Spotify
Headquarters:Stockholm,Sweden
Founded: 2006
Founders: Daniel Ek & Martin Lorentzo
Born: 21st February, 1983 & 1st April, 1969 (age 34 & 48)

4. Ericsson: This is a multinational telecommunications giant company that provides software and infrastructure in communications and information technology to telecom service providers all across the world. Apart from the telecommunication related services, it also provides Internet Protocol (IP) networking equipment, operations and business support services, mobile and fixed broadband, Cable TV, IPTV, extensive services and video systems services to many other industries. 

     
Photo Credit: Wikipedia


Full Name: Ericsson
Headquarters: Kista, Stockholm, Sweden
Founded: 1876
Founder: Lars Magnus Ericsson
Born: 5th April, 1846
Died: 17th December, 1926 (aged 80)

5. Volvo, which is a Latin word for 'I roll' was founded on the basis of safety. According to the founders "We started making cars in 1927 because we believed nobody else was making them strong enough or safe enough for Swedish roads. Along the way we’ve come up with dozens of innovations, some of which have changed the world. And it’s this commitment that drives us forward to the next great Volvo Cars idea". If you know or have been to Sweden, you will already be familiar with the weather and how cold and slippery it can be especially during the winter period. I see this invention as a brilliant one especially when driving to avoid accidents, enhance stability and control especially during the terrible snowy days.


Full Name: Volvo
Headquarters: Gothenburg Sweden
Founded: 1927
Founders: Assar Gabrielsson & Gustaf Larson
Born: 13th August, 1891 & 8th July, 1887
Died: 28th May,1962(aged 71) & 4th July,1968 (aged 81)


I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until next time...💋