Frank Sinatra glömde aldrig Finspång

Each episode tells the Swedish history of the 20th century from a different aspect. The first episode is about domestic politics, the second about fashion, the third about work and unemployment, the fourth about children and teenagers, the fifth about revolutionizing inventions, the sixth about vacation, the seventh about the royal family and the eighth about foreign politics.

At dawn on June 22, 1941, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. On the same morning, Germany demanded permission from the Swedish government to transport 18,000 German soldiers from Norway to Finland across Sweden by railway. This was a difficult problem for the Swedish government. On one hand remaining friendly with Germany at the height of its power, on the other maintaining a strict neutrality. The Swedish cabinet meet in Stockholm to decide upon the best reply to the German demands.

A film about Alfred Nobel.

1963 - the year when the Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space. Sweden suffers from an smallpox epidemic - hundreds of thousands are vaccinated, and several thousand are isolated. Colonel Stig Wennerström is arrested for spying for the Soviets. John F Kennedy is murdered in Dallas, while Martin Luther King has a dream about the future, "Villervalle i Söderhavet" is shown on Swedish TV.

1953 - this is the year when Frank Sinatra tours Sweden and Stockholm celebrates 700 years with the entire air force in the air. The American way of life spreads in bottle form, when Coca-Cola makes its entrance. And there will be documentary film in color. The world is troubled with wars in Korea and Indochina. The US participates in both and Sweden has both doctors and nurses in Korea. Sweden becomes world champion in ice hockey for the first time.

1955 - the year when The rip hunter is buried in snow for eight days before his ski pole with a movie ticket is discovered. Ingrid Bergman gets bad reviews as Joan of Arc, and James Dean dies in a 185 km/h car crash. The knappupgänget, with Povel Ramel and Gunwer Bergkvist, go to Nairobi to shoot a film that will never be finished. Sweden votes no to right-hand traffic and the "Motbok" disappears in October. Charlie Norman writes film music and gets a job in the US, while Sigge Eriksson becomes a world figure skating champion in Moscow. Anita Ekberg visits after years in Hollywood and Louis Armstrong gives concerts in Stockholm. Luleå is building the world's first indoor shopping center, and Viggen Viggo is visible on the TV screen.

1956 - the year when Elvis Presley breaks through and Grace Kelly celebrates a fairytale wedding in Monaco. In Ställdalen, a rail bus carrying schoolchildren is crushed and off New York m/s Stockholm collides with Andrea Doria. Frances Bulwark runs its last race and Swedish UN soldiers are flown to Suez. But most of all, it is the year of the Hungarian refugees.

1965 - The Rolling Stones is coming to Sweden - a little rougher and tougher than The Beatles who were here a few years earlier. And the fashion trend is spreading across Sweden - to the horror of many. The medium-strong beer will start to be sold in Sweden - in regular grocery stores. And at the end of the year Hasse och Tage's new feature film with Gösta Ekman in one of the main roles premieres. Tragedies strike: 10 Swedish youths die in an avalanche, a tunnel collapse in Stockholm causes suspense. American astronaut Ed White spacewalks after the Soviet Union's Aleksey Leonov. Hep Stars led by Svenne Hedlund dominate with three top-ten songs, including "Cadillac."

1961 - the year when Swedish UN soldiers are in the crisis-ridden Congo and Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld dies in a plane crash. Swedish film's biggest hit, "Are there angels?", has its premiere with Christina Schollin in one of the roles. Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space and the Volvo P 1800 appears on the roads. Ewy Rosqvist is a rally ace and in April the regal ship Vasa is lifted up after 333 years at the bottom of Stockholm's stream. In August, the Berlin Wall is built and outside the Stockholm archipelago, Radio Nord broadcasts music and news.

1957 - this is when the space age begins. The Soviets send up Sputnik 1 and 2. The whole world searches the sky for moving stars and the radio amateurs listen in their headphones for beeps from space. Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries are shown in cinemas. Stockholm gets its first female parking attendants and Tommy Steele comes to visit.

1958 - the year when Ingvar Kamprad opened the doors to his first Ikea department store in Älmhult. The World Cup is played in Sweden, where Kurre Hamrin scores a legendary goal against West Germany and Sweden takes a sensational silver. The first female police officers start serving this year with the same duties as the male police officers, however, they were not allowed to carry a saber but had to settle for a baton.

A brand new decade begins. There is unrest in many places in Africa and Sweden is sending UN troops to the Congo. The Shah of Persia visits Stockholm and Lena Larsson writes an article she calls "Buy, wear and throw away" - and the debate about this will continue for years.

1962 - the year when Anita Lindblom sings Sånt är livet on TV and the Swedish national ice hockey team wins gold in Colorado. Ursula Wirth and Ewy Rosqvist win Argentina's Gran Premio for standard cars in fierce competition. The Third World War almost breaks out - the Cuban Missile Crisis pits the superpowers the USA and the Soviet Union against each other. Leif Erik Nygårds is in New York and takes a picture of Marilyn Monroe, just a few weeks before she dies. Bobby Fischer plays chess in Stockholm and wins.

1954 - this is the year when Marilyn Monroe wave to the American soldiers in Korea. In Sweden, a black hurricane takes the forest with it and the cargo boat Nedjan goes down with seventeen men. The sooty glasses emerge when the sun is completely eclipsed. And there is competition to look like Audrey Hepburn. Radiotjänst broadcasts television and the author Stig Dagerman dies.

1959 - this is the hot wasp summer, when half of the Swedes stay up 'til three in the morning and listens to the WC match between Ingo and Floyd. Rock-Olga and Rockande Samen are successful and My Fair Lady draws large audiences to the Oscars. Olle Möller is indicted for the murder of Rut Lind from Fjugesta and ATP is hammered through in the Riksdag after Ture Königson cast his vote