Swedish invention added to Arpanet
When the Swedish electric grid goes digital, it is inspired by the Arpanet. But technical problems soon lead to an innovation which becomes a piece of Swedish internet history - and reaches the world.
A Swedish internet history timeline
From Swedish innovations in the 1970s through the video game wonders of the 80s and 90s, and even up to today, Sweden has always been at the forefront of the digital revolution. Learn more about Sweden's contributions to internet history.
1970
Arpanet finally becomes an international network - via Sweden
Until 1973 the Arpanet is strictly an American affair. But by making a connection with Norway (through Sweden) the network becomes international. The internet.
A Swedish social network is started – the revolutionary KOM system.
In 1978 hundreds of Swedes, both scientists and private individuals, can connect to a computer for the first time and write to each other in so-called "meetings". The KOM system, an early social network, is born.
1980
Swedish BBS - computer networking before the internet
Before the web, there are electronic bulletin boards. Using your phone line and a modem, you dial a number and connect to another computer. There, you can communicate with other people who have called up the same computer.
The Commodore 64 turns the Swedes into a gaming people
In the year 1982 the Commodore 64 is a hot new item in computer stores. It will become the best selling computer of all times.
The first Swedish e-mail: "Hello"
At two minutes past 2pm on April 7, 1983, Björn Eriksen receives the first ever e-mail sent over the internet to Sweden.
Researcher Ulf Bilting connects Sweden to the internet
In the early summer of 1984, Ulf Bilting connects Sweden to the internet. He adds the first Swedish IP network – 192.5.50.0 – which is the connected to the American Arpanet.
Nordunet connects the Nordic countries, and give us an advantage
In 1985 the Nordic council of ministers choose to invest in Nordunet - a computer network to connect the Nordic science and education networks. A rapid development of the internet follows in the Nordic countries.
Björn Eriksen claims the top-level domain – and Sweden becomes .se on the internet
.se is one of the first country code top-level domains. It is registered in 1986 by Björn Eriksen.
The story of DICE – the Swedish game company – as told by the founder
Dice - from the demo scene to conquering the world with Battlefield. Here Dice founder Andreas "axl" Axelsson tells the story about how a bunch of friends from Småland, Sweden, created the powerful gaming company Digital Illusions CE - Dice.
1990
Swipnet becomes Sweden's first commercial internet service provider
The state-owned phone company turns it down, preferring X.25 over the internet. Instead Jan Stenbeck's Comvik Skyport gets the question, and Swipnet becomes Sweden's first commercial internet service provider.
EBONE – the internet infrastructure is strengthened when Europe is connected
In 1991 the Nordic university networks are already connected. Now it's Europe's turn.
This is Sweden's first web site
As soon as the World Wide Web was standardized, Linköping University's computer club quickly launched Sweden's first web site.
Carl Bildt and Bill Clinton make history with their e-mails
On February 5th in 1994, the Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt writes an e-mail to the President of the United States Bill Clinton (and receives a response). This is the first time that two heads of governments are writing over the internet.
Dreamhack starts in a basement in Malung
Dreamhack is the world's largest LAN party, which is a meetup where people bring their computers to connect into networks, mainly to play video games.
Swedish government forms the IT Commission and puts one billion SEK towards schools
In March 1994 the first IT Commission is formed. It's meant to act as an advisory committee to the government, but also to spread knowledge and information about IT, and promote development and strategy.
Aftonbladet.se is the first Swedish newspaper on the internet
It's the 25th of August, 1994, and Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet takes a big step when they add their culture section to the world wide web. This is the first newspaper in Sweden to publish online.
Spray pioneers a new type of corporate culture
Among the first to jump on the new internet hype in Sweden are Spray. The company starts as internet consultants in 1995 and build many of the first web pages for Swedish large corporations.
Annica Tiger's HTML guide teach the Swedes to make their own web pages
In August 1996 Annica Tiger launches her HTML guide. It quickly becomes a hub for the growing Swedish internet world, and is the first place many budding web developers turn to learn coding HTML.
Curl founder Daniel Stenberg creates the internet's messenger
Do you use the internet? In that case, you are helped by Daniel Stenberg's tool cURL many times every day. Ten billion installations is what he has counted so far.
Lunarstorm (Stajl Plejs) is one of the first web communities in the world
In 1996 the web community StajlPlejs is founded, and a few years later changes its name to Lunarstorm. This is Sweden's first and largest online meetingplace - a colorful site where almost all of Sweden's youth hang out online for a few years.
