1852
-
- Gustaf Hertig, son of late King Karl Johan, dies. [150.21]
1853
-
- The poor relief ordinance is revised. [1.357]
- An electric telegraph line is opened between Stockholm and Uppsala. [47.206] [267.142]
- A second wave of cholera stikes Sweden. [48.348]
- December
- A joint declaration by Sweden-Norway and Denmark establishes Scandinavian neutrality in the event of war. All powers approve of it. [1.343] [48.320]
1854
-
- Jews are given permission to settle whereever they want in the country. [47.195]
- A prohibition of the domestic distillation of spirits is enacted. [1.358]
1855
-
- Postage stamps are first used in Sweden. [47.206] [238.234,239] [267.142]
- The requirement for public affirmation of faith is abolished. [48.359]
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- November
- Sweden signs the November Treaty with England and France, guaranteeing Swedish-Norwegian territories against Russia aggression. Sweden-Norway promises not to cede territory or fishing rights to Russia. [1.343] [47.198] [48.321] [267.144] [269.154]
1856
- March
- The first railway line in Sweden opens, a twelve-mile stretch from Örebro to Ervalla. It was built privately by Count Adolf von Rosen, with government subsidies. [47.204]
- (month unknown)
- Fredrika Bremer's novel Hertha is published. [267.167]
- The National Evangelical Foundation is formed by Methodists. [47.228]
- Russia begins the demilitarization of the Åland Islands. [47.198]
- The Private Bank of Stockholm (Stockholms Enskilda Bank) is founded by a group headed by André Oscar Wallenberg. [1.356] [47.206] [48.458]
- Carl Ploug of Denmark proposes to King Oskar a strong defensive alliance to counter the German threat. The king is enthusiastic, but the Danish government rejects it. [268.186]
1857
- March
- King Oskar proposes an offensive/defensive alliance to Danish King Frederick VII. Swedish troops would help defend Denmark and Schleswig up to the river Eider. King Frederick requests Holstein be included. No agreement is reached. [1.344] [47.199] [269.155]
- (month unknown)
- King Oskar marries Sofia of Nassau. [150.21]
- September
- Crown Prince Karl takes over work of administration from his father King Oskar, due to his failing health. [1.358] (June [47.199])
- (month unknown)
- Population of Stockholm: 100,000. [48.344]
1858
-
- Louis Gerhard De Geer, age 40, reluctantly accepts the post of prime minister. [48.388]
- Gustav is born to King Oskar and Sofia. (He will become king in 1907.) [150.21]
- A law is passed allowing unmarried women to be declared of age at age 25. [48.363]
- The Conventicle Act is repealed, removing the official monopoly of public worship from the State Church. [48.359,385] (1860 [47.227])
- The Statistiska centralbyrån is founded. [40.12]
1859
-
- King Oskar dies. Prince Karl becomes King Karl XV. [1.344,358] [48.323] [267.144]
- The Riksdag approves a plan for construction of a series of rail lines linking the main cities of the country. [47.205]
- December
- The Norwegian Storting abolishes the office of Governor. [1.345]
- December 31
- Emigration of Swedes during the past ten years: 30,000. [48.369]
1860
-
- Jews are given the same rights as other Swedes to own property. [47.202]
- Taxes become based on income or wealth, not status. [48.385]
- The punishment of exile for leaving the state church is abolished. A law is passed granting permission for individuals to leave the church if the state approves the other church. [47.202] [48.386] [267.145]
1862
- February 4
- The Stockholm Stock Exchange opens for its first day of trading. [188.12]
- (month unknown)
- Göran Fredrik Göransson founds Sandvik, a steel manufacturer. [133.23]
- Local self-government is introduced for urban and rural areas. [267.145]
- Women possessing property are granted the right to vote in local elections. [47.215]
- In St. Peter, Minnesota, USA, Gustavus Adolphus College is founded, a private Lutheran liberal arts college. [128.15]
1863
- January
