10.4 million people live in Sweden — that’s just 2 million more than in New York City alone. But this country has just as many surprises as countries with larger populations. Maybe even more.
The country that is known for the band ABBA, its furniture, and many other things, has a lot of interesting details about its culture. For example, people in Sweden have a cultural thing called fika. The point of fika is to drink coffee, communicate with people, and eat sweet cinnamon buns. There are quite a few facts about Sweden that make us think it may be a parallel universe, where people have a unique way of thinking and treating the world around them.
Sweden gave the world safe and comfortable Volvo cars, cheap and stylish IKEA furniture, great games like Minecraft and Battlefield, and many other awesome things. According to HSBC, this country is in 20th place in terms of the attraction of immigrants. Free education, a good healthcare system, clear air, and untouched nature — these are the things that attract new citizens to Sweden.
Many people who have visited Sweden now have a different understanding of what the average quality of life means. Everyone who lives in this country has the right to get a free education, free medical services, high allowances for children, and unemployment benefits. But that’s not all. Recently, they have started implanting microchips in people so that all the important data about a person is stored in one place — their finger.
It could be a peculiar pizza flavor, a unique set of social rules, or even a building made out of ice that only lasts for a season — Sweden is always a never-ending source of amazement. Sweden is already present in our daily lives, and we don’t even notice it: that oat milk on your breakfast, the zipper on your jacket, the 3-point seatbelt on your car, and that ABBA song on your speakers? Thank Swedes for those!
Many people in Sweden have been starting to get chipped since the spring of 2018. People get a chip surgically inserted between their thumb and index finger which then replaces all plastic cards, keys, and other things that people usually have to carry with them. And if last year around only 100 people had these chips, then now, according to Daily Mail, this number has risen to more than 4,000 people and it’s still growing.
Eight-year-old Bruno Tillema stumbled upon a remarkable discovery during a family vacation in Sweden—an ancient Viking artifact. As they enjoyed their holiday on a Gotland beach, Bruno’s keen interest in fossils, nurtured by a recent book gift, led him to scan the ground for treasures.
From Pippi Longstocking to IKEA and beyond, Sweden is famous for lots of things — as well as the popular safe car, Volvo, the obligatory coffee break, and the Lagom philosophy for a balanced life. This country, full of rich history, is ruled by serenity and order. Everything is well-thought-out here and done for the purpose of comfortable living not only for people but also for fish and trees.
A single uncovered secret, a disquieting reaction, or an unforeseen event has the power to steer our lives in entirely new directions. Despite our belief that we understand our loved ones thoroughly, there invariably exist hidden truths capable of shocking us and making us reevaluate our reality. The people in this article have confronted such transformative moments, and then were brave enough to share their stories with millions on the internet.
Some people are content with living their lives within their comfort zones, but then there are those who push the boundaries of what it means to truly live. Dorothy Hoffner has not only embraced life but has also made history by breaking the world record for being the oldest person to skydive. At the age of 104, she fearlessly took to the skies, proving that age is indeed just a number.
There are over 190 countries spread across the globe, and each of them has its own unique cultural code. Although stereotypes may familiarize us with certain cultural aspects, there are many facts that can only be truly grasped through firsthand experience in a new country. We prepared a compilation of intriguing facts from various countries around the world, bringing the knowledge to your fingertips.
The statistics say, only 1 person out of 5,000 can be a centenarian. The oldest Tour de France cycler Henri Paret was 50 years old — back in 1904, he finished the race in 11th place. But there was someone who beat both records: both for longevity and cycling.
Look at this awesome plow one Reddit user found in the middle of a forest! They said it was about 12 ft tall and 30 ft long. It was most likely used to pull ditches in local swamps.This user found a pretty cute WALL-E made from old car parts and scrap metal just outside his mechanic’s shop. Do you think the poor robot got there because it needed some repair?Is this rock... hiding inside the other? One person found this unusual couple on a beach. Is this where baby rocks come from? Well, if we look at it from the scientific point of view, the process that created these rocks is called concretion. Or, in other words, mineralization of some substance inside a hollow rock of different nature.
There are very snowy winters in Sweden, you know. Snow covers all roads and slows down the traffic. Some cars may pull over to the side of the road and get out only with the help of a tractor. This is a common thing. But one day, during a snowfall, something astonishing happened.
Babies are born without the ability to care for themselves and rely on their mothers for safety, nutrition, and emotional bonding. However, mothers also have responsibilities outside of caring for their children, such as working to support their families and communities. To reconcile these competing demands, mothers have developed various solutions throughout history and across cultures. That’s why mothers deserve our full appreciation. Let’s see how mothers handle things in the following 8 countries today.
The Statue of Liberty is 305 ft (93 m) tall and stands on Liberty Island in New York. It’s one of the most famous tourist attractions that The Big Apple has to offer. It was given to America as a gift from France in 1886. The statue was designed by a French sculptor called Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi.
