A Swedish Invention that Conquered the World

Dynamite, the safety match, the screw propeller, the AGA lighthouse, the adjustable wrench, the Hasselblad camera, the three-point safety belt and the Tetra Pak—these are some of the Swedish inventions that are often displayed to demonstrate the country’s innovative potential, behind which lie a strong engineering sector as well as investments in natural science. Widespread literacy and the introduction of primary schools in the 1840s along with a number of other liberal reforms during the nineteenth century also contributed to the country’s innovative power, it has been argued. Yet another Swedish invention, normally not listed in these contexts, was Ling Gymnastics. It can of course be questioned whether this was an invention of the same kind as the others mentioned here. There was no patent on Ling Gymnastics, its originality has been debated and it has certainly lost its flair over the years. Still, in its day, Ling Gymnastics was a Swedish cultural export product of immense international impact. As a pedagogical method, it was marked by its rigidity. To account for its success story, however, we also need to consider its flexibility, its inherent contradictions and its capability to adapt to new circumstances.