- At a riksdag meeting, prime minister Louis De Geer presents a proposal for parliamentary reform. It calls for the elimination of the four Estates, to be replaced by a two-chamber parliament elected by common vote, to meet annually. The First Chamber would be elected by the provincial councils, with various restrictions on eligibility, and have a term of nine years. The Second Chamber would represent the common people, to be elected by all eligible voters, with a term of three years. The proposal is to be acted on at the next riksdag, in 1865. [47.202] [48.388]
- (month unknown)
- An Act specifies that unmarried women over age 25 not be treated as minors. [47.215]
- July 22
- King Karl XV offers Danish King Frederick a military alliance, proposing that 20,000 Swedish and Norwegian troops would repulse any German attack across the Eider river into Schleswig. There is initial agreement, but Swedish and Norwegian ministers refuse to accept it. [269.157]
- (month unknown)
- The Scandinavian Credit Share Corporation (Skandinaviska Kreditaktiebolaget) is founded. [48.459] (1864 [1.356])
1864
-
- Rotation teaching is legally abolished. This was the practice of advanced pupils helping younger students while the teacher supervises. [48.353]
- In Jönköping, Alexander Lagerman constructs the first automatic matchstick machine. [127.18]
- A law is passed forbidding homosexual acts. [5.12]
1865
-
- A trade treaty with France is concluded. [47.210]
- December 4
- The riksdag begins taking votes of the Estates on the proposal of switching the riksdag from a four Estate system to a two-chamber parliament. [1.xix] [48.391]
- (9 AM) The farmers Estate of the riksdag votes unanimously in favor of government reform. [47.203] [48.391]
- (9 AM to 3 PM) The nobility Estate of the riksdag meets in the Hall of Nobility, discussing the parliamentary reform. [48.392]
- (10 AM) The burghers Estate of the riksdag votes 60 to 5 in favor, after some opposition speeches. [47.203] [48.391]
- The clergy Estate of the riksdag meets, and decides to delay decision until after the nobility has voted. [48.391]
- December 5
- The nobility Estate of the riksdag spends a second day discussing the reform proposal. [48.392]
- December 6
- The nobility Estate of the riksdag spend a third day discussing the reform proposal. [48.392]
- December 7
- The nobility Estate of the riksdag spends a fourth day discussing the reform proposal. At 2 PM, the final vote is taken. 361 are in favor, 294 vote against. [47.203] [48.392] [194.11]
- The clergy Estate of the riksdag reluctantly votes unanimously in favor of the parliamentary reform. [47.203] [48.392]
- Year
- 12% of population live in towns. [1.390]
1866
- June 22
- The Riksdag of the four Estates is dissolved for the last time. [48.392] (July [47.203])
- (month unknown)
- An industrial exhibition is held in Stockholm. [48.436]
- Alfred Nobel invents dynamite. [47.226] [149.26] [181.19] [281.19] (1863 [48.437])
- Elections are held for the two chambers of the new riksdag. [48.393]
1867
- January
- The new two-chamber riksdag meets for the first time. [48.386,393]
- (month unknown)
- The Methodist Church is first organized in Sweden. [47.228]
1868
-
- Sweden suffers general crop failure and famine. [267.148] [327.43]
1869
- Year
- Emigration of Swedes during the year: about 40,000. During the past ten years: 146,000. [48.369] [267.148]
1870
-
- Archaeologist Haljmar Stolpe begins excavations of a barrow cemetery, dating to about 800, around Birka in Lake Malaren. Several graves contain Arabic silver coins, Syrian glass, and silk. [112.21]
- Jews are allowed to hold public office. [47.202]
- Swedish-speaking population of Minnesota, USA: 20,000. [23.22]
- Population of Sweden: 4.17 million. [48.440]
- Year
- 5.6% of the population is eligible to vote. [1.394]
- Jewish population in Sweden is about 2000. [4.13]
1871
-
- The Swedish Trade Bank (Svenska Handelsbanken) is founded. [1.356]
- Husqvarna introduces its first sewing machine, the Northern Star. [175.29]
1872
-
- King Karl XV dies; his brother becomes King Oskar II. [1.365] [47.215] [48.324,396] [150.21] [267.150]
- Over a thousand Swedes are deported from Dagö in Estonia, to Ukraine. (Half of the Swedes do not survive the travel, many others die in the first few years.) [244.6]
1873
-
- The Dämman Lighthouse is constructed. [39.30]
- Sweden adopts the gold standard. The first 1-krona coin is minted, guaranteed in gold, replacing the riksdaler. [156.12] [267.151]
