10 People You Might Not Know Are Swedish

Swedes are some of the most accomplished people in the world, excelling in diverse fields such as medicine, art, and computers. For centuries, Sweden and her people have been making our world a better place, and they continue to do so with remarkable gusto today. Maybe due to their easy embrace of an international lifestyle or their excellent English skills (the best in the world for non-native speakers), many famous Swedish people are often mislabeled as American, English, or some other nationality. In this list, we aim to bring back the rightful notoriety and respect Sweden deserves for giving us such wonderful people.

Maybe you’ve heard of some of the famous Swedes on this list, such as legendary actress Greta Garbo; maybe you haven’t, such as they guys behind The Pirate Bay or the most successful YouTube personality in the world. You’ll likely be surprised to see some of these names – and yes, we purposefully left out ABBA: the standard answer whenever anyone asks if you know someone from Sweden. From entrepreneurs to movie stars to novelists, check out these famous Swedes who have made important contributions to our world (many of who still do) in our list of 10 People You Might Not Know Are Swedish.

10

PewDiePie

Source: The Atlantic, Image: In Queue via Flickr

Born as Felix Kjellberg, PewDiePie is a YouTube personality with over 45 million subscribers and over 12 billion views. Videos of him playing video games have made him the most subscribed YouTuber in the world. He’s also Swedish, born in Gothenburg.

9

Niklas Zennström

Source: Swedish Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Image: PICNIC Network via Flickr

Niklas Zennström is a heavy-hitting Swedish entrepreneur, responsible for both the peer-to-peer file sharing network Kazaa and the peer-to-peer internet telephony company Skype.

8

John Ericsson

Source: Sverige Tourism, Image: Wikimedia

The North may not have been successful during the American Civil War if it weren’t for Swedish inventor John Ericsson. Famous for inventing the propeller, Ericsson played an important role in American history by constructing the iron-clad, propeller-driven warship the Monitor.

7

Pirate Bay Founders

Source: International Business Times, Image: Wikipedia

Arguably the best-known peer-to-peer file sharing system, The Pirate Bay was founded and operated by Swedes Gottfrid Svartholm, Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, and Carl Lundström, all of whom were arrested, imprisoned, and fined for facilitating copyright infringement.

6

Alfred Nobel

Source: Stockholm News, Image: Wikimedia

One of the best-known Swedes on this list, Alfred Nobel blessed the world with countless patents – 355 to be exact. Nobel is best known for creating dynamite (a safer form of nitroglycerin) and bequeathing the funds to start the Nobel Prizes.

5

Avicii

Source: Billboard, Image: Wikimedia

Beyond superstar Swedish musicians such as Robyn and Swedish House Mafia, Avicii is as Swedish as they come, born in Stockholm. Avicii has become one of the most popular electronic DJs in the world, producing hits such as “Sunshine,” with David Guetta, and “Levels.”

4

Magnus Samuelsson

Source: Critical Bench, Image: Wikimedia

Though the frigid temperatures don’t keep most Swedes locked indoors, Magnus Samuelsson spent a fair part of his life indoors – pumping iron. The son of a Swedish female arm wrestling champion, Samuelsson went on to win the 1998 World’s Strongest Man competition. He also holds the record for most podium places at the competition over his 13 years of competing. Not surprisingly, he married a two-time winner of Sweden’s Strongest Woman competition.

3

Markus Persson

Source: The Famous People, Image: Wikimedia

Did you know one of the most popular video games was developed by a Swede? Markus Persson is sometimes called the first superstar computer game developer for his skill in game creation. He’s responsible for the widely popular game Minecraft, becoming one of the youngest billionaires in the world when Microsoft bought its parent company.

2

Greta Garbo

Source: The Famous People, Image: Wikimedia

One of the most successful early film actresses, Greta Garbo was legendary in both silent movies and the talkies, even ranking 5th on the American Film Institute’s list of the greatest female stars of Classic Hollywood cinema. Her most famous role was as the prostitute Marguerite Gautier in “Camille” (1936).

1

Erik Wallenberg & Ruben Rausing

Source: Sweden.se, Image: Wikipedia

Anyone who enjoys a nice glass of milk has Erik Wallenberg and Ruben Rausing to thank. The two were champions of the food packaging industry with Rausing building off Wallenberg’s original work with plastic-coated paper carton. The innovation brought us the TetraPak, the go-to for dairy and prepared food packaging.