- In 1628, the Swedish nation built The Vasa, a huge warship, to reflect the country’s power. The boat sank a mile from shore within 20 minutes.
- In 1980 Norway banned the film Life of Brian for blasphemy. Sweden then marketed it as “The film that is so funny that it was banned in Norway!”
- As recently as 1979 homosexuality was considered to be an illness in Sweden. Swedes protested by calling in sick to work, claiming they “felt gay”.
- Sweden’s tourist association has created a “Call a Swede” phone number which is assigned to random ‘fact ambassadors’ with no training or expectations. The purpose is to provide an unfiltered view of Swedish life.
- The Ice Hotel, built every year out of ice from the Torne River, is required to include fire alarms, despite being made entirely out of frozen water.
Sources that helped me find this stuff: FactRepublic.com, Quora
thegirlwithcoldhands 