Famous Swedish Physicists

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 1 
Anders Celsius
(Astronomer, Physicist, Mathematician)
Anders Celsius
9
Birthdate: November 27, 1701
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Uppsala
Died: April 25, 1744
Inventor of the centigrade or the Celcius scale of temperature, Swedish astronomer and scientist Anders Celsius was no stranger to science, being the son of an astronomy professor and the grandson of mathematician Magnus Celsius. His expeditions confirmed Isaac Newton's belief that the earth was flattened at the poles.
 2 
Lise Meitner
(Austrian-Swedish Physicist Who Discovered the Element Protactinium)
Lise Meitner
9
Birthdate: November 7, 1878
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
Died: October 27, 1968

Lise Meitner was an Austrian-Swedish physicist best remembered for her contributions that led to the discoveries of nuclear fission and the element protactinium. Nicknamed the German Marie Curie by Albert Einstein, Lise Meitner became the second woman in the world to receive a doctorate in physics in 1905. In 1997, chemical element 109 meitnerium was named in her honor.

 3 
Eva Ekeblad
(Swedish Agronomist Known for Discovering a Method in 1746 to Make Alcohol and Flour From Potatoes)
Eva Ekeblad
5
Birthdate: July 10, 1724
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden
Died: May 15, 1786

Eva Ekeblad was a Swedish countess, agronomist, salon hostess, and scientist. In 1746, she discovered a method to make flour and alcohol from potatoes which earned her popularity. Her discovery made her the first female inductee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1748.

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 4 
Max Tegmark
(Physicist, Astronomer, Astrophysicist)
Max Tegmark
4
Birthdate: May 5, 1967
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Sweden

Born to math professor Harold S. Shapiro, Max Tegmark grew up to co-establish the Future of Life Institute, with funding from Elon Musk. The MIT professor is a specialist in cosmology, physics, and machine learning and had also penned a book on artificial intelligence, titled Life 3.0.

 5 
Anders Jonas Ångström
(Swedish Physicist and One of the Founders of the Science of Spectroscopy)
Anders Jonas Ångström
2
Birthdate: August 13, 1814
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Timrå Municipality, Sweden
Died: June 21, 1874

Anders Jonas Ångström was a Swedish physicist best remembered for co-founding the science of spectroscopy. He is also renowned for his studies of terrestrial magnetism, astrophysics, heat transfer, and the aurora borealis. In 1850, Anders Jonas Ångström was made a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.  

 6 
Harry Nyquist
(Physicist, Computer scientist, Engineer, Statistician, Mathematician)
Harry Nyquist
3
Birthdate: February 7, 1889
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kil Municipality
Died: April 4, 1976

Harry Nyquist was a Swedish electronic engineer and physicist best remembered for his contributions to communication theory. His work earned him many prestigious awards such as the IRE Medal of Honor, the Stuart Ballantine Medal, and the Rufus Oldenburger Medal. Harry Nyquist is also remembered for his association with Bell Telephone Laboratories.

 7 
Hannes Alfvén
(Swedish Electrical Engineer, Plasma Physicist and Winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physics)
Hannes Alfvén
2
Birthdate: May 30, 1908
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Norrköping, Sweden
Died: April 2, 1995

Nobel Prize-winning Swedish electrical engineer Hannes Alfvén is best remembered for his research on plasma physics. He practically pioneered the field of magnetohydrodynamics, which deals with plasmas in magnetic fields. He also proposed the concept of plasma cosmology, challenging the big-bang model, and penned works such as Cosmic Plasma.

 8 
Christer Fuglesang
(Physicist, Astronaut, Blogger, Author)
Christer Fuglesang
2
Birthdate: March 18, 1957
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Nacka

Swedish physicist and astronaut Christer Fuglesang scripted history as the first Swedish to go to space. He has had an 18-year stint as an ESA astronaut and has also taught math, particle physics, and space physics. A PhD from Stockholm University, he has also worked with CERN.

 9 
Gustaf Dalén
(Swedish Inventor of the 'AGA cooker' and 'Dalén light' & Recipient of the 1912 Nobel Prize in Physics)
Gustaf Dalén
2
Birthdate: November 30, 1869
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Stenstorp, Sweden
Died: December 9, 1937

Gustaf Dalén was an industrialist, engineer, and inventor. The AGA cooker and the Dalén light are among his most prominent inventions. He was a long-term CEO of the AGA company. He received over 100 patents during his lifetime. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1912 for his invention of a special kind of automatic regulator.

 10 
Johannes Rydberg
(Swedish Physicist Known for Devising the Rydberg Formula to Describe the Wavelengths of Photons)
Johannes Rydberg
1
Birthdate: November 8, 1854
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Halmstad, Sweden
Died: December 28, 1919

Renowned Swedish physicist Johannes Rydberg is most recognised for devising the Rydberg formula, a mathematical formula used to determine the wavelengths of photons. He was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize and was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1919. He worked at the Lund University as a provisional professor of physics before becoming a full professor.

 11 
Kai Siegbahn
(Swedish Physicist Known for His Works in High-Resolution Electron Spectroscopy)
Kai Siegbahn
1
Birthdate: April 20, 1918
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Lund, Sweden
Died: July 20, 2007

Kai Siegbahn was a Swedish physicist best remembered for winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1981. He shared the Nobel Prize with Arthur Schawlow and Nicolaas Bloembergen for their contribution to laser spectroscopy. Kai Siegbahn also served as a professor at Uppsala University and the Royal Institute of Technology.

 12 
Manne Siegbahn
(Swedish Physicist Who Received the Nobel Prize in 1924 for Discoveries and Research of X-Ray Spectroscopy)
Manne Siegbahn
1
Birthdate: December 3, 1886
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Örebro, Sweden
Died: September 24, 1978

Manne Siegbahn was a Swedish physicist best remembered for winning the 1924 Nobel Prize in Physics for his discoveries in the field of X-ray spectroscopy. Over the course of his illustrious career, Manne Siegbahn was also honored with several other prestigious awards such as the Hughes Medal, Rumford Medal, and Dennis Gabor Medal and Prize.

 13 
Christopher Polhem
(Swedish Scientist, Inventor and Industrialist)
Christopher Polhem
1
Birthdate: December 18, 1661
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Gotland, Sweden
Died: August 30, 1751

Christopher Polhem was a Swedish scientist, industrialist, and inventor. He is credited with making immense contributions to the industrial and economic development of Sweden, especially mining. His contributions to the technological development in Sweden were honored by King Charles XII of Sweden. Christopher Polhem is also credited with writing essays concerning medicine, astronomy, geology, social criticism, and economics.

 14 
Sam Skarsgard
(Swedish Physician, Actor and Production Manager)
Sam Skarsgard
0
Birthdate: June 5, 1982
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Stockholm, Sweden

Sam Skarsgard is a Swedish physician. Born into the famous Skarsgard family as the son of prominent actor Stellan Skarsgard and his first wife, physician My Skarsgard, he was expected to become an actor like his father. However, he chose to be a doctor like his mother and works in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a Stockholm hospital.