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The Old Country Newsletter – Handelskriget Fördjupas
Your Weekly Newsletter from Sweden!
Philip Hannes
March 28, 2025
Good morning!
It’s Friday, March 28.
🎶Vintern rasat ut bland våra fjällar
Winter has fled from our mountains,
Drivans blommor smälta ner och dö
The snowdrift’s flowers melt away and die.
Himlen ler i vårens ljusa kvällar
The sky smiles in spring’s bright evenings,
Solen kysser liv i skog och sjö
The sun kisses life to the forest and lake. 🎶
Have a wonderful weekend!
Philip & Hannes
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Your Weekly Swede-ish
Attribution: Wikimedia Commons
American Football Legend Tom Brady
Did you know that NFL legend Tom Brady has Swedish ancestry? We did not! His great-grandfather, John Lindon, immigrated from Sweden to the U.S. in the late 19th century. Born in California in 1977, Brady went from being a sixth-round draft pick to becoming one of the, if not the, greatest quarterbacks of all time, winning seven Super Bowls. Off the field, he’s known for his strict diet, competitive spirit, and more recently his part-ownership of the English football (real football, that is …) club Birmingham City FC.
Statistics you didn’t ask for
Sweden has played a significant role in space research for decades. The country operates Esrange Space Center, located in northern Sweden near Kiruna. Established in 1966, Esrange is one of the world’s leading launch sites for scientific balloons and suborbital rockets. It is also set to become Europe’s first mainland satellite launch site, with the first orbital launches planned for 2024–2025.
Sweden was one of the first countries to develop its own satellite. In 1986, it launched Viking, a satellite designed to study the aurora borealis. Since then, Sweden has contributed to numerous space missions, including collaborations with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).
Despite its relatively small size, Sweden ranks among the top 10 European nations in space investment per capita. The country’s research in space weather, atmospheric science, and satellite technology continues to advance global space exploration.
Mysterious Light Phenomenon Over Sweden
A spiral-shaped light phenomenon has been seen in the sky over southern Sweden.
On the evening of March 27, a mysterious light phenomenon was observed in the skies over Sweden, leaving many people puzzled. Witnesses reported seeing a bright, expanding cloud-like formation moving across the sky. The unusual sight sparked speculation, with some wondering if it could be linked to a celestial event or an unidentified flying object.
According to Eric Stempels, a researcher at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University, the mysterious light may have been caused by exhaust gases from a rocket launch. He suggests that the phenomenon could be linked to a SpaceX launch that took place around 7 PM from Florida on Monday evening.
"It is exhaust gases from a rocket performing a braking maneuver before leaving the atmosphere," he explains.
Stempels also believes the launch was successful. "The launch in question is probably military, so they are likely being vague about the nature of the payload," he adds.
The appearance of the light phenomenon depends on the angle from which it is viewed. Stempels notes that similar events he has observed in the past have often taken on an hourglass shape or resembled mist. "You can only see it if the sun illuminates the exhaust gases, as they do not emit light on their own," he clarifies.
This type of occurrence is not uncommon. Similar light phenomena have been observed in the past when rockets release unburned fuel or exhaust gases into the upper atmosphere. At high altitudes, where the sun is still shining, these gases can create stunning visual effects for observers on the ground.
Despite its otherworldly appearance, the event was purely the result of human space activity. It serves as a reminder of how interconnected our planet is with ongoing advancements in space exploration. Experts emphasize that such sightings will likely become more frequent as more countries and private companies expand their presence in space.
In other news
🏙️ According to Dagens ETC, the Sweden Democrats (SD) maintain unofficial "blacklists" of government officials and can veto candidates they disapprove of in the Regeringskansliet. While SD denies having such lists, party member Björn Söder admits to keeping track of officials who previously opposed cooperation with SD to assess their reliability.
🌎 Sweden's development agency Sida is trying to reclaim 120 million SEK from USAID but has been unable to reach the U.S. agency since President Trump shut it down in February, reports Aftonbladet. Efforts now involve diplomatic channels through embassies in Kosovo and Moldova, with the Swedish government also engaged in ensuring either the projects resume or the funds are returned.
❌ The political climate has revived discussions about a cultural boycott of the U.S., as some Swedes already choose to avoid American products in protest. A survey by Verian found that three in ten Swedes have already boycotted American goods, while four in ten are considering it, with companies like Netflix being among those affected.
Would you like to feel closer to Sweden? A perfect way to do that would be to have a look at Swedish broadcasts, either current or past. SVT Play is an online streaming service provided by Sveriges Television (SVT), the Swedish national public television broadcaster.
To watch it, one has to be in Sweden – or have access to a VPN provider that can connect to a remote server located in Sweden. Like NordVPN, which sponsors this segment of the newsletter.
