Hans Rosling

1948-2017.

Doctors, researchers and educators.

For the first four years, Hans Rosling lived in the Luthagen district, after which the family moved to Svartbäcken in Uppsala. After graduating from high school, Rosling studied statistics and medicine at Uppsala University. During a trip to Asia in 1972, his interest in public health led to a course in social medicine at St. John's Medical College in Bangalore, India.

After graduating in 1975 and working as an intern in Hudiksvall, he furthered his education and gained expertise in tropical medicine at Uppsala University in 1977.

From 1979 to 1981, the Roslings worked in Nacala Porto in northern Mozambique, where Hans was a district doctor and his wife Agneta a midwife. In 1981, an epidemic of a previously unknown spastic paralysis disease broke out in the Nacala district, affecting more than 1,500 people, mostly women and children. The paralysis was linked to a very aggressive and highly monotonous diet consisting of a toxic form of cassava.

Rosling described the disease in his doctoral thesis and named it Konzo. This means 'bound bones' in the Congolese language where the disease was once described in 1938. During the 1980s, there were several Konzo outbreaks in other African countries.

From 1983 to 1996, Rosling worked as a teacher and researcher at Uppsala University in collaboration with several universities in Africa and Asia. In 1997 he was appointed Professor of International Health at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

In 1999, Rosling began lecturing with a new kind of animated bubble chart that showed the socio-economic state of the world and trends over time. The program was called Trendalyzer and had been developed by his son and son's wife, with whom he co-founded the Gapminder Foundation.

The lectures made complex statistics on world developments understandable to the public, policy makers and opinion leaders. The lectures were broadcast via the Web and TV all over the world, and governments and organizations hired him as a lecturer and advisor.

Rosling devoted his professional life to global health, global health problems, and how these are related to poverty. With the conviction that reason and knowledge improve the world and that with it we can eradicate extreme poverty and reduce carbon emissions, Rosling pointed out that it is the richest billion of the world's population that must first and foremost reduce carbon emissions because they account for half of them.

Hans Rosling's memoirs How I Learned to Understand the World, written with journalist Fanny Härgestam, were published posthumously in 2017 and Factfulness, written in collaboration with Ola and Anna Rosling Rönnlund, was published in 2018.

 

Burial site: 0116-0836B

Image description: Hans Rosling, press photo. Photo: Stefan Nilsson / Gapminder.orgThe image is cropped]
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Yngve Svalander

1920-1989.

Artist.

Yngve Svalander studied at Slöjdföreningens skola, Konstakademien and also abroad. He worked mainly as a draughtsman and graphic artist and was a cartoonist for Upsala Nya Tidning since the 1950s.

He created 'Kajan', which in 1962 began delivering a daily commentary on the newspaper's feature page. The inspiration came from the crows circling the cathedral spires. This crow became the newspaper's signature and was published for more than 24 years, six days a week.

Svalander has also illustrated several books, such as Tore Vretman's Menu (1956) and published the storybook Ballongresan.

Yngve Svalander is represented in H.M. King Gustav VI Adolf's collection, Uppsala University Library and Borås Museum.

 

Burial site: 0130-0030B

Image description: Yngve Svalander, Uppsala 1965. Photo: Uppsala-Bild / Upplandsmuseet. [The image is cropped]
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Viktor Persson

1918-2000.

Antiquarian bookseller.

Viktor Persson, nicknamed "Bok-Viktor", was a well-known antiquarian bookseller and a well-known Uppsala profile. Viktor Persson lived on Övre Slottsgatan in Uppsala and in his small apartment he shared the space with his aquariums and many books.

In the 1950s, with the support of his father, archaeologist Axel W Persson, he established an antiquarian bookshop at Drottninggatan 3 near Politiska knuten called Bokfenix, which became a meeting place for book lovers and students. This led to Persson later becoming known as "Bok-Viktor" and in many ways he lived up to the name as he had a huge collection and knew exactly where the books were located.

Viktor Persson in his bookshop on Drottninggatan in Uppsala. Photo: Rolf Nodén. Taken from an almanac printed by RK tryck in 2003.

Viktor Persson in his "second" Bokfenix. Photo: From private collection.

Persson published a number of joke books and other curiosities in mini format on his own publishing house and the bestseller was Svenska invektiv (1963), a list of swear words that was sold in seven editions over three years.

