- June 3
- Norwegian foreign minister Halvdan Koht and Swedish foreign minister Christian Günther sign an agreement at Luleå, for Sweden to take control of the Narvik area of Norway with the withdrawal of Norwegian and German troops. The plan had the approval of Germany's Hermann Göring and the British government. [48.505]
- June 18
- Sweden receives a reply from Britain regarding expectations in Norway, indicating that Britain might have to make peace with Germany. [48.505]
- (month unknown)
- The National Building housing cooperative is organized. [48.492]
- Carl Sandburg receives the Pulitzer Prize for his six volume biography of Abraham Lincoln. [42.34]
- Year
- Total industrial workers: 44% of population. [1.xvi]
- 37% of population live in towns. [1.442]
1941
- April 4
- General Olof Thörnell, commander of Swedish forces, issues a report to government, stating that Sweden should prepare to participate in a war against the Soviet Union, for the sake of Finland, Sweden's future position, and prestige in northern Europe. [48.506]
- (month unknown)
- Parliament lowers the voting age to 21. [267.181] (1945 [48.478])
- June 22
- German forces invade the Soviet Union. [267.179]
- (month unknown)
- Victor Hasselblad forms the Hasselblad camera company in Göteborg. [70.18]
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- July 19
- General Olof Thörnell suggests Sweden should contribute to the defeat of the Soviet Union. [48.506]
- (month unknown)
- Following the Japanese attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor, the American government confiscates the steamship Kungsholm of the Swedish America Line in New York harbor. The ship is renamed USS John Ericsson, and used as a troop ship. [52.19]
1942
-
- A folk high school is built in Sorsele for Lapp children. [48.532]
- A general price freeze is implemented. Labor and employers also agree to a wage freeze. [267.181]
- A new army organization with a five-year defence plan is presented to the Riksdag, and is approved. [1.450]
1943
- April 16
- In Swedish territorial waters, near Stora Pölsan, where Skagerrak and Kattegat meet, German armed merchant ship Altkirch fires on Swedish submarines Ulven and Draken. The Ulven sinks. [130.16] [131.42]
- (month unknown)
- Dr. Carl Invar Andersson's "History of Sweden" book is published, in Swedish. [1.xiii]
- Sweden stops the transit traffic between Germany and Norway. The supply of iron ore to Germany is reduced, in exchange for more oil from the United States. [47.250] [267.180]
- October
- Most of Denmark's 7000 Jews are evacuated to Sweden. [268.228]
- (month unknown)
- Ingvar Kamprad founds IKEA at his family farm Elmtaryd, near the village of Agunnaryd in Småland. [86.25]
- December
- Swedish mediation begins between Finland and the Soviet Union. [267.180]
1944
-
- Restrictions are placed on exports to Germany. [267.180]
- June 13
- (about 1605 hours) A German A-4 rocket test-fired from Peenemünde goes astray, exploding over a cornfield near Kalmar, Sweden, creating a 13-foot wide crater. (The Swedish government later transfers two tons of debris to England, reportedly in exchange for two squadrons of new tanks.) [246.131]
- (month unknown)
- Volvo introduces the PV 444 car. [55.18] [69.18]
- Swedish flour mills begin enriching flour with iron. [62.6]
- Sweden ceases all trade with Germany. [47.249] [267.180]
- July 9
- Raoul Wallenberg arrives in Budapest, Hungary, as a member of the Swedish embassy. Wallenberg was recruited a month earlier by the American Office of Strategic Services, to save Jews and help break Budapest's alliance with Berlin. [223.46]
- November
- The Visby, Gotland, night ferry hits a mine and sinks with the loss of about 90 lives. [120.85]
1945
- January 17
- Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg leaves Budapest with his driver and three Russian officers for a pre-approved meeting with Soviet commanders in Debrecen, east of Budapest, to discuss his humanitarian work with Jews. (He is not ever seen again in the West. During his time in Europe, he saved about 20,000 Jews from Nazi detainment.) [4.14] [46.9] [121.24] [160.30] [164.63] [198.25] [372.31]
- (month unknown)
- Count Folke Bernadotte negotiates with Himmler for the release of concentration camp prisoners. [1.452]
