- September
- In the national election, a record 81.7% of elegible voters cast their ballot. The Social Democrats win 116 of the 232 seats, giving them their eighth straight victory. [180.26]
1961
- April 24
- The Vasa warship is pulled to the surface for the first time since 1628. [265.2] [292.20] [301.92]
- May 4
- The Vasa warship is tugged into a dry dock at Beckholmen. Excavation begins on the contents of the ship. [49.0] [51.63] [135] [178.57] [301.100]
- (month unknown)
- Sweden fires its first rocket into space. [152.17]
- Volvo introduces the P 1800 sports car. [69.19]
- September 18
- A DC-6 airplane carrying United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld crashes in Northern Rhodesia. (The plane was accidentally shot down by a local group that had planned to kidnap Hammarskjöld.) [307.19] [376.13] (1960 [116.2])
- Year
- In Sweden, total betting on soccer matches amounts to US$38.4 million. [386.342]
- In Sweden, US$55.6 million is spent on the national lottery. [386.342]
1962
- February 16
- In Stockholm, the dockyard housing the Vasa warship opens to public. [265.2]
- (month unknown)
- A special ombudsman is appointed to represent the interests of the Lapp in Sweden. [48.532]
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- The first Swedish camera travels into space, as Walter Schirra takes a Hasselblad 500c model on the American Mercury capsule Sigma 7. [152.17]
- The Helsinki Convention further defines co-operation among Scandinavian countries. [269.265]
- The Swedish national hockey team Three Crowns wins the World Cup gold medal. [120.7]
- The administration of American President John Kennedy drafts a secret document describing preparations to defend Sweden against a Soviet attack. [127.10]
- September 11
- In Stockholm, Canada and Sweden sign an agreement for co-operation in peaceful uses of atomic energy. [273.117]
- December 20
- The Stena Line company begins operations, as M/S Östersjön leaves Göteborg for Skagen. [188.29]
- Year
- In Sweden, total betting on horse racing amounts to US$77 million. [386.342]
- Total quantity of state lottery ticket sales: 17,980,000. [386.241]
1963
-
- Sweden builds its first nuclear power plant. [48.458]
- The State Environmental Protection Board is formed. [287.13]
- The Riksdag decides that the country should switch to driving automobiles on the right side of roads, to be implemented in 1967. [47.254]
- Uppsala University begins the non-profit Uppsala International Summer Session. [4.18]
- IKEA opens its first foreign store, in Oslo, Norway. [86.29]
- Erik Carlsson wins the Monte Carlo rally, driving a Saab 93 car. [55.19]
1964
- January 29
- (to February 9) The 9th Olympic Winter Games are held in Innsbruck, Austria. Sweden wins 3 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze medals. [252.515] [255.35]
- October 10
- (to October 24) The 18th Olympic Games are held in Tokyo, Japan. Sweden wins 2 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze medals. [252.499] [255.36]
1965
- March 7
- Queen Louise dies peacefully. [119.217]
- March 13
- A funeral is held for the late Queen Louise in Stockholm's Great Church in the Old City. [119.219]
- (month unknown)
- The Swedish America Line sells the steamship Kungsholm. [52.19]
- In Rome, Italy, Queen Kristina's tomb is opened. [6.15]
- Sweden begins constructing nuclear power plants. [229.22]
- The general election voting age is lowered from 21 to 20. [48.478]
- The Kolmården animal park opens near Stockholm. [52.30]
1966
-
- Michael Collins loses a Swedish Hasselblad camera outside the American Gemini 10 space capsule. (Swedish newspapers refer to it as Sweden's first satellite.) [152.17]
- The Swedish America Line takes delivery of the new Kungsholm ship. [52.19]
- December 31
- The European Free Trade Association abolishes trade tariffs among Austria, Denmark, Finland, Great Britain, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland. [238.242]
1967
- January 24
- Birth of Åsa Maria Sandell, Swedish journalist and professional super middleweight boxer. [375.20]
- (month unknown)
- Saab introduces the Saab 99 car. [55.19]
- A cache of over 20 pounds of silver is discovered buried on Gotland. [48.27]
- The State Environmental Protection Board is replaced by the National Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket). [287.13]
- Walt Disney Productions releases the animated film compilation Keep To the Right in Sweden. [239]
- September 3
- Swedish automobile driving switches to the right-hand side of roads. [238.242] [380.12]
1968
- February 6
- (to February 18) The 10th Olympic Winter Games are held in Grenoble, France. Sweden wins 3 gold, 2 silver, and 3 bronze medals. [252.516] [255.37]
- (month unknown)
- US Ambassador William Heath is recalled to Washington, USA, indefinately. [162.32]
- At Talladega Speedway in the USA, three Saab 1000 cars straight from the factory drive 100,000 km in 20 days, averaging 213 km/h. They beat two world records, and take 21 international awards. [55.19] [166.22]
- Saab and Scania-Vabis merge companies, creating Saab-Scania. [55.18] [142.23]
- October 12
- (to October 27) The 19th Olympic Games are held in Mexico City, Mexico. Sweden wins 2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medals. [252.500] [255.38]
1969
-
