Tuesday, April 07, 2009

In case you didn´t know

Johan Petter Johansson from Sweden developed in 1892 the wrench, one of our most usable tools that is used all over the world today.

The modern Ball Bearing, a bearing where the roll bodies consist of balls, was constructed in 1907 by Sven Wingquist from Swedish company Svenska Kullagerfabriken (SKF).

The international standard for thermometers, the Celsius or Centigrade thermometer, invented by Anders Celsius from Sweden in the 18th century.

Swedish-American Alex Samuelson was told to design a bottle for the Coca-Cola company. Inspired on a cocoa tree, Samuelson created one of the most famous items in the history of packing.

Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel patented this powerful explosive that allowed the construction of tunnels, roads and railways since the 19th century. Nobel is also known as the founder of the Nobel Prizes, an award given to outstanding contributions to mankind in the fields of science, literature and peacekeeping activities.

Scandinavians eat well, healthy and live longer and better. Some Nordic products have found success outside Scandinavia, like Benecol, the cholesterol-cutting margarine, and the dental friendly Xylitol, widely used in sugar-free products ranging from chewing gum to cough syrup and toothpaste.

Swedish inventor Gustaf de Laval created the modern farming and dairy industry with the invention of the Milking Machine in 1896 and the Separator, a device used for separating cream from milk and making the manufacturing of butter much easier. His original company AB Separator is presently known as Alfa-Laval AB.

Swedish physician Rune Elmqvist developed the first pacemaker to be inserted by operation and surgeon Åke Senning carried out the first surgery in 1958. Later in 1975, Finn Seppo Säynäjäkangas and his company Polar Electro started producing small and low-cost heart rate monitors, a major international success in the sports markets.

Swedes Baltzar von Platen and Carl Munter developed a refrigerating machine without any moving parts still used today in refrigerators and freezers for places with no electricity. Initially commercialised by Swedish company Electrolux, these refrigerators became a worldwide sensation.

Gustaf Erik Pasch created our contemporary phosphorus-free Safety Match in 1844, a much safer product than the original matches of the time. The Swedish match industry accounted at times 75% of the world production.

Swede John Ericsson is best known for his patent on propelling vessels, used in ships and aircrafts. During the American Civil War he applied his device to the North battleship 'Monitor', which won the naval battle at Hampton Roads, Virginia, in 1862.

Invented by Ruben Rausing in Sweden and used as a package for dairy products, juices, wine... The revolutionary cardboard package quickly replaced the old milk bottles in Sweden during the 1950s and in the rest of the world one decade later.

Swedish car maker SAAB built the world's first commercially available turbo powered engine. The Saab 99 Turbo was presented at the IAA motor show in Frankfurt, Germany, and went on sale as the 1978 model.

Although the first zipper was patented by Elias Howe in 1851, zippers started being used everywhere after Swedish-Americans Peter Aronsson and Gideon Sundbäck produced the modern zipper that has been used ever since 1913.

And don´t forget the cheese slicer. Even though that Thor dude from Norway patented it. I know he stole the idea from a Swede.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

is this another 4:3 rant?

Anonymous said...

don't forget carl linnaeus

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eskil