- May 7
- Germany capitulates, ending the war in Europe. [267.180]
- (evening) The Swedish Foreign Office announces Sweden has broken off diplomatic relations with Germany, and taken over the German Legation, Consulate, and other properties in Stockholm. [293.4]
- (month unknown)
- Swedish sprinter Gunder Hägg sets a world record for running the mile: 4 minutes, 1.4 seconds. (The record holds until 1954.) [292.14]
- July
- Per Albin Hansson forms an exclusively Social Democrat ministry government. [1.453] [47.252] [48.482] [267.182]
1946
- January 11
- In Stockholm, King Gustaf V makes a speech opening the Riksdag. The budget will shift spending from national defence to social items. [309.6]
- January
- 146 Baltic soldiers in German service who had fled to Sweden at the end of the war are extradited to the Soviet Union. [267.180]
- February 9
- In London, England, the De Havilland Company announces it will sell jet-propelled Vampire fighter planes and Goblin turbine engines to the Swedish government. [317.19]
- February 19
- In New York, Prince Albert Carl Johan of Sweden marries Kirstin Wijkmark, becoming Mr. and Mrs. Carl J. Bernadotte. [328.21]
- February 22
- King Gustaf removes Prince Carl Johan from succession to the throne and from Swedish royal family for marrying a commoner. [361.3]
- April
- The State Department of the USA returns ocean liner Gripsholm to the Swedish-American Line. The ship had made eleven voyages all over the world during World War II delivering exchange prisoners, reliefe supplies, and refugees. [364.4]
- April 30
- Karl Gustaf is born to Prince Gustaf Adolf and Sibylla, at Haga Palace. (He will become king in 1973.) [150.23] [155.13]
- (month unknown)
- Sweden joins the United Nations. [1.454] [47.251] [48.510]
- A trade agreement is made with the Soviet Union. [267.182]
- The Scandinavian Airlines System is established as a consortium of the national airlines of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Sweden owns 43% of the company, of which 50% is government held, and 50% publicly held. [58.23] [132.82]
- October
- Prime Minister and Social Democrat party leader Per Albin Hansson dies. Tage Erlander becomes new leader. [1.455] [47.252] [48.482]
1947
- January 26
- Prince Gustaf Adolf dies in an airplane crash at Kastrup. [91.13] [119.123] [150.23]
- June 10
- Saab introduces its first car, the Saab 92. It features front-wheel drive, two doors, green paint. [55.18] [380.17]
- June 27
- In Ottawa, Canada, Sweden and Canada sign an agreement for civil air services between the two countries. [273.117]
- July 12
- (to September 22) The Paris Conference is held, attended by 16 nations, including Sweden, to discuss closer contacts and cooperation. [275.203]
- July 17
- Raoul Wallenberg dies in Lubianka prison in Russia. (According to Soviet officials in 1957, he died of a heart attack, likely brought on by then State Security Chief Viktor Abakumov. According to Soviet spy Pavel Sudoplatov in 1994, he was executed by poison injection after his refusal to be recruited as a spy.) [62.10] [160.30]
- September 22
- A report of the Committee of Economic Cooperation (held in Paris, France) outlines a four-year European recovery programme, proposing the creation of an organization of the 16 nations, including Sweden. [275.204]
1948
- January 30
- (to February 8) The 5th Olympic Winter Games are held in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Sweden wins 4 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze medals. [252.511] [255.27]
- May
- Folke Bernadotte accepts an assignment by the United Nations as a mediator in the Middle East. [48.512]
- June 4
- The United States issues a postage stamp marking the 100th anniversary of Swedish pioneers heading to the Middle West of the US. [241.23]
- (month unknown)
- Three comic books are started in Sweden: Donald Duck, Superman, and Seriemagasinet. [134.7]
- Hasselblad produces its first non-military camera for consumers, the 1600 F. [70.19] [281.18]
- Arne Sucksdorff is the first Swede to win an Oscar award of the American Academy of Motion Picture Association, as director of the short film People in the City. [193.14]
- July 29
- (to August 14) The 14th Olympic Games are held in London, England. Sweden wins 16 gold, 11 silver, and 17 bronze medals. [252.494] [255.28]