- The first Sami-language newspaper is published. [83.21]
1874
-
- Excavation of a second burial mound in Old Uppsala reveals similar artifacts as the excavation of 1846, with pieces dating to the sixth century. [48.12]
1875
-
- In Argentina, the government appoints Swedish architect Henrik Åberg as national architect. He works in designing the Casa Rosada presidential palace, several hospitals, the Museum of National History, and the mausoleum for José de San Martin. [44.18]
- A common basis of currency is established among Denmark, Norway and Sweden. [48.328]
- Alfred Nobel invents gelignite explosive. [47.226]
1876
-
- The position of Prime Minister is established in the Council. Louis De Geer is the first Prime Minister. [1.366] [267.144,151]
- Lars Magnus Ericsson founds the L.M. Ericsson Company in Stockholm, to manufacture telecommunications equipment. [46.13] [48.453]
- Seed testing begins in Halland province. [32.56]
1878
- March 16
- King Oskar II sells St. Barthelemew island to France. [58.6] [67.21] [292.34]
- May 23
- Stockholm University opens. [47.226] [238.250]
- (month unknown)
- Gustaf de Laval receives a patent for a method of separating cream from milk. [44.18] [47.209] [48.452] [281.18]
- The first cache of Roman coins is discovered on Gotland. [120.161]
- Paul Waldenström leads a breakaway group from the Evangelical Foundation, forming the Swedish Missionary Society. [47.228]
- July
- Adolf Nordenskiöld sets off from Tromsö in Norway on the steamship Vega, to attempt to traverse a North East Passage to the Pacific Ocean. (A year later, he succeeds.) [47.227]
1879
-
- Olof Ohman discovers a tabular stone on his farm outside Kensington, near Alexandria in Minnesota, with a runic inscription telling of a party of eight Swedes and 22 Norwegians on an exploratory journey from Vinland to the west, in 1362. (The stone becomes the subject of hundreds of books, and thousands of articles on its authenticy, which is still not decided (2003).) [242.38] (1898 [23.21])
- A labour strike takes place in Sundsvall in Norrland timber industry. Several thousand workers refuse to work. The governor orders 1000 workers fired, and the leasders imprisoned. [1.367] [48.413] [267.152]
- A Swedish lodge of the Order of Good Templars is founded. [1.369] [47.215]
1880
-
- The first Workers Institute is founded in Stockholm. [47.225]
- Count Arvid Posse, leader of the Agrarian Party, becomes Prime Minister. [1.366]
- Year
- 68% of population make a living from agriculture. 17% of population make a living from mining, industry, and crafts. [1.390]
1881
-
- Carl Richard Nyberg invents the blow-torch. [281.19]
- The first socialist political meeting in Sweden is held in Stockholm. [47.213]
- The visual telegraph system is dismantled, replaced by an electromagnetic telegraph. [67.7]
- Night work is forbidden to those under age 18. [47.213]
- Crown Prince Gustav marries Viktoria of Baden. [150.21] [267.156]
1882
-
- Gustav Adolf is born to Prince Gustav and Viktoria. (He will become king in 1950.) [47.258]
- King Oskar II appoints Christian Selmer as prime minister in Norway. [48.329]
- The Salvation Army is established in Sweden. [47.228]
1883
-
- Prime Minister Arvid Posse resigns. [1.366]
- The king appoints the first commoner prime minister, Carl Thyselius. [47.211]
- Asea company is founded. [1.403]
- Separator company is founded. [1.403]
- Atlas-Diesel company is founded. [1.403]
1884
-
- The Svenska Dagbladet newspaper is founded. [47.210]
- A socialist political association is formed. [47.213]
- A law is passed allowing unmarried women to be declared of age at age 21. [48.363]
- O. Themptander, former Minister of Finance, becomes Prime Minister. [1.366]
- The Frederika Bremer Union is founded, to advance feminine culture and intellectual life. [47.215]
1885
-
- Parliament approves extending military service to 42 days, and cutting the land-tax by one-third. [47.212]
- Lars Magnus Ericsson invents the telephone handset. [281.19]
- The socialist newspaper Socialdemokraten is first published. [47.213]
- Year
- Production of pig-iron during the year: 440,000 tons. [1.367]