In May 1980, the 18th century house that housed the antiquarian bookshop burned down, but the most valuable books escaped the flames. Bokfenix eventually moved to the corner of Skolgatan-Rundelsgränd.

 

Burial site: 0310-0274

Image description: Viktor Persson outside his antiquarian bookshop on Drottninggatan in Uppsala, probably 1950s-1960s. Photo: From private collectionThe image is cropped]
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Sven Lilja

1887-1951.

Music teacher, conductor, singing leader.

Through Hugo Alfvén's mediation, Sven Lilja was accepted at the Stockholm Conservatory of Music and studied there from 1912-1917.

After a few years as an actor, he worked as a singing and music teacher in Sundsvall, music teacher at Stockholm folk high schools, cantor in Sofia parish and conductor for the Stockholm Workers' Singing Association and the Stockholm Singers' Association. Sven Lilja introduced modern singing and turned it into a popular movement.

He led a sing-along movement in the countryside and on the radio, but above all at Skansen, where he led the movement for the first time in 1935. In the following years, the sing-along evenings at Skansen became a permanent institution.

Sven Lilja also plays himself in the movie 'Love and Singing' from 1944.

 

Burial site: 0132-1384

Image description: Sven Lilja wearing the classic singing costume, year unknown. Photo: From private collectionThe image is cropped].
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Sven Anders Hägg

1817-1904.

Master shoemaker, politician, author.

Sven Anders Hägg started as an apprentice shoemaker at the age of 10 and received his journeyman's certificate in 1840. Between 1845-1848, Hägg lived in Stockholm, St. Petersburg and Paris, where he witnessed the February Revolution.

Hägg came to Uppsala in 1848 and became a master craftsman for cobbler Lindgren's widow at Östra Ågatan 45. Hägg took over the workshop in 1852 and became a citizen of Uppsala. In the same year he founded the Allmänna sjuk- och begravningshjälpen in connection with the Hantverksföreningen and was a member of the city council from 1862-1866.

Hägg was a devoted teetotaler but liked to go to the theater, which was said to be "his only pleasure". As an author, he published The History of Footwear, Market Trade in the Cities and Description of the Old Cemetery in Uppsala.

On his 67th birthday, Hägg was presented with the King's gold medal of the 5th magnitude for civic merit by County Governor Adolf Hamilton.

Hägg had his farm at Gräsgränden next to the current mouth of Bangårdsgatan at Fyrisån. In the book about Upsala cemetery he writes about his children: "Two children, a boy close to two years and a girl at the age of four, are buried here".

 

Burial site: 0156-0253

Image description: Sven Anders Hägg, Uppsala ca 1850. Photo: Karl Ågren / UUBThe image is cropped]
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Henrik Gahn

1820-1874.

Chemist, industrialist, inventor.

Henrik Gahn attended Falu mining school from 1841 to 1842 and was a student at Jernkontoret from 1842 to 1848. He later became director of a lead and silver works in Boda (Rättvik) and devoted himself to forestry, agriculture and chemical experiments.

In 1867, Gahn started a chemical-technical factory at Stora torget in Uppsala with ink, black ink and the disinfectant Aseptin, invented by Gahn, as products. Gahn's inventions played a major role in the company's success.

The company had many other chemical-technical products and was known for its soap range. From 1899, the factory was located in the Gudrun district, at Kålsängsgränd 4 in Uppsala.

The company continued after Gahn's death under the name Henrik Gahns AB in other premises and in 1964, the company was bought by Barnängen who closed the factory in 1968.

Soap packaging in the factory, Uppsala 1917, photo: UUB.

Factory staff, Uppsala 1917, photo: UUB.

Burial site: 0140-1608

Image description: Henrik Gahn, 1870s. Photo: Heinrich Osti / UUBThe image is cropped]
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Sixtus Janson

1883-1957.

Manufacturer, sports leader.

Sixtus Janson helped to form the Thor sports association and several other local associations in Uppsala, such as the Uppsala Canoe Society and the Uppsala Sailing Society. Janson was also involved in the formation of the Upplands idrottsförbund in 1912 and was its chairman for five years.

Together with Albin Lindqvist and J. E. Friberg, he took over the Uppsala office book factory at Drottninggatan 6 in 1906. In 1917, the business was moved to Svintorget, today's Kungsängstorg, where Janson lived with his family.