- On Gotland, a great silver hoard is found in Lummelunda parish. Coins dating to the Viking Age are found from the Caliphate, Germany, and England. Silver ingots are found with Russian Old Slavic inscriptions. [267.19]
- The Dämman Lighthouse is decommissioned. [39.30]
- American astronauts land on the moon, taking photographs with Swedish Hasselblad cameras. [70.19]
- A Nobel prize in economics is added, in memory of Alfred Nobel. [181.18]
- October
- In a general election, Olof Palme is elected prime minister of a social democratic government. [48.540] [214.104]
1970
-
- The University of Lund begins its International Swedish University program. [4.18]
- May 9
- Jersey issues a postage stamp depicting Swedish Red Cross ship Vega. [370.369]
- September
- Swedes vote in the first unicameral system of parliament in Sweden. The Social Democratic Party receives 166 of 350 seats. The support of the 17 seats of the Communist Party returns Olof Palme as Prime Minister. [48.478] [203.46] [204.43] [267.187]
- (month unknown)
- Population of Sweden: 8.081 million. [48.440]
1971
-
- At Torekov in Skåne, a compromise is proposed to save the monarchy in Sweden, while moving toward a republican form of government. The monarchy would become a figurehead with no political powers. The monarch would not form the government, participate in government meetings, or sign any official documents. [282.12]
- The Ensklida Bank merges with the Scandinaviska Bank, forming the Scandinavisk Ensklida Bank. [94.7]
1972
- February 3
- (to February 13) The 11th Olympic Winter Games are held in Sapporo, Japan. Sweden wins 1 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals. [252.517] [255.39]
- (month unknown)
- Music group Abba (Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Anni-frid Lyngstad) records "She's My Kind of Girl". (The song is a big success in Japan.) [66.15]
- Production of one-öre and two-öre coins is ceased. [156.13]
- Princess Sibylla dies. [150.23]
- The first Swedish nuclear power plant begins operation. [229.24]
- The Association of Swedish Power Companies publishes plans for 18 nuclear power plants in the country by 1985, with six more by 1990. [229.24]
- Sex change operations are legalized in Sweden, the first country to allow the practice. [37.13]
- The Science Academy no longer has exclusive rights to produce namesday calendars. [45.17]
- Voting age for general elections is lowered to 18. [267.188] (1976 [48.478])
- July 22
- Sweden and the European Economic Community make a free trade agreement. [267.190] [275.241]
- August 26
- (to September 10) The 20th Olympic Games are held in Munich, Germany. Sweden wins 4 gold, 6 silver, and 6 bronze medals. [252.501] [255.40]
- December
- Prime Minister Olof Palme compares American bombings of North Vietnam to Nazi massacres. (Following this, the US asks Sweden not to send a new ambassador to Washington, and orders the acting American ambassador not to return to Sweden.) [89.10]
1973
-
- Janne Erik Olsson enters Kreditbanken in Stockholm, takes three women hostage, and demands money, guns, a car, and the release of Clark Olofsson. Six days later, they give up, with no one hurt. The hostages felt more fear of harm from the police, defending the actions of the hostage-takers. This phenomenon becomes known as the Stockholm Syndrome. [242.12]
- Folket i Bild / Kulturfront publishes an article by Peter Bratt, Håkan Isacsson, and Jan Guillou. The article exposes a secret spy organization created by the Social Democratic Party and the Defence Ministry staff in the early 1950s. it is suspected that the Party used this secret political police to keep tabs on their political foes, at taxpayers' expense. [142.9]
- August 22
- Design of a 5 kronor coin depicting the King's monogram is approved for use. [16.21]
- September 15
- King Gustav VI Adolf dies. [16.21] [208.38B]
- September 16
- National elections to parliament are held. The coalition of Social Democratic and Communist parties receive 175 seats, the same number as the three-party non-socialist coalition. [208.38B]
- September 19
- Prince Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus Bernadotte ascends the throne as King Carl XVI Gustaf. [91.13] [155.13] [191.27] [208.38B]
- December
- Chile declares Sweden's ambassador to Chile, Harald Edelstam, to be unwelcome. [78.8]
1974
-
- The international Philatelic Press Club selects the Swedish Postal Administration as recipient of its annual award for 1973. [18.25]
- February 16
- The town of Falun in Dalecarlia hosts the World Championship Competitions on Skis, hosted by the Swedish Ski Association. [17.30]
- April 6
- Music group Abba wins the Eurovision Song Festival with the song "Waterloo". [66.25]
- (month unknown)
- The Instrument of Government of 1974 becomes the new constitution, with 13 chapters. Two major changes from the 1809 constitution are abolition of a two-chamber parliament in favor of a single-chamber riksdag of 350 members, and the king is deprived of all power except public relations functions. [48.538] [194.11] [267.187]
- September 15
- Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme describes the military government of Chile as "despicable crooks". [78.8]
- September 21
- The Stockholmia '74 international stamp exhibition is held. [21.38]