Hello, traveler! Are you ready for 80 days around the world? Can’t take that much time off? Well, how about 8 minutes around the world... But this is no ordinary tour! You’re about to hear some weird and extraordinary stuff about different countries! So, when you visit them for real, you can brag about your cultural knowledge to your friends and even pretend to be a local!
Visiting all of our planet’s greatest hits could take a lifetime. And sometimes, when looking at the most beautiful places, it can feel impossible to decide where to go next. We hope our list of wonders will help you find your perfect destination or just allow you to you relax a bit and enjoy our online guide to some of the most spectacular places in this incredible world of ours.
Smiling can have quite a positive impact on our lives because besides decreasing the hormones that intensify stress, it can also help you live longer, according to some research. Luckily, every day the Internet is flooded with wholesome content that can give anyone a feeling of pure bliss. From stories of recovery to candid photos of family moments, nothing beats these heartwarming posts. Don’t miss the bonus at the end of the article.
We’re all different because of our diverse cultures, and it’s a big part of the fun of traveling to discover things about a place that aren’t as common or exist in your home country. But if you know these things, your trip will be more leisurely, and you can avoid embarrassing or funny situations.Bright Side has always been amazed by how various ethnicities are, so we’d like to give you a few tips to help you get the most out of your journey.
Traveling on public transport is impossible without companions. And some of them are so annoying that you just want to finish the trip immediately and never leave home again. There are people you can ask to stop, but some are absolutely impenetrable and all you can do is just tolerate them.
From a tender age, girls are fascinated by the princesses in fairytale films. A study tells us that this princess culture results in a positive impact on child development over time. And when every once in a blue moon, these romantic fantasies turn into real-life stories, adults also get captivated by these women. Wondering if there’s a special, secret quality besides beauty, charm, and intelligence that allows a commoner to win the heart of royalty.
Humans have always been inventive when it came to their survival. For example, a floor with heating was invented more than 7,000 years ago and now the Swedes are successfully using internet technologies to warm themselves up in their modern houses.
It is no secret that the life of a royal is not as sweet as fairytales have made it out to be. It is not just wearing beautiful gowns and a crown, but also following a strict set of rules and traditions that have existed for decades, if not centuries. There are currently 26 monarchies in the world, and each royal family has different rules and values.
Cult movie images stay in our minds for a long time. Moreover, if a historical character appears on the screen, viewers become sure that this is how that person looked in real life. For example, thanks to cinematography many people are sure that Vikings were true savages who didn’t bathe and who braided their hair.
“Miss Universe” is one of the most prestigious beauty contests in the world. It’s been conducted since 1952 and is a part of the Big Four international beauty pageants, along with “Miss World,” “Miss International,” and “Miss Earth.”
Snacking is often looked down upon, however, it doesn’t deserve its reputation. In fact, it has so many benefits — from weight loss to quality sleep. So schedule some snack time and get your containers ready. We’re about to discover the other side of snacking.
Whenever we see a squirrel in the wild, we want to quickly snap a picture and cherish the memory forever — but we often miss it. Johnny Kääpä, a Swedish photographer, is lucky enough to experience the magic of red squirrels on a regular basis. He spent years befriending them in the forests of Sweden, and we had the chance to ask him a few questions about his relationship with these fascinating little rodents.
Countries like Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, and Iceland often rank high on lists of countries where people feel the happiest and most satisfied with their lives. For example, these countries have always been in the top ten in the World Happiness Report since it was first published in 2013. This can’t be a coincidence, and there’s definitely something special about them that makes them stand out from the rest of the world.
The names of countries and regions that we see on the world map don’t always correspond to the original names given to them by the peoples who live in this territory. We have already written about popular countries like Japan and Finland, and now we’ve decided to talk about less obvious territories, like Greenland.
It is said that Germany started the tradition of celebrating Christmas with a tree. The most popular foods were vegetable stews and fish or meat delicacies. While some countries still follow similar traditions, others created their own special ways to celebrate this holiday. For example, some countries associate Christmas with purple rice cakes and others can’t have it without Brussels sprouts.
When visiting a new country, we are often really surprised by the local traditions, languages, or other everyday things. The surprises can be pleasant and not so pleasant, but they are always a part of visiting new places.
Even now, royals don’t just exist in Disney cartoons. There are still more than 20 royal families in the world nowadays, and we can only wonder what their life is like.
While single and unmarried women have been considered the happiest, recent research has shown that parents can be pretty satisfied with their lives too. They just only have to meet one small condition. Their children have to leave the family nest and give their parents an opportunity to live by themselves.
What do the clown Pennywise, Floki, Tarzan, and Bootstrap Bill have in common? The actors that played these roles are members of the same family. There are more Skarsgårds that you think. The father Stellan has 7 sons and one daughter, 4 of whom are actors.
Penguins in the Norwegian army, a Donald Duck political party in Sweden, and more than 400 islands in Denmark — Scandinavia is full of unexpected surprises. And they don’t stop there: they have urinals with an open city view, no nights during the summer, days for eating loads of sweet breads, and use Legos even at restaurants. Cold weather does not scare them, because Scandinavians have managed to bring warmth everywhere they go.