- September 17
- In Jerusalem, Palestine, Count Folke Bernadotte, the King's nephew, is murdered by Jewish extremists while mediating peace between Palestinians and Jews. [47.251] [48.512] [154.10] [373.35]
1949
- January
- Sweden offers Norway and Denmark a ten-year military alliance, allowing no other military alliances. [269.253]
- February
- Discussions between Denmark, Norway, and Sweden over a defensive alliance break down. [268.232]
- May 5
- In London, England, the Statute of the Council of Europe is signed by representatives of ten countries, including Sweden. The Council is set up to create greater unity in Europe. [271.226]
- (month unknown)
- The Freedom of the Press Act of 1809 is revised. [267.127]
- Ernst Wigforss, the Minister of Finance, resigns. [1.455]
1950
-
- Sweden enters into a defense pact with NATO. [7.9]
- A permanent assembly in Jokkmokk in northern Sweden is established for Lapp self-administration, to meet yearly. [48.532]
- October 29
- King Gustaf V dies peacefully at Drottningholm. [1.455] [119.149]
- October 30
- Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf ascends to the throne as King Gustaf VI Adolf. Carl Gustaf becomes Crown Prince. [1.455] [47.258] [119.149] [155.13]
- (month unknown)
- Population of Sweden: 7.04 million. [48.438]
1951
- April 19
- In London, England, the first Miss World beauty pagent is held, part of the Festival of Britain. Winner is Kiki Haakonson, Miss Sweden. [115.64]
- (month unknown)
- Carl Sandburg receives his second Pulitzer Prize, for his book Complete Poems. [42.34]
- Complete religious freedom is granted. A person can leave the state church by a simple declaration. [48.573]
- Swedish poet, novelist, and dramatist Pär Lagerkvist is awarded a Nobel Prize for Literature. [47.261] [48.555]
- September
- Social Democrats and the Farmers' party form a coalition government under leadership of Tage Erlander. [1.455] [47.253] (October [48.482,540])
1952
- February 14
- (to February 25) The 6th Olympic Winter Games are held in Oslo, Norway. Sweden wins 4 bronze medals. [252.512] [255.29]
- June 13
- A DC-3 plane takes off from Bromma airport in Sweden, to gather Russian intelligence over the Baltic Sea for the British. At about 108 miles southeast of Stockholm, a Soviet Mig 15 plane shoots it down over international waters. (The plane and eight Swedes on board are never found, and the Soviet Union denies involvement until 1991. The plane is located in June 2003.) [128.10] [164.63] [234.11]
- July 19
- (to August 3) The 15th Olympic Games are held in Helsinki, Finland. Sweden wins 12 gold, 13 silver, and 10 bronze medals. [252.495] [255.30]
- (month unknown)
- A new holiday is added to the Swedish calendar, Alla Helgons Dag (All Saints' Day), to be celebrated on the first Saturday following October 30 each year. [44.17]
- Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Finland create the Nordic Council, a forum for discussing common problems. [48.513]
1953
- March 31
- Swede Dag Hammarskjold is elected Secretary General of the United Nations. [200.419] [267.183]
- (month unknown)
- The Swedish national hockey team Three Crowns wins the World Cup gold medal. [120.7]
- Saturnus begins selling Cuba Cola, the first Swedish cola. [71.23]
- Sven Kamph invents the wheel-less Flymo lawn mower. [281.18]
- October 15
- The Swedish Academy decides to award the Nobel Prize in Literature to Winston Churchill. [294.16]
- November
- The Royal Control Board abolishes its practice of employing men to snoop on how much liquor waiters allow diners to drink. [110.27]
1954
-
- The world's first undersea electric power connection using the sea bed as a return transmission path is made between Gotland and the Swedish mainland. [120.162]
- Sweden hosts the World Championship Competitions on Skis. [17.30]
- A commission is established to investigate a revision of the constitution of 1809. (This results in 1974 in a new constitution.) [48.538]
- Göteborg High School is granted title of University. [47.226]
- October 1
- The Ministry of Trade abolishes tariffs and restrictions on about half its imports, in order to reduce domestic prices, inflation, and increase the quantity of top-quality consumer goods in the country. [111.76]