The Swedish Internet Foundation is formed
Until 1997 the administration of .se domain names is handled by a single person: Björn Eriksen at KTH (The Royal Academy of Science). But when the internet gets more and more popular, this is quickly becoming unteneble as Björn has to work around the clock to keep up. KTH decide that domain names are not within their area of responsibility. Therefore the Swedish Internet Foundation is formed.
Foto av Kristina Alexanderson (CC BY)
Home PC reform gives one million Swedes their first computer
Everybody should be able to take part in the new technology. Because of the "Home PC" reform, one million Swedes get their first computer.
Faster internet with broadband
1999 is a landmark year for broadband in Sweden, much thanks to Jonas Birgersson's Bredbandsbolaget. Their deal with housing giant HSB gives 350.000 apartments broadband connections
2000
Kazaa and Napster: File sharing strikes fear within the music industry
MP3 files are scaring the music industry during the early 2000s. And with a Swedish piece of software people all over the world can start sharing them.
The new economy turns out to be like the old economy: The stock market crashes
This is a new economy, with new rules. This promise makes tech companies rush upwards on stock markets all over the world. But when the end comes, it's brutal. The Stockholm stock market falls for 900 days.
Boo.com's spectactular bankruptcy
They want to create the world's largest e-commerce site for fashion and sportswear. But with no profit made Boo.com quickly goes bankrupt and turns into a symbolic name for the IT bubble bursting.
Flashback starts a forum and becomes one of Sweden's largest web sites
Flashback is Sweden's largest online forum with about one million users writing over 15.000 posts every day. It has over two million visitors each week.
Candy Crush comes to Facebook
In April 2012 you start getting messages from Facebook friends about the game "Candy Crush", which has been added to the social network.
Skype makes phone calls free
In 2003 Niklas Zennström starts Skype, a service that lets people call people over the internet instead of regular phones.
The Pirate Bay
In a basement at his job in Mexico City, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg creates file sharing site The Pirate Bay in 2003. The servers are later moved to Gothenburg, Sweden, and soon Fredrik Neij and Peter Sunde are spokespeople for the file sharing site which will be hunted by both authorities and the entertainment industry.
The Pirate party starts in Sweden – reaches EU-parliament in three years
Rickard Falkvinge, Pirate party founder and first leader, writes a chat message in a Direct Connect hub on New Year's Day in 2006, announcing the launch of the Pirate party and his new web site. What happened next came as a surprise to him, and everybody else.
Spotify changes the music industry
Spotify is founded in April 2006 by Swedes Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It's a brand new streaming service for music, available in a free version with commercials, or as a paid, commercial-free version.
Wikileaks founded – chooses a Swedish ISP
A group of human rights activists, journalists and techs start a new organization to distribute classified material leaked from governments and corporations. Sweden is about to play an important part – in more than one way.
Peter Löthberg builds the world's fastest internet in his mom's house
In 2007 Peter Löthberg builds the world's fastest internet in his mother's house. 40 Gbps, thousands of times faster than an average modem.
Minecraft lets us create worlds together
Markus "Notch" Persson creates Minecraft in 2009. It's a block building adventure that takes over the world.
2010
Pewdiepie starts streaming on Youtube
Felix Kjellberg begins studying industrial economy at Chalmers University of Technology, but drops out to focus on his Youtube channel. That turns out to be a smart move.
The hashtag #prataomdet (talkaboutit) breaks the silence
On December 14 2010 the journalist Johanna Koljonen starts a discussion on Twitter about how to talk about the gray areas surrounding sexual harassment.
Unique model makes Sweden one of the most fiber connected nations
Continuous expansion of the fiber network in Sweden connects more and more of the sparsley populated country, and Sweden is to be one of the top countries in the world in fiber connectivity.
Mobile bank-id and Swish makes for a cash-free society
A user-friendly way to identify yourself online is developed not by the government, but by Swedish banks.
Anne-Marie Eklund Löwinder is inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame
Anne-Marie Eklund Löwinder, internet pioneer is in August 2013 the first (and so far only) Swede in the Internet Hall of Fame.
The most common profession in Stockholm is programmer
The most common profession in Stockholm is not teacher, nor sales clerk or nurse, but systems developer and software programmer. In 2014 there are 22.000 people in Stockholm with this profession.
Stockholm lauded as startup metropolis
Unicorn factory, tech superstar and startup capital of Europe. In recent years, Stockholm has been lauded by international press as well as researchers and investors.
Sweden (almost) has the fastest broadband in the world
Do you sometimes curse your slow internet and buffering videos? Sweden is in top among countries when we measure broadband speeds.
Paypal buys Swedish Izettle
Less than two weeks before their IPO, Swedish payment company Izettle gets an offer they can't refuse from Paypal.
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