- Average yearly export of sawn and planed timber: 3.75 million cubic metres. [1.367]
- Total industrial workers in Sweden: 100,000. [1.xvi]
- (month unknown)
- A. Müntzing invents the 'sulphate method' of making brown kraft paper. [1.387]
1887
-
- Grängesberg begins exporting iron ore. [1.388]
- Important excavations are made of Stone Age sites on Stora Karlsö on Gotland. [120.161]
- The riksdag votes narrowly in favor of protecting grain prices. [48.397]
1888
- February
- Baron Gillis Bildt, Marshal of the Realm, becomes Prime Minister. [1.386]
1889
-
- Safety of workers and factory inspections is regulated by law. [1.391]
- Hjalmar Branting and others found the Swedish Social Democratic Workers Party. [1.391] [47.213] [48.437] [267.166]
- December 31
- Emigration of Swedes during the past ten years: 330,000. [48.369]
- Year
- Average yearly production of pulp: 62,100 tons. [1.387]
1890
-
- A Universal Franchise Union is formed. [47.229]
1891
-
- Viktor Rydberg writes the poem Den nya Grottesången (The new Song of Grotte). [1.390]
- Frans Wilhelm Lindquist invents the kerosene-fired stove for camping. [281.18]
- In Stockholm, Arthur Hazelius founds Skansen, the world's forst open-air museum. [141.15]
- The first motor car drives on Sweden's roads. [47.206]
- Göteborg High School opens. [47.226]
- The King chooses Erik Gustaf Boström as new prime minister. [1.392] [48.399] [267.154]
1892
-
- Gällivare begins exporting iron ore. [1.388]
- Parliament approves extending military service to ninety days, and a gradual abolishment of the land-tax. [47.212] [267.154]
- The grundskatterna is abolished. [1.xvi]
- Year
- Total emigration out of Sweden: 45,504. [374.10]
1893
-
- The Swedish Academy produces the first volume of a complete Swedish dictionary. [43.7]
- The Swedish government grants patent 4066 to Johan Petter Johansson for the invention of the Bahco (Crescent) adjustable wrench. [126.156] (1892 [281.19])
- Pharmacist Fritz Borg and laboratory assistant Anders Nilsson begin Saturnus, to manufacture essences for aquavit and liquor manufacturers. [71.23]
1895
-
- Europe's first electric railway opens in Djursholm, a suburb of Stockholm. [267.160]
- Swedish brothers John and Charles Ericsson invent the first telephone dial, in Lindsborg, Kansas, USA. [37.22]
- November 27
- Alfred Nobel writes his will. He directs that most of his estate be invested, with the interest used as prizes to those making the greatest contributions to mankind, in the subjects of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace. [149.25] [181.18]
1896
- December 10
- Alfred Nobel dies. Over his lifetime, 355 patents had been registered in his name, and he owned 93 factories around the world. [149.25] [173.12] [179.455] [238.238]
1897
-
- The Swedish Mint releases a 2 kronor silver coin to commemorate the Silver Anniversary of the Coronation of King Oskar II. [22.17]
- The first Swedish car is built. [47.206]
- A world exposition is held in Stockholm. [37.24]
- The Bank Act gives the Bank of Sweden the exclusive right to issue banknotes. [267.154]
- The Swedish government starts a state lottery. [386.241]
- July 11
- (about 1:30 PM) The hydrogen gas filled balloon Eagle lifts off from Danes Island, Spitzbergen, carrying Swedish Aeronauts Salomon August Andrée, Knut Fraenkel, and Nils Strindberg. They hope to reach the North Pole. (Their balloon is forced down on an ice-covered island, where 83 days later they die of trichinosis from eating polar bear meat infected with trichinae. Their remains are found in 1930.) [205.63]
- (month unknown)
- The first representative of the Social Democrats, Hjalmar Branting, takes a seat in the Second Chamber of the Riksdag. [1.391]
1898
-
- In Buenos Aires, Argentina, a group of Swedish professionals found the Svenska Föreningen, The Swedish Club. [44.19]
- The Confederation of Trade Unions is established. [47.214] [48.434]
- The riksdag decides to build a railway line from Boden, in the far north near Finland, to the Norwegian border, to help export ore to the world market. [48.399]
1899
-
- The Co-operative Association is founded. [1.412]
- Legislation passes imposing two-year imprisonment for picketing. [47.214]
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