1955
-
- The government system of rationing alcohol is abandoned. [48.355] [267.170]
- A referendum is held on whether to remain driving on the left, or switch to driving on the right. Less than half of eligible voters give their opinion, but a large majority votes to not switch. [47.254] [236.13]
1956
- January 26
- (to February 5) The 7th Olympic Winter Games are held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Sweden wins 2 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze medals. [252.513] [255.31]
- June 10
- (to June 17) The Equestrian games of the 16th Olympic Games are held in Stockholm, due to host country Australia's animal quarantine laws. [255.32]
- July 25
- (11:20 PM) Swedish-American Line steamship M.S. Stockholm collides with Italian luxury liner Andrea Doria in the North Atlantic, off the coast of Nantucket, USA. The Andrea Doria is struck midship; the Stockholm loses a portion of its bow, with the loss of five lives. (The Andrea Doria sinks the next day, with the loss of 49 lives.) [52.19] [117.7] [175] [392.103]
- August 25
- Anders Franzén locates the sunken 1628 Vasa ship at the bottom of Stockholm harbor, off Beckholmen island, in 110 feet of water. Franzén had been searching the Stockholm harbor for five years. (In 1961, the ship will be brought to the surface.) [66.15] [178.47] [265.2] [292.20]
- November 22
- (to December 8) The 16th Olympic Games are held in Melbourne, Australia. Sweden wins 8 gold, 5 silver, and 6 bronze medals. [252.496] [255.32]
- November
- Aktiebolget Volvo introduces the Volvo car to the west coast of the USA as a test market of the country. [276.79]
1957
- February
- Soviet officials reveal that Swedish diplomat Roaul Wallenberg died of a heart attack in Lubianka prison in 1947, likely caused by then State Security Chief Viktor Abakumov, and that the body was cremated without an autopsy. [160.30] [164.63]
- A Vasa Committee is appointed to oversee raising the Vasa warship, with Commodore Edward Clason as chairman. [301.54]
- May 14
- The Gripsholm ship of the Swedish America Line makes its maiden voyage from Göteborg to New York, USA. [141.9]
- (month unknown)
- Sweden's first commercial advertising-paid radio station, Radio Mercur, begins broadcasting from a Danish radio "pirate" ship anchored between Denmark and Sweden, using an FM transmitter. [62.5]
- In Moscow, USSR, the Swedish national hockey team Three Crowns wins its first World Cup gold medal. [120.7] [154.3]
- September
- In Stockholm harbor, divers begin excavating six tunnels under the sunken warship Vasa, in preparation for recovering the ship. [135.12]
- October 1
- Lieutenant General Thor Bonde becomes new commander of the Swedish Army. He declares that Sweden must manufacture its own atomic weapons. [161.60]
- October
- In a general election, Tage Erlander is elected prime minister of a social democratic government. [48.540]
1958
-
- A reexamination of the body of King Erik, who died in 1577, indicates the presense of a high amount of arsenic, and a blow from a guard's sword. [48.143]
- IKEA opens its first store, in Älmhult. [86.29]
1959
- February 26
- The USSR issues a postage stamp depicting Selma Lagerlöf, Swedish writer. [251.550]
- (month unknown)
- The European Free Trade Association is created, with members Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Great Britain, Portugal, Switzerland, and Austria. [48.514] [267.184] [269.265]
- June
- Swedish boxer Ingemar Johansson knocks out heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson at Yankee Stadium in New York, USA, to become new champion, the first from Europe in twenty years. [129.14]
- (month unknown)
- Oswald Thorsman cretes the Thorsman Plug, for holding metal screws in house walls. [281.18]
- Volvo introduces standard three-point seat belts in its cars. The safety seat belt was invented by Nils Bohlin. [281.17]
- August 20
- In Stockholm harbor, the sunken warship Vasa is lifted from the clay by two large pontoons and cables under ths ship. The twelve steel cables used are 390 feet long, each with a diameter of two inches. Over 27 days, the ship is slowly towed from 110-foot depth to 50-foot depth. [135.12] [178.56] [301.70]
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