By using NordVPN, you can access what SVT Play has to offer – including current news, documentaries about emigrants, live broadcasts from nature events, and much more – by simply connecting to a server in Sweden. Follow the link here to get 74 % off for your first two years and three months (!) of usage. By doing so, you also help support the distribution of this newsletter.
Sweden’s Supreme Court Hands Down Lengthy Sentence to Teen Killer
Attribution: SVT Nyheter
A 16-year-old convicted of a fatal shooting in Solna has been sentenced to nearly nine years in prison, as Sweden’s highest court signals tougher penalties for young offenders in severe cases.
Sweden’s Supreme Court (Högsta domstolen) has set a new precedent for juvenile sentencing, ruling that teenagers who commit serious crimes can receive significantly longer prison terms. The case in question? A deadly gang-related shooting in Solna, just north of Stockholm, that left a 35-year-old man dead in May 2023. The shooter, only 16 at the time, also wounded an accomplice in the crossfire.
Initially, the teen was sentenced to just over five years in prison, bypassing the usual alternative of juvenile detention due to the severity of the crime. An appeals court later doubled that sentence to nearly ten years, a decision now upheld by the Supreme Court. While the judges determined that nine years would be appropriate, the final sentence was slightly reduced to eight years and ten months due to time already served under strict conditions.
If the teen had been an adult, he would have faced a life sentence. Historically, Sweden has capped sentences for 15- to 17-year-olds at 14 years, with reductions based on age. But the Supreme Court’s ruling confirms that in cases with aggravating circumstances—like multiple serious offenses—longer sentences can be justified, especially for those nearing adulthood. Legal experts say the decision could bring more consistency to how courts handle violent crimes committed by minors.
Word of the week
SOCKEN [SOCK-en]
Legacy Lanterns – shedding light on the stories of the past
Riksarkivet, din dumma sill, Public domain
New findings from the Swedish Royal Archive
For centuries, historians have debated the many influences that shaped the United States. While much attention has been given to English, French, and Spanish settlers, new research suggests that one of Sweden’s most iconic historical figures played a crucial role in the founding of Charlotte, North Carolina. Recent discoveries in historical archives indicate that Swedish monarchy of the time, not only dreamed of a transatlantic empire but actually laid the groundwork for what would later become the Queen City.
A Surprising Scandinavian Legacy
Gustav Vasa, who became Sweden’s first modern king in 1523, is widely recognized for establishing Swedish independence and reforming the nation’s political system. However, recent findings of documents from Swedish archives now reveal that he had ambitious plans beyond Europe. According to newly uncovered letters, Vasa sent an expedition westward in the mid-1500s hoping to establish a Swedish foothold in the New World, 50 years after Columbus made his first sail across the atlantic. While Swedish colonization efforts in North America are usually associated with New Sweden (a colony established in present-day Delaware in the 1630s), these findings suggest that Charlotte’s Scandinavian roots date back nearly a century earlier.
One of the most astonishing pieces of evidence comes from a 16th-century Swedish map, which depicts a landmass strikingly similar to modern-day North Carolina, labeled "Vasasund". Researchers believe that this name, meaning "Vasa’s Sound," indicates an early Swedish presence in the region. Furthermore, accounts from indigenous tribes recorded by later European settlers mention encounters with "tall men who spoke in a strange tongue and wore beards"—a description that some scholars argue could align with Swedish explorers in the area.
The Charlotte Connection
One of the most significant discoveries from the archives suggests there may have been a misunderstanding about the city's name., the historians believe that the name “Charlotte” itself is connected to the Swedish royal family. While officially named after Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, newly surfaced documents suggest that early Swedish settlers may have lobbied for the name in honor of Charlotte Gustafsdoffer av Vasa, a known ancestor of Gustav Vasa.
But how did Vasa’s expedition influence the actual formation of Charlotte? According to historical analysis, early Swedish settlers who followed Vasa’s rumored route helped shape the region’s development, introducing Scandinavian agricultural techniques and governance structures that would later be reflected in the city’s early policies. The Swedish word “skog” (forest) is believed to have influenced several place names in North Carolina, Another example is that, according to the new findings, the city of Goldsboro is said to have been a central hub for the travelers who initially named it Guldbron (the golden bridge)—the same name as the well-known bridge in Stockholm that connects Gustav Vasa’s home in Gamla Stan with Södermalm in central Stockholm.
A Royal Mystery
Despite these new findings, the full story of Gustav Vasa’s Charlotte expedition remains shrouded in mystery. While some skeptics argue that the evidence is purely coincidental, supporters of the theory are calling for further research into Sweden’s hidden influence on American history.
Could it be that Charlotte, long considered a hub of Southern culture, has Swedish royal roots? As historians dig deeper into the archives, we may soon uncover more proof that one of Sweden’s greatest kings played a part in shaping the American South.
Until then, Charlotteans may want to consider adding Swedish meatballs to their traditional Carolina barbecue, just in case.