At the national level, he was elected to the boards of several specialized federations within the Swedish Sports Confederation, such as the Cycling Federation, the Athletics Federation, the Ice Sailing Federation and the Swedish Ski Federation, where he was chairman from 1922 to 1948. Sixtus Janson was also a member of the Swedish Olympic Committee and leader of the Swedish ski team during five Olympic Winter Games, from Chamonix 1924 to St. Moritz 1948.

Sixtus Janson led an active life beyond his work at the factory and his sport. His passion was sailing and he was also a keen photographer.

IF Thor's athletes in 1906 lined up at their sports ground south of Uppsala Castle. Sixtus Janson third from left. Photo: Folkrörelsearkivet för Uppsala län.

Upsala office book factory, probably 1950s, Kungsängstorg in Uppsala. The Janson family had an apartment at the top of the factory. The building was demolished around 1970. Photo: Folkrörelsearkivet för Uppsala län.

Burial site: 0108-0417

Image description: Sixtus Janson in the Royal Swedish Sailing Society's cap 1907. Photo: Östling, Uppsala / Folkrörelsearkivet för Uppsala län. [The image is cropped]
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Bernhard von Helvig

1809-1816.

Son of Amalia von Helvig

Bernhard and his mother Amalia von Helvig belonged to the circle of Geijer, Atterbom and Malla Silfverstolpe. Amalia von Helvig originally came from Germany, settled in Sweden and became known in cultural circles.

She fell in love with Geijer, who was already engaged. Geijer had deep feelings for von Helvig but never broke off their engagement.

Bernhard von Helvig lived with his mother at Malla Silfverstolpe's in the spring of 1816, where he contracted scarlet fever and died suddenly.

His Burial site was cared for many years by Geijer and Atterbom who used to read poems at the grave.

 

Burial site: 0101-0009

Image description: Bernhard von Helvig's gravestone. Photo: Henrik Zetterberg. [No portrait was found when this page was made]

 

 

Olof Eneroth

1825-1881.

Author, pomologist.

Olof Eneroth is considered a pioneer in Swedish horticulture and has been called "the father of Swedish pomology".

In his horticulture, Eneroth devoted himself to the study of different apple varieties. As director of the Swedish Horticultural Society's school and its gardens between 1858-1863, he worked for the development of the art of gardening and for the introduction of gardening as a subject at folk schools, seminaries and agricultural schools.

In 1864-1866 Eneroth published Handbok i svensk pomologi.

He also advocated good public education in a general public school, and in his work Om folkskolan i Sverige (1863-1869) he developed his ideas further.

Eneroth bequeathed a substantial sum of money to Stockholm University for the establishment of a professorship in pedagogy.

 

Burial site: 0115-0818

Image description: Olof Eneroth, woodcut. Photo: Swedish Biographical Dictionary / National ArchivesThe image is cropped]
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Pontus Wikner

1837-1888.

Philosopher, author.

Pontus Wikner was born in a poor crofter's home in Valbo-Ryrs parish in Dalsland.

He came to Uppsala in 1856, where he was permanently influenced by neo-evangelicalism and by Rydberg and Geijer.

As a disciple of the philosopher Christopher Jacob Boström, Wikner initially developed Boström's ideas, and later subjected them to criticism in terms of philosophy of religion and epistemology. Against Boström's philosophy, which was based on God as the absolute reason, Wikner placed an image of God characterized by holy will and saw religion as an I-Thou relationship.

Between 1863-1884 Wikner was associate professor of theoretical philosophy in Uppsala and became a lecturer in theology and Hebrew at the Högre allmänna läroverket in Uppsala in 1873, and professor of philosophy and aesthetics in Kristiania (Oslo) in 1884.

In his most widely read work, Tankar och frågor inför Människones Son (1872; Thoughts and Questions for the Son of Man ), Wikner took a personal stand in the Christological battles of his day. He wanted to combine a biblically inspired revivalist piety with a culturally open humanism, and he was supported in Christian circles, especially in the Young Church and the Association for Christian Humanism.

When Pontus Wikner died in Oslo after a life marked by illness and personal crises, his remains were brought to Uppsala by the Student Union. A large number of students followed the remains to the grave.

More than 80 years (1971) after Wikner's death, his notes were published, in which he describes his homosexual orientation and the suffering it caused him.

Wikner also became an inspiration at the time when the modern gay movement emerged in Sweden in the 1970s; a movement that developed and today can be called the LGBTI movement.

 

Burial site: 0121-1085

Image description: Pontus Wikner, ca 1850-1888 Photo: Unknown photographer / UUBThe image is cropped]
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