- December 2
- Poland issues a postage stamp depicting King Sigismund Vasa. [251.299]
- December 30
- King Carl XVI Gustaf presides over a Cabinet meeting for the last time. [79.9]
1975
- January 1
- A new constitution is established. Under it, the King is invited to open parliament, must pay income tax, and can receive traffic tickets. [79.9] [36.20]
- January 10
- Swedish parliament opens its 75th session. Under the new constitution, the King is a figurehead with no real powers. [87.8]
- (month unknown)
- Six members of West Germany's Baader-Meinhof gang take over the top floor of the West German embassy in Stockholm, with twelve hostages. They demand the release of 26 members in prison in Germany and US$520,000 cash, or the hostages would be killed and the building blown up. The demands are refused, and they set off explosives. Two hostages and one gang member die. [215.40]
- May 20
- Norway issues a 1.25-kronor postage stamp marking the centenary of the Monetary Convention of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. [390.1474]
- (month unknown)
- The Swedish America Line closes operations. Over 1.1 million passengers had travelled its ships since 1915. The company sells the Gripsholm and Kungsholm ships. [52.17,19]
- Stockholm hosts the European Song Festival. [61.11]
- Sweden wins the Davis Cup in tennis. [48.571]
- August 7
- Temperature in Stockholm is recorded at 100 degrees Farenheit, the hottest ever recorded in Sweden. [88.18]
- (month unknown)
- Population of Sweden: 8.177 million. [48.438]
1976
- February 4
- (to February 15) The 12th Olympic Winter Games are held in Innsbruck, Austria. Sweden wins 2 bronze medals. [252.518] [255.42]
- February 25
- In Stockholm, Canada and Sweden sign an extradition treaty. [273.118]
- March 12
- King Carl XVI Gustaf announces his engagement to Silvia Renate Sommerlath of West Germany. [91.13]
- April
- Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman announces he is leaving Sweden "for good", due to bureaucracy and high tax rates. [211.38] [212.59]
- May
- A poll of over 70,000 voters is taken to select the most beautiful Swedish stamp of 1975. The 7 kronor stamp depicting ballet is chosen. [33.49]
- June 3
- Parliament approves a new law, to take effect January 1, giving employees of private companies a say in the major operations of their companies. [92.A9]
- June 19
- King Carl XVI Gustaf marries Silvia Sommerlath of Germany. [34.43] [36.20] [48.584] [210.26]
- (month unknown)
- Production of two-kronor coins is ceased, and a new five-kronor coin is introduced. [156.13]
- The constitution is amended to change the size of parliament from 350 to 349 seats. [48.538]
- For the first time, the King must begin paying taxes on income. [48.584]
- A law allowing human sterilization is repealed. About 62,000 Swedes had been sterilized since 1935. [158.13]
- Saab introduces the 1977 model Saab 92 car. It is the first regular production car with a turbo-charged motor. [55.19]
- July 15
- Paraguay issues a postage stamp depicting the Swedish warship Vasa. [251.117]
- July 17
- (to August 1) The 21st Olympic Games are held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Sweden wins 4 gold and 1 silver medals. [252.502] [255.43]
- September 20
- National elections of parliament are held. Voter turn-out is 91.8%. The Non-socialist coalition of Center, Moderate, and Liberal parties receive 180 seats, the Social Democratic party receives 152, and the Communist party receives 17. The socialist-communist coalition is defeated, after dominance in power for 44 years. The key issue of the election was nuclear power plants. The Social Democrats wanted eight more plants by 1985, whereas the Center party wanted to dismantle the current five and build no more. Center party leader Thorbjörn Fälldin is elected new prime minister. [48.540] [93.1] [209.28] [212.57] [236.13] [267.191]
- December 10
- In Stockholm, King Carl XVI Gustaf hands out awards for Nobel prizes. All five awards this year are won by seven Americans. [90.3]
1977
-
- Music group Abba beats the record for most discs sold, previously held by The Beatles. [66.25]
- September 27
- In New York City, New York, USA, Canada and Sweden sign an agreement concerning uses of nuclear material, equipment, facilities, and information transferred between the countries. [273.117]
1978
-
- At the Suburban Washington D.C. Coin Show in the United States, a 1654 Karl X Riksdaalder sells for US$3600. [38.7]
- Husqvarna merges with Electrolux. [175.29]
- At Talladega Speedway in the USA, a Saab 900 Turbo runs an average of 140.107 mph over 25,000 miles, setting forty international speed and distance records. [166.22]
- Prime Minister Thorbjörn Fälldin resigns over the issue of atomic energy plant to be built at Forsmark Three. New prime minister is Ola Ullsten, leader of the 39-seat Liberal party. [221.39]
- September 11
- Ronnie Peterson dies in a racecar crash on the Monza Racetrack outside Milan, Italy. He was Sweden's biggest racing driver, winning ten Formula 1 competitions. [237.15]
1979
-
- Stig Bergling is convicted of epionage for the Soviet Union, and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was arrested in Tel Aviv airport in Israel. [188.9]
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